Did no one start a thread for Torchwood: Children of Earth?

[Heradel]

Continuing in the resurrection of old threads tradition, SFX over in the UK says that Fox is asking the BBC to develop a US version of Torchwood with Davies attached: http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=fox_developing_a_us_version (which I saw via one of Alasdair's tweets). I would be optimistic, but it's Fox and this really smells to me of Whedon syndrome. That said, Davies usually writes short series anyway, so a 13-episode US run would still be a very, very nice thing to have.

[Alasdair5000]

Interestingly, this comes a couple of days after a rumour that Davies was in the process of developing a US set Torchwood special which would apparently feature Nathan Fillion as another Time Agent.

I'll just give that one a moment to sink in.

Everyone back?  Jolly good.

IF that's on the cards then sign me the hell up.  Seriously.  Fillion, who rumour also has it was one of the contenders for the 11th Doctor would fit like a...thing...that fits really well. 

I think the thing that really interests me about Torchwood US though is the fact that the very concept suggests we have to get further information about the organisation.  I always found it deeply irritating that Torchwood had such a huge remit and such a tiny pool of personnel after the loss of Canary Wharf and it's something some of the later support material has discussed.  There's a good radio play for example which involves Torchwood Delhi and the fact it's not actually changed since Jack was there decades previously.  Similarly, one of the other radio plays establishes that in the future Torchwood are both public (And to be honest I can't really see how they couldn't be after Children of Earth) and nation wide.  So, a US office makes a lot of sense.

It also puts me in mind of the Gotham City Office of Planetary in Planetary/Batman which, in turn, leads me to the line 'You like him don't you?  He's your special Bat friend.' 

But that's just me.

[Heradel]

I would almost rather Fillion not talk part in a Torchwood US so he could still be the 12th doctor (no offense to 11, not trying to get him killed off quicker than 9).

I don't know, I have trouble getting that excited over Fox shows, because it's Fox and they've killed too many good things. If it were Showtime or HBO or even SciFi it would be so much easier to be excited.

The lack of the meta-Torchwood org in the main Torchwood series also always bothered me. It almost seemed like they'd been entirely superseded by UNIT after Canary Wharf, which I guess makes sense because that was supposedly UN-based instead of the single-state based Torchwood (which always struck me as more of an MI. X with an intelligence agency-style overseas offices). For all intents and purposes it seemed like Jack was the top worldwide Torchwood officer (and Cardiff the last real office) by the time that Torchwood the series picks up (he has to have the greatest seniority). 

[stePH]

Continuing in the resurrection of old threads tradition, SFX over in the UK says that Fox is asking the BBC to develop a US version of Torchwood with Davies attached: http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=fox_developing_a_us_version (which I saw via one of Alasdair's tweets). I would be optimistic, but it's Fox and this really smells to me of Whedon syndrome. That said, Davies usually writes short series anyway, so a 13-episode US run would still be a very, very nice thing to have.

I'm pessimistic, but not because it's FOX... rather because US versions of British shows have almost without exception been shit (The Office being the only contrary example that comes to mind).  Anybody else see the disaster that was American Coupling?

[Heradel]

Continuing in the resurrection of old threads tradition, SFX over in the UK says that Fox is asking the BBC to develop a US version of Torchwood with Davies attached: http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=fox_developing_a_us_version (which I saw via one of Alasdair's tweets). I would be optimistic, but it's Fox and this really smells to me of Whedon syndrome. That said, Davies usually writes short series anyway, so a 13-episode US run would still be a very, very nice thing to have.

I'm pessimistic, but not because it's FOX... rather because US versions of British shows have almost without exception been shit (The Office being the only contrary example that comes to mind[/i]).  Anybody else see the disaster that was American Coupling?

Which is why it's important that it's Davies writing/producing it. The other shows have consistently just grabbed the concept instead of the writers, and been the worse for it.

[stePH]

I'm pessimistic, but not because it's FOX... rather because US versions of British shows have almost without exception been shit (The Office being the only contrary example that comes to mind).  Anybody else see the disaster that was American Coupling?

