Torchwood

[Azaroth]

I watched this tonight. Finally.

It is not as bad as the commercials make it look.

However, all I could think at the end of the episode when Owen kissed Gwen was "Don't fall between her gap teeth bro!". Seriously that shit was distracting me all episode.

[Khaldun]

Watching the last tomorrow night, stuck it on the DVR while we were on a trip. About the only sour note for me so far is Davies doing some soapboxing in Ep. #4, in which he feels obligated to make every single member of the Cabinet an absolute fucking monster and dumb as rocks to boot. E.g., nobody even asks for proof that 456 is capable of making good on its threats, nobody even asks what happens if other countries (a la Prisoner's Dilemma) don't make good on their end of the bargain (and most 3rd World countries couldn't, if that involved transporting 10% of their children to an embarcation point: that's serious infrastructure, folks), nobody points out that if the fuckers actually need humans to assist in getting the kids they can't have quite the tech they pretend to have or their real goal isn't getting the kids but getting the capitulation, etc. That's all I need to buy in at that point: show me some real, complicated, flawed human beings making real, complicated, flawed decisions that amount to participating in evil. Don't show me Russell Davies Cartoons [tm]...he really has a hard time resisting that kind of schtick.

[Khaldun]

Finally finished it off.

[Ironwood]

Yes.   

[Surlyboi]

[Evildrider]

All the gay stuff aside, Ianto was a good character.

[Tale]

I've just been through season one via Tivo from free-to-air TV, and they're barrelling straight into season two this week. I'm hooked on it, but sometimes season one was really crap. Gwen is played by a great actor. Captain Jack is a great character played by a bad actor, yet it works. It wouldn't have survived if it didn't have Dr Who as a parent. Looking forward to when it gets better.

[Numtini]

I guess there should be a spoiler tag.

[Evildrider]

I've just been through season one via Tivo from free-to-air TV, and they're barrelling straight into season two this week. I'm hooked on it, but sometimes season one was really crap. Gwen is played by a great actor. Captain Jack is a great character played by a bad actor, yet it works. It wouldn't have survived if it didn't have Dr Who as a parent. Looking forward to when it gets better.

Barrowman as Capt. Jack is the reason there was even a Torchwood spin-off from Who.

[Khaldun]

I dunno, I like both Barrowman as Jack and the Gwen character, contrary to the hate that's common hearabouts. Agree that the plots of Season 1 varied a HUGE amount in quality.

[Surlyboi]

[Evildrider]

Oh for crying out loud... 




Fox and BBC Worldwide Productions are developing an American remake of the U.K. hit sci-fi series "Torchwood" reports The Live Feed.

A more adult-targeted spin-off from "Doctor Who", the story follows a covert group that investigates and fights alien activity led by the omnisexual immortal adventurer Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman).

They key difference here is that unlike some previous UK-to-US TV series adaptations, this one will incorporate the original UK production team on it - namely series creator Russell Davies, his producing partner Julie Gardner, and BBC Worldwide's US production V.P. Jane Tranter.

Davies will pen the pilot which will contain a global-targeted story line as compared to the more localized Wales-set sensibility of the first two seasons. Davies has previously been working as showrunner on both "Torchwood" and "Doctor Who" along with writing many episodes for both franchises.

How this will work is unsure. While there had been hope of another mini-series or full season, at last report the BBC hadn't made any official plans to continue with the show.

After two seasons of the series meeting with very mixed reaction, the original show rebooted itself last year with the stand-alone five-part 'Children of Earth' mini-series event which scored record ratings and critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic.

That mini ended with all dead aside from two of the regular cast and one recurring character. One regular looked to be essentially retiring and settling down to start a family, while a grieving Captain Jack headed off into space and was last seen cameoing in the recent "Doctor Who" special.

This incarnation of the series could either start over with new actors playing the same characters, or effectively continue in the show's current continuity with John Barrowman reprising his Harkness character as a regular or recurring role.

Either way the links to "Doctor Who" will be entirely excised. The sexuality question is another issue as the original "Torchwood" was noted for its use of swearing and sex. Even the more toned-down mini-series still featured an affectionate gay couple - something that may not fly on the conservative Fox free-to-air network.

The article also indicates Jane Tranter is considering an American remake of "Doctor Who", a far more dicey and difficult proposition. A previous attempt to do an American adaptation of that franchise was the 1996 TV movie/pilot on Fox with Paul McGann and Eric Roberts which scored dismal ratings and mixed reviews.

[Azazel]

I tried to watch Torchwood. I got about 3 or 4 episodes into it before losing interest. I'm sure I'll watch the rest of them eventually. 

[HaemishM]

It's worth sticking around for the Children of Earth mini-series.

A Fox version, however... God it would suck so horribly, especially when it hit its stride about episode 11, right before the cancellation.

[Azazel]

So is CoE a reboot or a continuation of the series? Doth is need to be watched after the 2 seasons or can it be watched anytime?

