Fox plans on making US Torchwood w/ original staff

[Soontir C'boath]

Fox developing U.S. version of 'Torchwood'
Original producing team on board to adapt U.K. series

By James Hibberd

Jan 19, 2010, 10:00 AM ET
Huge news for sci-fi fans: Fox is developing a stateside version of the U.K. hit series "Torchwood."

The project is from BBC Worldwide Prods., with original series creator Russell Davies writing the script.

A more straight-faced spinoff of "Doctor Who," "Torchwood" is about a covert group that investigates and fights alien activity. Two series aired domestically on BBC America as well as last year's well reviewed stand-alone miniseries, "Children of Earth," which broke all ratings records for the network.

Unlike U.S. adaptations that have gone awry, "Torchwood" fans can take comfort that the original producing team is on board. In addition to Davies, exec producers include Davies' producing partner Julie Gardner (former head of drama at BBC Wales for the show's first season) and Jane Tranter (another BBC vet, now exec vp programming and production at BBC Worldwide Prods. in the U.S.).

Also, some of the current cast -- most likely John Barrowman, who plays the immortal Capt. Jack Harkness -- might star if Fox orders "Torchwood" to pilot.

As for the new show's plot, the U.S. version will contain a global story line compared to the more localized sensibility of the first two BBC seasons.

Tranter might try to reboot "Doctor Who" for U.S. audiences while departing "Doctor Who" star David Tennant stars in NBC's pilot "Rex Is Not Your Lawyer." "Torchwood" (which is an anagram of "Doctor Who") debuted in 2006 on BBC 3 and set ratings records, then was moved to BBC 1. Russell also reinvented "Doctor Who" in 2003 and was writer-creator of the series "Queer as Folk."

With the original staff on-board, it may well fair well. Although it is RTD's creation, I would rather him take a backseat role in the scriptwriting process rather than at the head.

Edit: Bolded mine, they haven't even ordered a pilot so it may well not even happen.
Edit 2: Changed the title to reflect the production team and not the main cast.

[Thanas]

Seriously Fox? Cancelling T:SCC and Dollhouse just to revive a mediocre British TV show?

Screw them.

[Crazedwraith]

Well the article seems to imply Fox isn't even committed yet but yeah. American Torchwood? One assumes it'd be divorced from actual Doctor Who canon, which would pretty much wreck what little charm it had.

[Blayne]

I thought they already had a US Torchwood. Eureka Anyone?

Why would an American Torchwood be divorced from canon? The British Torchwood we know is fromed by Empress Victoria to fend of paranormal threats to the empire and to prepare for whenever the Doctor returns, an American Torchwood could be the Yankees response to it that is under their control rather then under UNIT's.

[Kingmaker]

I thought they already had a US Torchwood. Eureka Anyone?

Except that Eureka didn't suck.

I watched the first couple of episodes of Torchwood and they varied between boring and painful. Did it pick up afterwards? Otherwise, why on Earth would anyone want to remake it in the US? In America we make bad remakes of good British shows.

[NecronLord]

Reboot Doctor Who? Fuck you, Fox. You had your chance in 96, and you fucked it up. Go take a long walk off a short pier.

I thought they already had a US Torchwood. Eureka Anyone?

Except that Eureka didn't suck.

I watched the first couple of episodes of Torchwood and they varied between boring and painful. Did it pick up afterwards? Otherwise, why on Earth would anyone want to remake it in the US? In America we make bad remakes of good British shows.

It went up to 'just plain bad' from 'Satan himself created this show to torment us.' The second season was decent at times. The third season was RTD's original story rewritten shoddily to try and fit the universe, and suffered greatly because of it.

[Thanas]

Torchwood is so bad that I'd rather watch a repeat of the most boring, unengaging episode of Dollhouse than anthing from Torchwood Season 1 and 2. It may just be the worst science-fiction series out there atm though RTD tried really hard to have Doctor Who take that place.

[Parallax]

It's my understanding, being an ignorant foreigner, that Fox (especially Fox News) tends to lean somewhat heavily towards the far right. Far, far right.

How does that mesh with a show that has a main character that is blatantly Bisexual and sleeps with all the staff under his command?