Which is why it's important that it's Davies writing/producing it. The other shows have consistently just grabbed the concept instead of the writers, and been the worse for it.

Coupling's first two or three episodes used the same scripts from the British original, with minimal changes -- so they were essentially written by Steven Moffatt -- and they still sucked like few shows have sucked before.  When they tried doing original stories it got even worse, and rightful cancellation soon followed.

[Heradel]

And an American version of Torchwood has been saved from Fox: http://io9.com/5521310/fox-kills-the-torchwood-revamp-not-surprisingly

That said, they're apparently still shopping it to US networks (calling HBO and Showtime), which seems odd. I mean, I get that it's a recession, and that the show can't be that cheap to produce, but it seemed popular from enough from my American vantage (though, if I'm remembering correctly, Sarah Jane is a partnership with the CBC). The BBC rep also rules out having an American Doctor Who, which just seems jingoistic against all the perfectly decent American actors.

[Alasdair5000]

On a related note, apparently one of the names on the very short list for the 11th Doctor was Nathan Fillion.  Take that as you will but he could have been an interesting choice.

Regarding Torchwood US, reading between the lines, I suspect the ongoing problems with it may be why Torchwood is in limbo at the moment.  A little while ago BBC Wales announced their slate of ongoing drama and whilst Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures were on it, Torchwood wasn't.  Personally, I hope the US version takes off because done right, as it clearly was in Children of Earth and chunks of season two, it's a great show. 

It'd also be possible to do the same sort of thing Primeval was, and as far as I know, is still planning with foreign remakes.  Namely, it's not a remake, it happens in the same time and universe as the core show, just in a different country.  In fact, one of the things Torchwood has always desperately needed, to me anyway, is some form of internal connectivity, and having a reference to the Torchwood US office, and Jack flitting between the two, would be interesting to see.

[stePH]

And an American version of Torchwood has been saved from Fox: http://io9.com/5521310/fox-kills-the-torchwood-revamp-not-surprisingly

That said, they're apparently still shopping it to US networks (calling HBO and Showtime), which seems odd. I mean, I get that it's a recession, and that the show can't be that cheap to produce, but it seemed popular from enough from my American vantage (though, if I'm remembering correctly, Sarah Jane is a partnership with the CBC). The BBC rep also rules out having an American Doctor Who, which just seems jingoistic against all the perfectly decent American actors.

They tried having an American Doctor Who in 1996 with Paul McGann.

[Heradel]

On a related note, apparently one of the names on the very short list for the 11th Doctor was Nathan Fillion.  Take that as you will but he could have been an interesting choice.

Regarding Torchwood US, reading between the lines, I suspect the ongoing problems with it may be why Torchwood is in limbo at the moment.  A little while ago BBC Wales announced their slate of ongoing drama and whilst Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures were on it, Torchwood wasn't.  Personally, I hope the US version takes off because done right, as it clearly was in Children of Earth and chunks of season two, it's a great show. 

It'd also be possible to do the same sort of thing Primeval was, and as far as I know, is still planning with foreign remakes.  Namely, it's not a remake, it happens in the same time and universe as the core show, just in a different country.  In fact, one of the things Torchwood has always desperately needed, to me anyway, is some form of internal connectivity, and having a reference to the Torchwood US office, and Jack flitting between the two, would be interesting to see.

I actually think I knew about Fillion being on the list and just forgot about it when I was trying to make a joke about an American Doctor (honestly, someone can probably pull up a post here where I'm talking about it. I think I said something about him being a more kinetic choice for Doctor, which I guess is true if it's Firefly-Fillion, but not really if it's Castle-Fillion). Which I actually think would make sense (he's obviously pretty flipped about during regenerations, and having the accent change isn't as weird as someone going into a coma and waking up speaking fluent German), but has a low chance of happening because, well, it's the British Broadcasting Company. Which is fine — there was never a British Captain of the Enterprise.

