Sam Tyler was inadvertently named for Rose Tyler, a character on the BBC's Doctor Who (2005). In the BBC Version of Life on Mars (2006), Sam's mother is named Ruth Tyler. The ABC version has Sam's mother named Rose Tyler.
The song Sam dances to with Annie in the bar, right after meeting singer Jim Croce, is T. Rex's "Bang a Gong (Get it On)". In the original UK show's equivalent of this episode, the singer Sam runs into is T. Rex lead singer Marc Bolan, whom he advises to drive safely - especially around Minis.