Philip Glenister

CHICAGO – If you’re not watching BBC America, you’re not watching some of the best television available to you.

CHICAGO – The concluding eight episodes of the great “Life on Mars” have now been collected by Acorn Media, making a two-box set (“Series 1” was released earlier this year) that is a must-own for fans of British television. Perhaps the biggest failing of the recent ABC remake of the show is that it may have sullied the reputation of the original. Even though I believe it was better than given credit, forget the remake and don’t let its rating failure dissuade you from seeing where it all began.

CHICAGO – Any good reader of HollywoodChicago.com knows that we have a soft spot for modern British television. “Torchwood,” “Doctor Who,” “Primeval,” “Robin Hood,” “Ashes to Ashes,” and many more shows range from good to great. One of the best series of the ’00s is the excellent “Life on Mars,” soon-to-be available in a series 1 DVD box set and accompanied on store shelves this month by the sixth volume of the thrilling “Wire in the Blood”.

Television Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Ashes to Ashes” may be one of the most unusual choices for a TV sequel but sometimes the best series come from the most unexpected places. This may be the most pleasant surprise TV fans will get all year. The BBC’s brilliant “Life on Mars” has been dragged from the glitz and glamour of the ’70s to the turbulent ’80s in the as-good-and-arguably-better “Ashes to Ashes,” another notch in the belt of great BBC programming.