I was watching back through some of the Tennant Doctor Who, and Jack says explicitly when he hops a ride to the end of the universe that he's recreated Torchwood to be a good organization, and pretty much only that outpost in Cardiff. So either an American Torchwood is him trying to put things back together over here (because, well, the character's American and going home), or we're seeing some sort of Torchwood/UNIT spinoff project over here. I mean, Torchwood is clearly a British agency somewhere alongside the MI system, so I'd have to imagine it being like a CIA station in London, or an MI6 one in New York. If you're looking for an international agency on defending the Earth, well, that's UNIT. I guess it could be argued that the US/UK special relationship is such that a bilateral agency isn't outside the realm of possibility, but it doesn't seem greatly likely.

[stePH]

I actually think I knew about Fillion being on the list and just forgot about it when I was trying to make a joke about an American Doctor (honestly, someone can probably pull up a post here where I'm talking about it. I think I said something about him being a more kinetic choice for Doctor, which I guess is true if it's Firefly-Fillion, but not really if it's Castle-Fillion). Which I actually think would make sense (he's obviously pretty flipped about during regenerations, and having the accent change isn't as weird as someone going into a coma and waking up speaking fluent German), but has a low chance of happening because, well, it's the British Broadcasting Company. Which is fine — there was never a British Captain of the Enterprise.

Patrick Stewart isn't British?

[Heradel]

I actually think I knew about Fillion being on the list and just forgot about it when I was trying to make a joke about an American Doctor (honestly, someone can probably pull up a post here where I'm talking about it. I think I said something about him being a more kinetic choice for Doctor, which I guess is true if it's Firefly-Fillion, but not really if it's Castle-Fillion). Which I actually think would make sense (he's obviously pretty flipped about during regenerations, and having the accent change isn't as weird as someone going into a coma and waking up speaking fluent German), but has a low chance of happening because, well, it's the British Broadcasting Company. Which is fine — there was never a British Captain of the Enterprise.

Patrick Stewart isn't British?

Picard was French.

[stePH]

... there was never a British Captain of the Enterprise.

Patrick Stewart isn't British?

Picard was French.

But you seemed to be implying the point that because Star Trek is an American program, the Captain of the Enterprise has always been American, just as The Doctor has always been (read: appeared to be) British.  If not, then what do you mean by "there was never a British Captain of the Enterprise"?

[Heradel]

And coming back in this thread to post that Season Four of Torchwood is a go, though not until 2011. Though Starz is probably a good fit as they don't mind nudity (Looking at you Spartacus).

Anyway, having now seen that I somehow missed StePH's reply months ago, apologies, and my main point is that the Doctor is very much a British character even though he's nominally from Gallifrey, and that similar to US series (the Stargates would probably be a decent example) they tend to put people of their nationalities in their title roles. Not always, but often enough, though Film is a bit of a different world.

[FireTurtle]

Anyway, having now seen that I somehow missed StePH's reply months ago, apologies, and my main point is that the Doctor is very much a British character even though he's nominally from Gallifrey, and that similar to US series (the Stargates would probably be a decent example) they tend to put people of their nationalities in their title roles. Not always, but often enough, though Film is a bit of a different world.

Excep that on Stargate many of the main characters are, in fact, Canadian. Soooo.

[Heradel]

Anyway, having now seen that I somehow missed StePH's reply months ago, apologies, and my main point is that the Doctor is very much a British character even though he's nominally from Gallifrey, and that similar to US series (the Stargates would probably be a decent example) they tend to put people of their nationalities in their title roles. Not always, but often enough, though Film is a bit of a different world.

Excep that on Stargate many of the main characters are, in fact, Canadian. Soooo.

Well, Rodney is. SG-1-the-fictional-characters are all-American, apart from Teal'c*. Obviously the series is filmed in Vancouver and in Atlantis they made the expeditionary force fairly multi-national, but I think they're back to mostly-or-all Americans in Universe's main cast (I seem to remember something about Rush being Scottish, or his father being Scottish, or something).



*Forehead Alien.

[Alasdair5000]

Rush is Scottish yeah aaaaand that's literally it.  Which is a shame as the multi-national task force on Atlantis (German marine!  He's from Germany!) was one of my favorite bits.