It’s official – Starz and BBC have joined forces to give us an International Torchwood. Not all the details are available but here is what we have so far:
Russell T Davies wrote the pilot 7 months ago and did not take what network it would be on into consideration. Which I think is code for he didn’t care what anyone said and is not going to be watering things down to make people happy. Which shouldn’t be a problem now that Starz will be the network airing the series.
The people behind the show want it to be made clear that this is not a reboot of the show but a continuation of the old series. They are just changing locations to enable more flexibility with the story.
Speaking of story, the only details on that front are the number of episodes that it will take to complete said story – 1o. Which is twice the length of Children of Earth. Imagine the possibilities…
Besides Russell being involved, there are also many other names connected with the previous series coming back (on both sides of the camera) including the two main stars: John Barrowman and Eve Myles. There will also be some new faces as well to complete the team.
Finally, the series air date has not been officially announced but we know it will be sometime during summer 2011. That means we only have one year to wait before we finally get our fix of Torchwood that we’ve been craving. And I’m sure there will be lots more updates from Team Barrowman both on Twitter and his website. News on Shuffle will also give you the latest news as it is made available to us.
That was the biggest complaint on hearing Torchwood would be moving to America. After the few updates I found last night, however, it now makes much more sense to me that Russell Davies would want to make the switch.
Fact: Davies has written scripts that will pick up where Children of Earth left off.
If this is the case then I can understand why the move from the UK. Jack isn’t going to want to stay there after everything that happened. (no spoilers here, promise). There aren’t really many reasons left for him to stay. He is going to need a fresh start. At the same time, he loved working with Torchwood and isn’t going to want to give it up so easily. It was established that there are multiple Torchwood locations, so it makes sense that he just moves to a different branch. And since he is American (I didn’t just make that up, right?) it makes sense that would be his chouce of location to move to.
It doesn’t make sense to have a Torchwood branch in America?
Sure it does. Torchwood may have been formed in the UK, but it grew to be an organization that was meant to protect the Earth from alien species. This caused it to spread outside of its original borders.
An American version won’t be as good. Anytime America tries to touch a British show it always screws it up.
Except usually the same people who created the original version aren’t also working on the reboot. With Davies and Barrowman both involved I am confident they will create a quality show that fans can be proud of.
A quick update on the American Torchwood that Russell Davies was working on with Fox. BBC Worldwide issued this statement:
BBC Worldwide Productions and the FOX Broadcasting Company have mutually agreed not to progress together with a 13-episode serialized ‘Torchwood’ format. We are currently in discussion with several interested networks.
Sorry if this sounds mean but I was actually glad to hear this. Fox seemed like a poor choice of network to host this show for a number of reasons. I think Davies would be much better off working with another network. My suggestion: ABC.
Think about it. ABC needs a show to replace Lost, which is ending this season. Plus you have the added bonus of John Barrowman already working on the network because of Desperate Housewives. And yes, Barrowman has confirmed that he will be involved in the new Torchwood series. Not only that, he says that Davies has scripts written already and the show will pick up where Children of Earth left off. More good news for Torchwood fans everywhere.
All my fears of how an Americanized Torchwood could fail are slowly being lifted. Hopefully Davies finds a good network that will do the show justice and not worry about stupid things like the sexuality of a certain character we all love. (Another reason ABC is good: Desperate has a gay couple that currently has a really good story going for them. Proof that the network won’t be afraid to work with what is apparently still a sensitive subject).
What does everyone else think about this news, or the series in general? Are you glad to see Fox removed from the process? Based on comments I saw from when it was first announced I would guess the answer to that last question to be a firm “yes”.
I was going to title this post “Why You Should Be Watching Doctor Who” but I didn’t want to presume to tell anyone what their television viewing habits should be. Instead I thought I’d regale you with a tale of my experience with The Doctor, and why I would describe it as love at first sight.
As a senior in college I have not had the experience with Doctor Who that, say, my father had. I can’t say I grew up with him my whole life or anything like that. Likewise, I cannot talk about how it is an institution here, since the US is really playing catch-up to the level of fandom that the UK has for the show. For that matter, we may never reach the levels of attachment that its homeland has for the series. But that only seems fair.
No, I was first introduced to The Doctor 4 months ago. I met enough people who were obsessed enough with the show that I decided to give it a try during my winter break. Being a lover of sci-fi, I figured it was a good bet I would like the show as well. I was wrong.
I didn’t just like Doctor Who; I loved it. From the moment The Doctor grabs Rose and tells her to follow him I knew this was going to become one of my favorite shows of all time. With each new episode I fell even more in love with every element of the show. The acting is superb, as is the writing. Russell T. Davies and Stephen Moffat never seemed to have a shortage of new and exciting adventures for the Doctor and his companion to enjoy.
Yes, from the moment I started my journey with The Doctor, I was hooked. Countless times the words “One more episode” would be uttered, only to be said again 50 minutes later. By the time I was finished, I had forgotten what a world before meeting the Doctor was like. It was as if I had known him my whole life.
