‘Torchwood’ coming to the US?

Glenn Hauman

Glenn is VP of Production at ComicMix. He has written Star Trek and X-Men stories and worked for DC Comics, Simon & Schuster, Random House, arrogant/MGMS and Apple Comics. He's also what happens when a Young Turk of publishing gets old.

You may also like...

10 Responses

  1. Jason M. Bryant says:

    Yeah, this doesn't seem like a great idea. Sex was a big part of Torchwood. Not my favorite part, especially in the first season when everyone was just hooking up for no reason, but it is a part of the show. Dollhouse proved that even though FOXes marketing department may love skin, the network won't allow their shows to just go nuts with sexual matters.I'm sure they can make a good version of Torchwood without that, I'm just not sure they want to. If they know that's what they're getting into ahead of time and are okay with it, fine. If they get to the third episode and FOX objects to the way that Captain Jack hooks up with his old boyfriend, that could cause more Dollhouse style problems.On the bright side, maybe the FOX executives will look at the BBC show and get a good idea of what they're signing up for before anyone agrees to anything. That could help.

  2. Vinnie Bartilucci says:

    The basic idea of Torchwood is sound. I think the hyper-sexuality of the show, particularly the first season was more as a desire to make sure people knew the show was for adults.More than anything else, if the show serves to bring John Barrowman to the USA, it'll be a good thing.

  3. IGPNicki says:

    Is America ready for John Barrowman AKA an openly gay leading man? I'm not so sure. There's also the fact that half the characters are gay or had gay experiences… Don't mean to get "controversial" I just don't know how well it would go over, especially on Fox which is definitely not my favourite network right now. Plus, as much as I'd love to see Torchwood done on a bigger budget, I like that us Brits have a cool scifi show. Making it over as a U.S. show just doesn't appeal to me.

    • Vinnie Bartilucci says:

      "Is America ready for John Barrowman AKA an openly gay leading man?"Absolutely. There's plenty of gay actors on TV doing very well; NPH leaps to mind as the best example.Is it ready for the level of gay interaction he and Ianto had on the British series? Likely not, at least not on broadcast TV. I think we'll see that drop a great deal.

      • Jason M. Bryant says:

        We're not ready for that much *straight* interaction. The most recent season of Torchwood had a nude scene with Barrowman and it wasn't even sexual, just a naked guy's ass in a gravel quarry. Eve Myles referred to that day of filming as "the full Barrowman."But on a romantic level, it'd do okay. Some people would be upset, but it would work out.

  4. mike weber says:

    As long as it doesn't have Nathan Fillion as Ianto (or any other regular), it might succeed on Fox.If it does – four weeks at most, after being moved four times and run out of order.

  5. David S. says:

    Let me get this straight: Fox Televison, the same network that attempted to buy Dr. Who and put out that awful "failed pilot" that featured Sylvester McCoy's doctor being killed by stray bullets from an uzzi, which prompted him to regenerate into Paul McGann's doctor who was only featured on Big Finnish audio dramas, which prompted BBC Wales to buy the series at a discount rate and give it the shot-in-the-arm that also created two dynamite spinoffs, one of which those same clueless morons at Fox wants to purchase, and we're suppose to expect it to be launched successfully as an international series? Call me a cynical wet-blanket but I've been on this carousel ride before and I'm still waiting for a refund!

  6. Bob Sanders says:

    Don't get me wrong "Torchwood" is a great show because it is a great British show. But some questions that nag at me are:1. Will the US audience have to tie in the immortal part to Dr. Who?2. Part of what took the bloom off the rose in the UK is the spotlight on the Gay aspect of the characters….do you think that will fly in the US?? I think not.3. If the show has to make too many comprimises…then is it still the same show?I will watch it, but I think too many changes will change it too much…anyone remember the Fox version of Dr. Who…I rest my case.

    • David S. says:

      1. That would be my guess as well, which would alienate the "channel surfers" for a start!2. My guess is that the success of "Will & Grace" and that new ABC comedy prompted them to look at this show, but of course they were sitcoms so look for humour at the expense of gays in this "incarnation."3. My post addresses that inevitability.And yes, I do with grimness.

    • Jason M. Bryant says:

      1. The British audience didn't even have to deal with the Doctor much. He was only vaguely mentioned in the first season and the immortality was just treated as something strange that happens to be part of who Captain Jack is. If it is ever addressed in the US series, they'll probably explain it away in a couple of lines that don't mention the Doctor just like they did in the first season of Torchwood.2. I also think that sexuality is a tricky subject on American TV, but I don't agree with you assertion that "the Gay aspect" took any blooms off any roses. What do you even mean by that? Are you saying that theoretically the show would have done even better if all the characters had been straight? The ratings both in Britain and America were really good for the third series and Jack and Ianto were as gay as ever in that, so I don't think there's any evidence of rose de-blooming.