Chief Detective 1958 (2024)

Same male lead. Has same vibes just without the time travel that is in signal. Crime-solving in pre tech times

Well... one thing similar is that is a historical dramas. In "Life on Mars" the action takes place in 1988 "Chief Detective" the action will take place a little earlier in 1958.
It will take you to those times that seems close yet so far. As someone who was born in 1999 I wanted to see the world before me. These dramas are perfect way to send you back visually and emotionally.
If you want you can watch the original version of "Life on Mars"

In 2023, 92-year-old Park Yeong Han, once a revered detective known as the "Columbo of Korea," visits Jongnam Police Station to check on his grandson, Park Jun Seo, a rookie cop. The story shifts to Park Yeong Han's early years in 1958, where he earned fame as a crimefighter in Gyeonggi Province. After transferring to Seoul's Jongnam station, he confronts a powerful gang controlled by political connections and corruption. Undeterred, he uses his wit and experience to uncover smuggling operations and confront the systemic issues plaguing the police force.

Both are about a man with skills to fight and investigate, receiving a position to combat crime. With a small team around them, they quickly learn how to use their fighting skills, quick thinking, and teamwork to catch criminals and fight against injustice.

Both have dtective male leads which slove casese and help the wronged and poor people
And in both drama story takes place in 40s 50s

They're both fun detective dramas. You will literally have so much fun watching either, honestly because both of them have a team and each character has their own personality and they work so well together

Both are set in sort of the same time period -- minus the time travel aspect but both deal with crimes and criming solving within a certain period of time when policing wasn't so cut and dry or as cemented as it is today

Both of these dramas are essentially very fun detective dramas. They have characters that you will fall in love with they will have you smiling and they will have you upset but they are thoroughly an enjoyment to watch

Both of these dramas are funny both of these dramas have detectives and a detective team that works so well together and you will love the characters

Both shows involve a team dedicated to seeking justice and correcting and removing the ills in society.
Both shows involve a decent amount of action.
Male lead has a charming side in both.
Male lead (Le Je Hoon's character) in both shows have had a traumatic past experience.

Both are set around the same times of late 50s and early 60s
uncle samsik is more political and chief detective was more crime
But both also have solid acting and aesthetic qualities

They are both about crime solving but in different time period. They have a somewhat similar ML vibe with all the chaos they bring when they are investigating

Ragtag team of detectives fighting for justice. Comedy, wit, action. Every episode they tackle a case.

It's alot similar to this drama
it's in retro too from 1997 and it has full team detective like family
they catch corrupt and gang members too
so it's the most similar to this drama and bonus in the first shot drama there is bromance added to the mix