It feels appropriate to share my love for Doctor Who now that the 5th Series premiere is scheduled for tomorrow (April 17th) on BBC America. Even if you haven’t watched a single episode before today, I still highly recommend giving it a chance tomorrow. BBCA will be airing the second half of Series 4 all day tomorrow as well as the specials that aired in between seasons. If nothing else, try to watch The End of Time, as it leads in to the new episode (and is possibly one of the best stories in the series. Russel Davies definitely went out on a high note).
*if you don’t have time to play catch-up, this scene is all you really need to know*
Now is the perfect time to start your adventure with The Doctor for a number of reasons. The show is seeing a new Doctor (Matt Smith), new companion (Karen Gillan), and new producer (Stephen Moffat). Moffat wrote one of my favorite episodes in the series (Blink), so I look forward to seeing what he does now that he is in charge of the whole thing. If I haven’t convinced you Doctor Who is worth checking out, maybe Matt Smith can:
AVC: Doctor Who has always been more of a cult sensation here in the U.S. than in Britain. How would you describe the series to someone here who has never seen it before? What would you say it’s like?
MS: I’d say it’s about a 900-year-old alien who travels around time and space in a blue police box, which is called the TARDIS, having adventures, saving the world, and defeating evil. It’s not bound by space or time or logic or genre, and therefore creatively it can go anywhere and do anything. You can be in the past with dinosaurs one week and in the future the next week, as the world is about to explode. I think it’s full of heart and humor and wit and invention. I think Doctor Who improves your life. And I mean that. It’s not just, like, my mission statement. I do, as a man who’s come to it late on, as well. It’s never too late to get into it. I think we’ve got a new team and a new show, and I think now is the time to start watching.
-excerpt from an interview between AV Club and Matt Smith, the new Doctor (the rest of the interview is the title link for today) If that doesn’t convince you that Doctor Who is worth your time, then I don’t know what will. I hope you will share in the magical journey with me. I will be posting reviews of the new series as it airs here in the US. I’m sure it will be brilliant.
After reading today’s title article, I felt the need to share a brief analysis of the anticipated American Torchwood and what I believe will make or break the success of said show.
I first became a fan of Doctor Who and Torchwood back in December, when I finally decided to spend my vacation checking out what all the hype I had heard about both series was about. When I first heard that there would be an American version of the show, my immediate reaction was… fear.
Well, maybe fear is a little strong. Concern might fit better. Worry that an Americanized version would be a poorly made and watered down mess compared to the original that stole my heart from the first episode and dragged it through the ringer through series 3. (No spoilers will appear in this post, in case some of you aren’t completely up-to-date on your Torchwood watching).
So, yeah, I was concerned. Concerned that they would strip down the elements that, in my opinion, made the show great, until there was nothing left but a few mere scraps. Sadly, American television seems to be under the belief that its viewers don’t want to watch anything that is controversial. Or maybe they are afraid of the few people who will take offense to something. Either way, I find this silly. If someone doesn’t like it then they don’t have to watch. And if enough people are open-minded enough to accept the show and its characters for what they are then the networks can have what they want (namely ratings and money) while the viewers get an exceptional show that makes them think.
Now comes my challenge to the networks. I would imagine that Fox sees Torchwood as a potentially huge cash cow for them. It has grown in popularity recently, mostly due to the crossover it shares with Doctor Who. And who can you thank for that? Why David Tennant and Russell T. Davies, of course. David gave them his good looks and talent which, paired with Davies’ superb writing, made the show a huge hit. It was a big enough explosion to help the show find its way overseas. Now Fox wants to take advantage of this while it can, which I don’t blame it for. My only fear is that it fails to see the elements that make the show what it is, and ultimately end up suffocating it.
What elements am I talking about? Well, the writing is a huge part of it. Davies pen is razor sharp, and his stories have an edginess that should not be touched. The man pays great attention to detail. He also isn’t afraid to write a story that his audience might be disgusted by, believing that their loyalty is strong enough that they will not turn away. The success of Children of Earth proves he is right in his beliefs. If you’ve already seen it, then you know exactly what I mean. If you haven’t, then what the hell are you waiting for?!
Go watch.
Right now.
I’ll wait.
Finished?
Good stuff, I know.
Right, moving on then. (But still, no spoilers. Promise.)
Now the issue at hand: controversy. More specifically our opposition to it here. The networks have shown that they may be ready to introduce the token gay character on their shows, but they will not risk making them the lead. And heaven forbid they also be a hero. Because our heroes have to follow a certain mold, and mostly that means being this tough, straight, man. (OK, more women are starting to play the hero too, but the ratio is in no way equal).
So this is my letter to Fox (and anyone else who cares to listen):
Dear Network,
Please do not assume that Americans don’t want to see the same kind of show that the UK has been giving its audience for years now. You may not think we can or want to handle it, but who knows? We might surprise you. Give Russell and everyone else involved a chance to do their thing without any interference. Trust that they know what they are doing. If you do, your faith will likely be rewarded.
I usually try to stay objective in my writing, but this speech has been slowly building for some time now. I only hope the networks dare to prove me wrong and show me that they have more faith in their viewers than I think they do. Here’s hoping.
