'Sopranos' man takes Ray role in US 'Mars'

Rex Features

The Sopranos actor Michael Imperioli has taken the role of Detective Sergeant Ray Carling in the US remake of Life On Mars.

DS Carling will remain abrupt, sexist and tough in the show, which is scheduled to begin airing on ABC this autumn.

The casting of Imperioli, who played troubled gangster Christopher Moltisanti, is said to be part of a shakeup of the project since the departure of writer David E. Kelley.

Dean Andrews played the character, a colleague of Detective Inspector Sam Tyler, in the BBC One original.