Torchwood Picked Up By Fox?
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Fox has a history of picking up shows that have no chance of succeeding on their network. Will Torchwood become the latest casualty?
Apparently, Fox has made the move to secure the rights to re-make Torchwood for American audiences. In addition to to picking up the rights to the show, Fox has also hired the original Torchwood’s writer/producer Russell T. Davies to write the script for the pilot. It’s also possible that some of the original series’ actors may make the trek over to the US version of the show. The most likely star to make the conversion would be John Barrowman, who plays the lead character, Captain Jack Harkness. While other actors are possible, few of them would work out on American television.
The plot of the new show is supposed to take a more global approach to the same story. Perhaps we will see an American wing of the Torchwood institute. This begs the question of whether or not the series will exist in the same continuity as the other Torchwood. If so, perhaps it would be best if the show got a rename along with it’s new story.
As much trouble as Fox has had with genre shows, I can’t see the show lasting long on their network, assuming it makes it past the pilot phase. Perhaps it will take a slightly more X-Files approach, and that is the potential that Fox likes in it. Either way, I wouldn’t bother getting too attached to the series.
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I’ve only seen the first bit of the current Torchwood so far, but I think it *could* work as a US series. Unlike Doctor Who, it isn’t really tied into the UK culture quite as much, and it leaves room for the possibility of other Torchwood “branches”, so to speak.
There are rumors going around that they want to remake Doctor Who as well, and I think that would be virtually impossible to do without completely changing the nature of the show and the character.
Huh. I disagree actually. While in theory Torchwood can be anywhere, it’s pretty firmly british in everything they do. I think you can redefine that by focusing on a different branch, but it would pretty much be a new show at that point.
Meanwhile I think that Doctor Who could easily be set anywhere, and doesn’t have to have a British feel to it at all. The Fox movie was a bad example, because they Americanized things that they didn’t need to. But it was a good example that the right actor could totally pull off an American run. There is nothing that attaches The Doctor to the UK other than the fact that it is where he almost always is.
I think the funny thing is that they are going to have to completely tone down the show for American audiences. I haven’t got past season 1 yet, but it seems like every other show is about sex. Straight sex, gay sex, alien sex. Sex, sex, sex, sex. Besides being rather annoying, I’m not sure that would fly too well on Fox.
They shouldn’t have to tone it down too much, if it’s on FX. It fits right in with Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me and other late night shows on that channel. Fox would have to just stay out of RTD’s way for it to work.
I just don’t think the character of the Doctor works outside of a British tone. He just wouldn’t be as much fun to watch without that British flavor. Sure, you could set the stories wherever you want, but I think the show would suffer greatly from being Americanized.
Torchwood, on the other hand, is certainly very British in its current incarnation, but I think it could be adapted for American audiences in a good way. To me, losing the UK flavor from Torchwood wouldn’t be as big of a deal because you are most likely creating all new characters in an American branch of Torchwood. That means it can still exist in the same universe as the UK Torchwood without supplanting it. There’s only one Doctor, so doing an American version of the show is problematic at best, especially when the UK show is still running.
Again, I haven’t seen very much of Torchwood, only five episodes or so. Perhaps seeing more of the show would change my evaluation of it’s adaptability, but I just think that the concept appears to be more adaptable on the surface than Doctor Who does.
Oh well, I disagree with that. While I didn’t like the “Americanized” feel of the Doctor Who Fox movie (I felt it was unnecessary), I absolutely loved Paul McGann. And he had absolutely none of the typical UK Flavor. It was just as entertaining as the regular version.
It was just the bizarre stuff I didn’t like. For instance, I didn’t care for The Master as a snake monster. But that was likely just Fox feeling they needed to change stuff. They did that a lot in those days. See also the Generation X pilot.
Obviously the “You can’t have two Doctors at the same time” issue would be big. But I never said that I thought they would work together at the same time. Just that Doctor Who would still make a better American show than Torchwood.
Seen all of Torchwood and I think this is a horrible idea. Torchwood while more serious (in tone) than Doctor Who is still very British. I think it could work, but I don’t think RTD can write for an American centric audience and have the show be successful.. I love the show but really wish this wasn’t true.
An American Torchwood series would be completely different!
At least I think so. But I rather see TW USA as a new TW station than a remake of the original series. That will never work.
And I guess that if John Barrowman signs up for this we won’t be seeing TW returning for a fourth season on the BBC, right?
I just want to say that I’ve seen every episode of Torchwood….twice. I love the show and I think it has the “potential” to be great on FOX. While it is very British, I don’t think that is part of its core identity as a show. It could be Americanized like an “Alien CSI group”, no problem.
Look at the success of Fringe. American audiences seem easily ready for the weird sci-fi nature of TW. And while FOX might want to tone down the “intensity” of the sex, American audiences would eat up a sexy sci-fi show.
The thing that bothers me is the character of Captain Jack. Barrowman MADE the show. Period. Therefore this CAN NOT be an American Branch of TW. It must be a remake. Captain Jack from the 51st century fights aliens in America. I think that’s the only way it would work.