Whedonesque : Comments on 15510 : Casting an Americanized Torchwood.

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February 14 2008

Casting an Americanized Torchwood. Nathan Fillion as Captain Jack Harkness? Amber Benson as Gwen? That's some inspired wishful thinking.

But who should play Captain John Hart? That's a tricky one ;).

Simon | Fandom&Fun | 23:21 CET | 34 comments total | tags: torchwood

I love Amber. I love Nathan. But if anyone tried to "Americanize" Torchwood, I'd spit venom. Not to mention the fact it'd be a moot point to begin with (how many facets of Torchwood were taken from American shows?).

deepgirl187 | February 14, 23:30 CET

From a purely speculative viewpoint involving different actors' qualities, a conversation I always enjoy (I'm happy with Torchwood the way it is, thanks very much), I wouldn't cast Fillion as Capt. Jack. Barrowman is almost pretty enough to be a model, so I would go with Tom Welling and see if he could get the Barrowman swagger. I like Amber as Gwen, though. Good fit.

Tonya J | February 14, 23:42 CET

Another british show americanised please no more, leave well alone. I know it's only wishful thinking, but that's where it starts. "what if Life on Mars was set in LA" and next thing you know....
I'm still channeling the venom/anger following the butchering of Coupling.
I'm slow to forgive. In fact for that I may never forgive.

[ edited by eth3er on 2008-02-14 21:23 ]

eth3er | February 15, 00:18 CET

Well, if you want Torchwood USA, why not make Captain Jack Hart female?
And yes, that means getting Christina Hendricks in that role.
But I'll take the original version, thanks.

impalergeneral | February 15, 01:18 CET

Oh dear ... No!!!

I don't mind a American branch of Torchwood but don't just copy the show and it's characters for the sake of it, do something new and inventive. I dare say with a Hollywood budget behind it Torchwood could really shine (not that it is in need of extra cash to improve ;D )

Zol. | February 15, 01:27 CET

While we're at it, how about an Americanized version of _KEeping Up APpearances_ starring Swoosie Kurtz as Hyacinth?

Better yet, let's just bring Patricia Routledge into the Jossverse as Harmony 's grandmother and leave the British shows alone for a while

DaddyCatALSO | February 15, 02:05 CET

(how many facets of Torchwood were taken from American shows?).

At last count, all of them.

Simon | February 15, 02:25 CET

Now now, there was that episode where something vaguely related to Doctor Who happened...

Craig Oxbrow | February 15, 02:38 CET

At last count, all of them.

Except Gwen's fabulous Welsh accent.

alien lanes | February 15, 02:50 CET

I think this is a fully blown failure beforehand. Look at pretty much anything americanized, especially Coupling. The original coupling was one of my all time favourite series (currently I own dvds four series: Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Coupling), and the american version just purely sucked big time. If I was to give up series one at a time, I'm really not sure about the order. Probably Angel, Firefly, Coupling and Buffy saved as last to go. The second/third is a hard one, but full 4 seasons wins the Coupling for me. I never did like Angel as much as Buffy, with all the Karaoke and mishandling of Cordy, my favourite Angel cast.

Anyway, Coupling, Nikita, WhatNot, doomed failure and I seriously hope they don't cast Nathan/Amber in. Though, I guess if both of them were cast, the acting of those two alone could salvage pretty much anything, so it might actually be almost as good as the original. But, nearly as good as a second rate show, I hope Nathan and Tara cand find up something better to do.

Eerikki | February 15, 03:19 CET

Here's an idea: instead of making an American version of Torchwood, what if the networks relaxed their outdated Puri-tyrannical standards and just SHOWED TORCHWOOD?

ShimShamSam | February 15, 03:39 CET

OMG! WHAT A CRAZY IDEA! Seriously, Sci Fi is running both Doctor Who and its other spinoff show, the Sarah Jane Adventures, in the spring. You'd think they would consider picking up Torchwood, but nooooooo.

I'm also surprised that Doctor Who didn't even get a mention in the article since it spawned Torchwood. Then again, if anybody even suggested Americanizing the longest running show in history... ::grabs her pitchfork and torch::

[ edited by ShamelessSingingRennie on 2008-02-15 01:03 ]

ShamelessSingingRennie | February 15, 04:03 CET

I love Torchwood just the way it is (especially in 2nd Season, when it's really found its voice).

I think the last time I loved an American remake of a british show (if I don't count game shows) was probably "Sanford & Son." Anyone remember when they were trying to pull off an American version of "Fawlty Towers?" AAAARRGH ...

That said, I heard good things about both the original and Americanized version of Davies' "Queer as Folk," but I haven't seen either yet. One of these days, in my Copious Spare Time(TM) ...

Ghalev | February 15, 04:29 CET

Here's a crazy idea... Captain John Hart: The Series. With space/time travel and crime and stuff. Could be a thing.

