Seriously, thank the Lord for cable television. I really wouldn't know what I'd be doing if I had to watch what the networks think we lemmings will watch in place of scripted television. "30 Rock" runs dry, commission two seasons of " 'Celebrity'  Apprentice" (please notice my use of double quotes around "celebrity" - who were some of those people???). Only 8 episodes of "Lost"? Get you some more of those "celebrities" and they'll maybe dance for ya! "Heroes," make way for American Gladiators. Yechhhh. That barely worked for me the first time around on a lazy Saturday morning.

So, here's what I've found ... a fantastic British sci-fi drama called "Life on Mars." Part "Quantum Leap," part "Starsky & Hutch," LOM stars the outstanding John Simm (a delight as Doctor Who's nemesis, "The Master" in the recently wrapped third season of that equally great show) as Detective Inspector Sam Tyler who's hit by a car and knocked way back to 1973. Is he crazy, in a coma or really back in time? The mystery unfolds over an achingly sparce 16-episode series - yup, that's all ... 16 episodes. But that's how the Brits do it. Quality over quantity. Go out while you're on top. And LOM is captivating, heart-breaking and hilarious both as a time-travel whiz bang of a good time and as an un-PC throwback to the Seventies when lunch was cigarettes and a long drink from the bottle in the bottom desk drawer. Women were broads and you told them so. Nearly stealing the show from Simm is Philip Glenister as the cop in charge, Gene Hunt. A neanderthal in any other time.

LOM ended its brief run on BBC America and is currently unavailable on region one DVD - that's the kind we in the States can play. Rectifying the situation was a quick order to a video supply company for a region-free DVD player and another to amazon.co.uk for the LOM box set. Both deliveries arrived just days apart. So while I wait out the writer's strike, at least I'm enjoying the found gold of "Life on Mars."

PS - David E. (The Practice/Boston Legal/Ally McBeal) Kelley is currently remaking LOM domestically.