[Thanas]

Easy. Fox New does not equal Fox broadcasting.

[Broomstick]

How does that mesh with a show that has a main character that is blatantly Bisexual and sleeps with all the staff under his command?

Bisexual? Cap'n Jack would fuck toadstools and doorknobs given a chance, he's not homo-, hetero-, or bi-sexual, he's PANsexual.

I'm OK, with it - but it will not play for mainstream America, which gets squicked with just plain ol' vanilla boring gay sex (if such a thing exists).

[speaker-to-trolls]

Has there ever been an instance of an American remake of a British show being good? I ask this in all seriousness because I don't know, I've heard the US version of Life on Mars did fairly well, but I'm not really prepared to watch it because, basically, I liked the original too much and it would seem a little too strange.

Incidentally the Syfy channel (and as an aside what makes the executives think this name will make them more popular) is allegedly thinking of a remake of the BBC's Being Human, which has only just started its second season here in the Home Islands. I'm sure there are talented and creative people in American TV sci fi (and I may be overstating the situation a little) but what exactly is behind this desire to remake things that are popular in other countries?

And I suspect they could get away with saying 'Well Jack will shag screw anything with a postzipcode, we already know that, so we don't need to mention it in the show' or something, if they feel American audiences are too squeamish for a whatever-sexual lead.

[Kingmaker]

I'm sure there are talented and creative people in American TV sci fi (and I may be overstating the situation a little) but what exactly is behind this desire to remake things that are popular in other countries?

All the talented and creative people are making their own shows (and having them get cancelled). I suspect the explanation is that it is an effort by boring and uncreative people to cash in on an ideas that has already proven to be successful. And since America has a bigger market, and hasn't seen the (usually) British TV series they're remaking, they can get away with it. And since they are boring and uncreative, the show sucks.

[Blayne]

Maybe my standards are lower but I liked Torchwood I felt Harper was cool but the thing is I was pretty sure that the upswing in Torchwoods ratings was from its popularity with North American audiences, they're making a 4th season now last I checked thanks to the good ratings from Children of Earth.

[Stark]

I was going to make a snide comment about how this might be the first UK->US transplant where the US version is actually better... then I read about how the same idiots were going to make it. Shit TV mk2!

That said, the US producers/networks are arguably much more 'qualified' to make this kind of puerile quasi-adult snogfest than the English. I'm not sure how long it'll last (especially with the scifi trappings) but a show about tits and dicks with guns firing and 'investigation' sounds like a recipe for success these days. Maybe we'll even get a story where the 'heroes' aren't entirely at fault, childish and murderous?

Being 'divorced from canon' won't change anything, since the TW writers did absolutely nothing that didn't suck shit with the links to DW. They totally ignored it until they felt like raping something with gitmo references or other edgy nonsense.

[Bounty]

You people don't know what you'r'e talking about. Torchwood's second season was great television and Dollhouse isn't even good enough to lick its heels. Fact.

[GuppyShark]

Both shows were terrible.

[Tychu]

It's my understanding, being an ignorant foreigner, that Fox (especially Fox News) tends to lean somewhat heavily towards the far right. Far, far right.

How does that mesh with a show that has a main character that is blatantly Bisexual and sleeps with all the staff under his command?

Seeing as you are not an American I will not hold it against you but the fact that Fox News is the ONLY conservative (right) news group in the States it is easy for it to seem that they are far far right.


As for the debate.
I do not know anybody who watches/ed Dollhouse. All I know about it is Eliza Dushku is in it. On the other hand I know far more people who either watch Torchwood on BBC America or on youtube. What I don't get is why anybody thinks it is good business to have two Torchwood shows at the same time. Unless they do a CSI thing and have BBC's Torchwood:UK and Fox's Torchwood:US and have them reference each other once in a while. As for RTD, why can't you Britons keep him and let us have one of our own screw ups make our version?

[tricksterson]

Dollhouse failed first because of Fox interference and second because it would have required the masses to think outside their comfortable padded box. As for Torchwood, never got into it but I'm willing to bet that the Fox version will be heavily inferior. Two conjectures right off the bat (Note this is just speculation, not fact or even rumor): The setting will be switched to America and second If Jack Harkness is even a character he will be made straight.