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The BBC sci-fi-mystery series Life on Mars commences in 21st century Manchester, England, where a young detective, Sam Tyler (John Simm) attempts to track down a serial killer preying on residents in the area. Suddenly, Sam's girlfriend is kidnapped, and Sam suspects that the same individual is responsible for both the murders and the abduction, but before he can pursue the investigation further, he survives an extreme automobile accident and comes to - only to discover that the year is 1973. Unable to determine if he has actually traveled back in time, is dreaming or has lost his sanity, Sam sets about trying to solve the mystery; meanwhile, he continues to work on detective cases under the aegis of boss DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), a no-nonsense type who resorts to violence as his first method when attempting to solve a conflict.