FOX to develop American Torchwood & possible Dr. Who reboot.

[Unspeaked]

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Fox readying U.S. version of 'Torchwood'

Exclusive: 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. (If you're a fan of serious sci fi such as "Battlestar Galatica" and haven't seen "Children of Earth," rent it. You don't need to know anything about the series. And I know the previews for "Torchwood" can look silly. Trust me, it's terrific. Like "24" with aliens).

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.”

I would normally think this would stink, as all American remakes of British shows do (yes, even The Office). Add FOX into the picture and things look even worse. But having the series creator on hand might make things interesting.

A Dr. Who reboot, however, is an awful idea under any circumstances.

 

[Buzz Bumble]

Yet more evidence that the talentless hacks in Hollyweird have completely run out of thier own ideas, and still need to go around butchering other people's work.

 

[Unspeaked]

Yet more evidence that the talentless hacks in Hollyweird have completely run out of thier own ideas, and still need to go around butchering other people's work.

It may be worth noting that (as the article states) the BBC seems to have created actual internal positions whose sole purpose is to sell their shows to American networks for adaptation. A sad sign, indeed...

I wonder how many of these shows would pull in better ratings if they just aired the original BBC versions instead of recreations? Coupling, Life on Mars and a few others have done horribly here with their bastardized US versions, and in every case the originals were a hundred times better (at least!).

 

[Buzz Bumble]

Yep, Top Gear was another show heading for a US version, but I think it got axed because of being too expensive during the "financial crisis" ... and thank goodness for that (see, every cloud does have a silver lining!) because the Top Gear Australia show is horrible.

Americans are lucky, they only get the American version of shows (dire though some of them are). Here in New Zealand we get the US, UK, Australian and New Zealand versions, "originals" as well as rip-offs from other networks. The number of silly "reality TV" shows clogging up decent timeslots is ridiculous.

 

[iShater]

So now the team will be running after alien terrorist and defusing motherships from blowing up in 24 hours?!

 

[Ttownbeast]

I don't see it happening.