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NewsFlash: Torchwood jumping the pond?

I love Torchwood. I love it a lot. Their miniseries "Children of Earth" was the best thing I saw last summer, and John Barrowman is nearly my favorite hot guy on the tube (after Jensen Ackles, of course). Being a Torchwood fan in the states can be difficult, though; we have to wait for it to air on BBC America. The Sci-Fi Channel carries Doctor Who (but late, late, late) but hasn't chosen to run its spinoff series (some say for a reason that rhymes with shmomophobia).

Well, according to LiveFeed, we might be getting Torchwood in the U.S., on Fox – with the original production team and, most critically, John Barrowman as Captain Jack. Frankly, if Barrowman isn't on board, forget it.

I'm feeling apprehensive about this whole thing. It's Fox, and I hate Fox. I hate the possibility of Torchwood without John Barrowman, too. And what about Eve Myles?

12 comments:

  1. I fear, even with Borrowman, Davies & Garnder onboard, the U.S. Torchwood could be set in its own Universe, ignoring everything that has been done so far, and I do not want that.

    p.s.: I do not really get, why people hate FOX (the Network)

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  2. p.s.: I do not really get, why people hate FOX (the Network)

    It's a Joss Whedon Angel Firefly Dollhouse thing.

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  3. I'm finding it hard to get my head around what this might entail. Is it a pure American adaptation (in the sense that The Office is an American adaptation that has nothing to do with the original British series?) In other words, will it have any shared history with its parent programme?

    I can imagine it working if John Barrowman wasn't there. It would be a completely new entity. But if Barrowman is on board then there must surely be some sort of continuity? If there isn't it would be totally weird. And if there is, likewise, it would be totally weird. Plus, this news presumably spells the end of the series in the UK!

    I don't recall a precedent for any show stopping on one continent and then continuing on another. Has it been done successfully before? Unsuccessfully?

    And I'm not sure I like the idea of a "more global" storyline. I'm having visions of the world blowing up nearly every other episode.

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  4. Mixed feelings about this. Even with Borrowman, Davies and Garnder on board I fear it will be too toned down by the network for fear of alienating more conservative viewers and unrecognisable from the show we know.

    Plus, if this means we won’t that 4th series they’ve promised us but a complete reboot instead I’ll be very disappointed.

    That said, if they find a way to keep James Marsters around full time I’m in.

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  5. Ooh, Mark! Light at the end of the tunnel -- geographical proximity to James Marsters! If they brought back Hart (and didn't screw up what we love about Torchwood) it might be worth it.

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  6. Personally I think it's a terrible idea and I'm getting a little sick to the back teeth of the need for UK shows to have American versions, so yeah for me, ugh, no.

    And it's from FOX, who suck by the way.

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  7. You've got me thinking now, Shawn... have there been any successful UK versions of US shows? I'm thinking dramas rather than reality TV type shows. I can't think of any, though I'm sure some must exist.

    The thing that worries me about an American Torchwood is that a show's more than its concept. It's more than its characters. Torchwood had a British charm. The humour was British... the locations felt familiar.. the characters were known to us. If they start dropping the cast regulars, change its location, and then tweak its humour (to better suit an American audience), I'm not sure how much of its unique charm will remain.

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  8. It just occurred to me that this news explains all the contradictory rumors we've been hearing for the past few months, i.e., Russell T. Davies moving to Hollywood and so on.

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  9. Billie, it must certainly explain why there was no instant renewal notice after the raging success of "Children of Earth". I know John Barrowman was dissatisfied with the BBC for only giving them five episodes instead of the customary thirteen. He viewed it as a punishment. Maybe Fox have given them a more favourable deal and bigger budget. I can't see many (if any) of the Welsh cast crossing over, though.

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  10. Now this is something i never heard about, a show switching countries. :) But no it won't work on FOX, if only it was picked up by a cable channel...

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  11. Well, there go our chances of seeing more cocks... ;)

    What happens if the BBC sells Torchwood to Fox, and Fox in return doesn't pick up the show, or cancels it after 6 episodes? Is Torchwood then suddenly done?

    I can only think of one successful translation to the USA of a British show, and that's The Office. Even there, the US version is very tame compared to the UK version.

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  12. When I friend told me that they're considering doing Torchwood on Fox (network TV, not cable) *with* John Barroman, I dissoved into unbelieving, helpless laughter, sure that I was being "had". Raunch and omni-sexuality are core to what makes Torchwood Torchwood. There's no way a mainstream American network, especially such a conservative one as Fox, will revamp such a show without gutting everything that makes it what it is.

    That evening, we took turns regaling our other friends with the "news", and there wasn't a single one who didn't dissolve into uncontrollable laughter at the idea.

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