Det. Sam Tyler — Life on Mars Character Profile

About Det. Sam Tyler

Protagonist and NYPD detective from 2008 who wakes up in 1973 after a car accident. Nicknamed Spaceman for his futuristic references, he navigates a corrupt 1973 police squad while experiencing surreal visions of his original timeline. Ultimately revealed to be a 2035 astronaut undergoing simulated reality on a Mars mission.

Det. Sam Tyler — Character Profile

Character Facts

Played by

Jason O'Mara

Appears in

Life on Mars (2008)

Role

Protagonist

Relationships (4)

• Det. Sam Tyler — Professional Superior — Lt. Gene Hunt (Harvey Keitel)

  Sam works under Hunt's command in the 1973 precinct

• Det. Sam Tyler — Professional Colleague — Policewoman Annie Norris (Gretchen Mol)

  They work together as detectives in the same precinct

• Det. Sam Tyler — Professional Colleague — Det. Ray Carling (Michael Imperioli)

  They work together as detectives in the same precinct

• Det. Sam Tyler — Professional Colleague — Det. Chris Skelton (Jonathan Murphy)

  They work together as detectives in the same precinct

Explore the full interactive character relationship map of Life on Mars

More characters from Life on Mars

• Lt. Gene Hunt (Harvey Keitel)
• Policewoman Annie Norris (Gretchen Mol)
• Det. Ray Carling (Michael Imperioli)
• Det. Chris Skelton (Jonathan Murphy)
• Detective (Greg D'Agostino)