GreatMuppetyOdin | February 15, 04:54 CET

I agree with Vince. The Captain John series is the only 'americanized' Torchwood with interest.

baxter | February 15, 05:14 CET

Just get Adam Baldwin in there somewhere!

[ edited by magnus carnage on 2008-02-15 02:43 ]

magnus carnage | February 15, 05:42 CET

Here's a crazy idea... Captain John Hart: The Series. With space/time travel and crime and stuff. Could be a thing.

I'd watch that.;) I really don't think anyone could match John Barrowman in the US. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think anyone could match his charm period. But I though they were showing it in the US on some cable channel???

dulce_serenidad | February 15, 05:50 CET

A Captain John series would be interesting, but they would have to create some way for the viewers to identify with his character (beyond his being a sexy beast). I'm not sure how they could manage that without him turning into Spike 2.0.

deepgirl187 | February 15, 07:14 CET

My response to this is the same as to the "re-cast Buffy" idea .... don't mess with perfection.

Shey | February 15, 10:49 CET

Why, oh why are there always thoughts, if not needs, to americanize? American writers have a great imagination, and means to get it on film so, please.. no re-casting

grimma | February 15, 11:08 CET

How 'Torchwood' might look if played by [cartoon] babies (via Stephen Gallagher's blog).

Whether they're American babies is undetermined.

(I think they've captured first series Ianto absolutely perfectly though ;)

[ edited by Saje on 2008-02-15 13:30 ]

Saje | February 15, 16:27 CET

Americanize it - that would also mean removing the homo sex, right? :)

Pumps | February 15, 16:41 CET

Leave it alone. And while you're at it, put The IT Crowd down.

JuliaL | February 15, 17:37 CET

'The IT Crowd' US seems on shaky ground anyway JuliaL, 'Hollywood Reporter' said it may have been killed though NBC haven't made it official (FWIW, I think it had some chance of not being completely shit because Richard Ayoade was/is going to play Moss, the one character I really think they'd struggle to recast. On balance I think it's still a bad idea though).

Saje | February 15, 17:54 CET

The idea of americanization should have been dropped way back when they tried it with Red Dwarf. If yer gonna make an american "version" of a British show, the least ya can do is make it a genuine spinoff instead of just recasting the same characters and fucking up continuity entirely. Hence Captain John Hart the Series. Besides, who doesn't love a good antihero with a cool outfit and a lust for poodles?

GreatMuppetyOdin | February 15, 18:54 CET

Step away from the lovely Brit show!

Though the idea of Captain Hart heading up Torchwood LA has a certain appeal

[ edited by debw on 2008-02-15 18:17 ]

debw | February 15, 21:16 CET

I dunno. John Barrowman and Nathan Fillion have a few things in common - great charm, a tendency to podginess, the love of their showrunner and several thousand fanboy/girls - but since the British show plays Captain Jack as an American, would the US version play him as a Brit?

roadrunner | February 16, 00:31 CET

John Barrowman could do that too (he's Scottish).

Saje | February 16, 00:41 CET

There's supposed to be an American version of the Torchwood organization. I think in Doctor Who canon it's called The Unit.
Since there's already a show called something like that I guess they need another name.
By the way the show The Office is a British show and making it American hasn't hurt it one bit.
It all depends on how it's done. All in the Family was a British show too. So we Americans have been ripping off British ideas for ages now. What's one more? Personally, I feel a version of Torchwood with different characters would be better just copying this show. Then if Capt Jack wants to visit and chat up the American crew he can smooch he way through another group. John Barrowman kissing anyone is good TV.

Oh, and what debw said. Absolutely, I'd be glued to the screen if James could play Capt John every week, with some modifications.

biffsbabe | February 16, 00:49 CET

U.N.I.T is a United Nations (that's the U and the N) Intelligence Taskforce (and the I and ... well, you get the idea ;) that's mainly made up of (British) army squaddies and is meant to defend us from aliens etc. - it's not the US version of Torchwood.

There's no particular reason you couldn't have a show based on a US branch but since it's a British organisation, originally set up by Queen Victoria to defend the Empire, it makes sense to me to staff it with Brits (the odd exception apart ;) - or Yanks playing Brits at least.

(FWIW, i've always kind of seen Torchwood as the CIA to UNIT's regular army)

Saje | February 16, 01:06 CET

Or we could just watch our old Angel DVDs.

Simon | February 16, 01:11 CET

But then where would we get our fix of dark, morally ambiguous immortals that look out for innocents to help from high vantage points ?

Ah.

Saje | February 16, 01:34 CET

Besides, who doesn't love a good antihero with a cool outfit and a lust for poodles?
Vince | February 15, 15:54 CET

Thank's Vince for that lol moment ;-)

But then where would we get our fix of dark, morally ambiguous immortals that look out for innocents to help from high vantage points ?

Ah.
Saje | February 15, 22:34 CET

Saje, you are truly evil.

Shey | February 16, 16:48 CET

Damn, I was aiming for morally ambiguous, think I may have overreached ;).

Saje | February 16, 17:09 CET

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