What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedAshes to Ashes
Ashley Pharoah · Series · 2008
If you loved Ashes to Ashes, start with Life on Mars (Matthew Graham, 2006) — a series from the same story. Below: 3 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to Ashes to Ashes across media.
You loved Ashes to Ashes because it masterfully traps characters between the weight of their past and the disorientation of a different era.
Start with the source
The source
Life on Mars
Matthew Graham · Series · 2006
Books on the same thread
Bones to Ashes
Kathy Reichs · Book · 2008
Shares a thread with Ashes to Ashes: Police Procedural.
Just as Ashes to Ashes pairs police procedure with a sense of historical displacement, this forensic thriller demands you solve cold cases through the lens of long-buried, haunting secrets.
The End of Eternity
Isaac Asimov · Book · 1955
Explores: Temporal Paradoxes, Determinism vs. Free Will, Utopian/Dystopian Societies.
If the temporal navigation in Ashes to Ashes intrigued you, this foundational text explores the complex moral bureaucracy and determinism inherent in manipulating the timeline for a higher purpose.
The Last Policeman
Ben H. Winters · Book · 2013
Shares a thread with Ashes to Ashes: Police Procedural.
This story mirrors the existential dread found in Ashes to Ashes, forcing a detective to maintain his duty and moral integrity while facing an inevitable, impending societal collapse.
Films on the same thread
Army of Darkness
Sam Raimi · Film · 1992
Shares 2 threads with Ashes to Ashes: Time Travel, Fish Out of Water.
You will recognize the fish-out-of-water dynamic from Ashes to Ashes here, as a modern man is thrust into a past era where he must rely on his wits to survive.
21 Jump Street
Phil Lord · Film · 2012
Shares 3 threads with Ashes to Ashes: Fish Out of Water, Nostalgia, Identity Crisis.
This film captures the identity crisis and culture clash that defined Ashes to Ashes, as characters revisit a past version of themselves to navigate a world they no longer understand.
Once Upon a Time in America
Film · 1984
Shares a thread with Ashes to Ashes: Nostalgia.
This epic drama resonates with the nostalgia and regret seen in Ashes to Ashes, focusing on a man returning to his past to confront the ghosts of his former life.
Angela's Ashes
Alan Parker · Film · 1999
Explores: poverty, family hardship, Catholicism.
While the setting differs, this film echoes the gritty, period-specific atmosphere of Ashes to Ashes, exploring how families endure harsh social conditions and the weight of their own history.
Podcasts on the same thread
CounterClock
Audiochuck · Podcast · 2025
Explores: unsolved homicide, seeking justice, historical mystery.
Much like the investigative drive in Ashes to Ashes, this podcast requires you to turn back time to reignite interest in historical mysteries that remain hidden beneath the surface.
The Archers
Podcast
Explores: family life, community, farming.
If Ashes to Ashes hit, The Archers shares the thread.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Should I watch Life on Mars before Ashes to Ashes?
Yes, watching Life on Mars first provides essential context for the character of DCI Gene Hunt. Ashes to Ashes serves as a follow-up series that continues the narrative arc established in the 2006 show, featuring the same central figure in a new time period.
Is Ashes to Ashes a direct sequel to Life on Mars?
Ashes to Ashes is considered a spin-off or sequel series to Life on Mars. While it features the same iconic character of DCI Gene Hunt, the story shifts focus to DI Alex Drake, who finds herself transported back to 1981 after being shot in 2008.
What is the premise of Ashes to Ashes?
Ashes to Ashes follows DI Alex Drake, who is shot in 2008 and subsequently wakes up in 1981. She finds herself working alongside DCI Gene Hunt, a character previously established in the series Life on Mars, as she navigates the unfamiliar culture of the early eighties.
How does Ashes to Ashes relate to the events of Life on Mars?
Ashes to Ashes continues the crime drama universe established by the 2006 series Life on Mars. It maintains continuity through the presence of DCI Gene Hunt, bridging the gap between the original show's setting and the new 1981 timeline experienced by the protagonist, DI Alex Drake.