Hey, everyone! How’s it going? Today I’m here to review the drama Life on Mars, which delivers a mind-bending blend of time travel mystery, 1980s police corruption, and one detective’s desperate fight to return to his own timeline while solving the case that could change everything.
Life on Mars aired on OCN from June 9 to August 5, 2018, with 16 episodes running approximately 60 minutes each on Saturday and Sunday nights at 22:20 KST. Based on the acclaimed British BBC series of the same name, this Korean adaptation transplants the time travel concept into 1980s Seoul during the democratization period. The series masterfully combines elements of time travel sci-fi, police procedural, and historical drama to create one of OCN’s most ambitious and emotionally complex productions.
What sets Life on Mars apart is its sophisticated approach to both the time travel premise and the historical setting. The series doesn’t use the 1980s as mere nostalgia but instead explores the systematic corruption and authoritarian police methods of that era. This combination of supernatural mystery with hard-hitting social commentary creates a viewing experience that’s both intellectually stimulating and emotionally devastating.
From Modern Detective to 1980s Outsider: A Collision of Eras
Han Tae-joo is a meticulous crime investigation team leader in 2018 who relies on scientific evidence and modern forensic techniques to solve cases. While pursuing a serial killer case involving young women, he suffers a severe accident and mysteriously wakes up in 1987 as a detective in the same police station. Trapped in an era where police brutality is routine and evidence is often fabricated, Tae-joo must adapt to survive while searching for a way back to his own time.
The series excels at showing the culture shock between modern police work and 1980s methods. Tae-joo’s attempts to introduce proper investigative procedures are met with suspicion and hostility from colleagues who see his methods as weakness. His knowledge of future events becomes both an asset and a burden as he struggles to prevent tragedies while avoiding suspicion about his true identity.
Han Tae-joo: The Future Detective Fighting Past Demons
Jung Kyung-ho delivers a masterful performance as Han Tae-joo, showcasing incredible range as he portrays a character completely displaced in time and methodology. His portrayal balances Tae-joo’s frustration with primitive investigative techniques with his growing understanding that some aspects of human connection transcend technology.
What makes Tae-joo so compelling is how Jung Kyung-ho shows the character’s evolution from relying solely on data to understanding the importance of intuition and human relationships. The performance captures both Tae-joo’s desperate desire to return home and his gradual realization that his presence in 1987 might serve a larger purpose than just solving his original case.
Kang Dong-chul: The Old-School Detective Who Rules Through Fear
Park Sung-woong brings intimidating charisma to Kang Dong-chul, the violent and corrupt team leader who represents everything wrong with 1980s policing. His character embodies the authoritarian mentality of the era, using torture and intimidation as standard investigative tools while maintaining absolute loyalty from his subordinates through fear.
The dynamic between Dong-chul and Tae-joo becomes the series’ central conflict, representing the clash between two completely different approaches to law enforcement. Park Sung-woong masterfully conveys Dong-chul’s genuine belief that his methods are necessary while showing glimpses of the humanity buried beneath decades of institutional corruption. Their relationship evolves from antagonistic to grudgingly respectful as both men recognize qualities in the other that challenge their worldview.
The Past Reveals Its Secrets: When Time Travel Becomes Personal Mission
The series reaches its most powerful moments when Tae-joo realizes that his presence in 1987 isn’t random but connected to unsolved crimes that have haunted multiple generations. As he investigates cases that will echo into his own timeline, the boundaries between past and present begin to blur in ways that suggest his mission involves more than just returning home.
What makes these revelations so emotionally devastating is how the series shows that some injustices transcend time, requiring intervention from someone who understands both the past’s corruption and the future’s consequences. Tae-joo’s investigations become deeply personal as he discovers connections between the 1980s cases and people he knows in 2018, forcing him to choose between changing history and preserving his own timeline.
Success on OCN
Life on Mars became a critical darling for OCN, earning praise for its sophisticated handling of both the time travel concept and the historical setting. The series successfully differentiated itself from the original British version by incorporating uniquely Korean historical elements while maintaining the emotional core that made the original compelling. Jung Kyung-ho’s performance earned particular acclaim for capturing the disorientation and determination of someone fighting to maintain their identity while adapting to an alien environment.
A Time Travel Masterpiece That Transcends Genre
If you love time travel mysteries with historical depth and character-driven storytelling, Life on Mars is the perfect series to binge on various streaming platforms including Viki and Amazon Prime Video. The show delivers both sci-fi intrigue and historical drama, creating a viewing experience that’s both entertaining and profoundly moving.
Why This Temporal Investigation Deserves Your Timeline
Life on Mars succeeds because it treats its time travel premise as a vehicle for exploring deeper themes about justice, corruption, and the price of progress. The series proves that the most compelling sci-fi stories are those that use fantastical elements to illuminate very real human struggles, making it essential viewing for anyone who appreciates sophisticated genre storytelling.
Series Details
Number of Episodes: 16 episodes
Platform: OCN, Viki, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix (in some regions)
Release/End Year: 2018 (June 9 – August 5)
Current IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Historical
Type of Production: K-drama (South Korean time travel crime thriller)
Status: Completed
Protagonists: Jung Kyung-ho (Han Tae-joo), Park Sung-woong (Kang Dong-chul)
Antagonists: Various corrupt officials and criminals from 1980s era, systemic police corruption