Like some of the characters, I seem to be stuck in something of a time loop when it comes to characters in various British and American television programs. Let me try to explain…

I have recently completed watching the original (and far superior to its American knock-off) Life on Mars, starring John Simm as Sam Tyler and Philip Glenister as Gene Hunt. Glenister is currently starring as Rupert Galvin in the series Demons, something like a male Buffy the Vampire Slayer with teen angst and monsters (Galvin is an American, and while I’m sure the Brits don’t notice anything amis, Glenister’s American accent can sometimes be a little painful on the ear to those of us for whom it isn’t an accent), which recently aired an episode with guest star Grace Vance as Ally Dunelm, a child used by an evil force to kidnap other children. The young Ms. Vance was instantly recognized from her recurring role as Alex Drake’s daughter Molly in the sequel to the afore-mentioned Life on Mars I am currently watching, Ashes to Ashes (astute readers will recognize the series’ titles as David Bowie songs), which also stars Glenister as Hunt this time set in the 1980’s (can’t wait to see the hash American TV will make of this one!). The protagonist of Ashes to Ashes, Alex Drake, is portrayed by Keeley Hawes - this wide-eyed beauty looked so familiar but I couldn’t place her, until last evening when I realized she also starred as Dr. Julia Ogden in the 2004-2005 original Canadian series The Murdoch Mysteries (revived last year with a different cast) which also featured Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Colm Meaney, who was a bit miscast as Gene Hunt in the pilot (but not the series) of America’s Life on Mars. The title character in The Murdoch Mysteries was acted by Peter Outerbridge, the lead of my all-time favorite Canadian series, Re-Genesis.

The only conclusion I can draw from all of this is…I watch way too much television.