Silver Spring, MD — The award-winning, original U.K. police drama Life on Mars, Series 1 debuts on home video from Acorn Media on July 28, 2009. With a powerful cast, wry humor, and clever use of period music and details, this action-packed and innovative drama has earned universal critical praise and fan devotion. A ratings hit in the U.K. for two seasons and on BBC America in the U.S, the series inspired a U.K. sequel (Ashes to Ashes) and a U.S. version that aired on ABC in 2008–2009. Life on Mars has won multiple awards, including two International Emmys® for best drama series. The 4-volume DVD is packed with special features, including audio commentaries on all eight episodes, an hour-long behind-the-scenes documentary, outtakes, among others (www.AcornOnline.com).

Hot on a killer’s trail in modern-day Manchester, police detective Sam Tyler (John Simm, BBC’s State of Play) gets struck by a passing car and wakes up in 1973. Is he mad, in a coma, or back in time? Whatever the answers, he still has crimes to solve, albeit with low-tech, highly aggressive 1970s methods. He finds himself working on a homicide squad where hard drinking replaces hard thinking; forensics takes weeks to analyze; and his boss, DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister, Cranford), has no qualms about roughing up suspects—or Sam himself. But when he bonds with sympathetic policewoman Annie Cartwright (Liz White, The Fixer), Sam wonders: does he really want to return?

DVD BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Audio commentaries for every episode with cast and crew
• "Take a Look at the Lawman," an hour-long documentary with cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
• Interview clip with director Bharat Nalluri
• "The Music of Life on Mars" featurette with composer Ed Butt
• "Get Sykes" featurette with production designer Brian Sykes
• Outtakes reel

The original U.K. series aired on BBC One for two series (2006-2007). ABC remade it for the 2008-2009 season starring Jason O’Mara and Harvey Keitel.

Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British television. Acorn’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.