[Ard]

It's a continuation that basically will force a reboot of the cast if they decided to go to another season.  You can probably get most of the gist of it just fine without watching the first two seasons, but there's a fair amount of good in Torchwood mixed in with the bad that made it worth watching to me.

[Azazel]

Yeah, I didn't hate Torchwood. It just wasn't gripping. Like a game that is ok which you absentmindedly put aside to play something else, then realise you never finished it months or years later.

[Slyfeind]

Holy crap, that would turn out so awful, I'm sure. Honestly I'm okay with the Russell T Davies craziness, but Americanizing the series, to say nothing of Fox...yeesh.

[HaemishM]

Yeah, I didn't hate Torchwood. It just wasn't gripping. Like a game that is ok which you absentmindedly put aside to play something else, then realise you never finished it months or years later.

Torchwood is like that. The first season had a lot of episodes that made me think "Why am I watching this?" But by the end of the season, I was hooked. Second season had some of the same issues, but less - less sex for the sake of sex, etc. And both seasons had fantastic finales. My wife had never watched the show, but was instantly hooked with Children of Earth.

[Azazel]

Too bad Charlie Brooker ruined the finale for me tonight. Bastard.

[Der Helm]

Too bad Charlie Brooker ruined the finale for me tonight. Bastard.

I am watching Charlie Brooker right now, and right now Torchwood came up. I hope I turned of the volume soon enough. Thanks. 

[NowhereMan]

FOX might actually be good for RTD and Torchwood if they force him to cut out the obsession with sex and swearing without actually just making it a show for 9 year olds, that was always the biggest problem Torchwood had. I have got a horrible vision of a mediocre/shitty US version running and running on FOX because it has just enough viewers and managed to attract the interest of a random Exec.

[Azazel]

Too bad Charlie Brooker ruined the finale for me tonight. Bastard.

I am watching Charlie Brooker right now, and right now Torchwood came up. I hope I turned of the volume soon enough. Thanks.  

I was referring to the review of 2009 show. Just FYI.

FOX might actually be good for RTD and Torchwood if they force him to cut out the obsession with sex and swearing without actually just making it a show for 9 year olds, that was always the biggest problem Torchwood had. I have got a horrible vision of a mediocre/shitty US version running and running on FOX because it has just enough viewers and managed to attract the interest of a random Exec.

Torchwood on Fox could with all teh gays removed and the sex toned down to beautiful shots of beautiful and vapid people would make it fit in perfectly to the version of Fox we get here in Australia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox8#Premiere_programming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox8#Other_programming

I know they don't do the wrestling in the US, but is the rest of the programming the same kind of drivel?

[Surlyboi]

For fuck's sake, no.

[Grimwell]

Ok, so I've skipped the entire thread because I'm only on episode four (thank you Netflix)... but I need to know something:

Does the show get any less cheesy along the way? I like the concept, I don't mind the made for TV effects, but the writing, and much of the acting on the show is of B movie quality. I've been hoping that the writers are just finding their groove, since I'm in season one and all... but I don't think I can hold out much longer if they don't.

Tips?

[NowhereMan]

It gets better in Series 2 but not hugely so. There are flashes of greatness in there but the cheese is pretty prevalent. If you're struggling with it it's ok to skip straight to the third series as long as you can accept that some stuff's happened in the meantime. I'd say consider skipping the first series and trying some of the second. The third series is well worth it.

[HaemishM]

I wouldn't tell you to skip it. The season finales for both series 1 and 2 are good and each one sets up the other. For all the bad of season 1, I still think it's worth pushing through for the gems.

[Tale]

All of Torchwood recently aired on free-to-air TV in Australia, and the final Children of Earth episode is this Friday. I watched them all for the first time and I'd agree, seasons 1 and 2 were mostly cheese, with occasional episodes that worked. It started working better when things got rough for key characters. Been enjoying CofE, which has better writing and a bigger budget, but the cheese is still there.

[Triforcer]

Captain Jack should just wear a T-shirt that says "I AM GAY" on the front, and "P.S. I LIKE HAVING SEX WITH MEN" on the back.  It would save a lot of time for more interesting plots. 

[HaemishM]

Fox Passes on US Version of Torchwood

Thank fuck for that.

[raydeen]

Starz will be picking up Torchwood.

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/bbc-starz-team-up-for-more-torchwood

Between this and Spartacus, I may have to splurge and get me some premium channels.

[Signe]

Or you could spend $9 a month and get Neflix and it'll include Starz Play and a DvD plan (unlimited, one at a time).  I assume you'll be able to get Torchwood that way.

[Reg]

Torchwood had a few good episodes and the last season miniseries was outstanding but it's really not so great that it makes it worthwhile to subscribe to an extra pay channel.

[Samwise]

Or you could spend $9 a month and get Neflix and it'll include Starz Play and a DvD plan (unlimited, one at a time).  I assume you'll be able to get Torchwood that way.

This.  Cable is for saps.

[01101010]

Heard this today on Radio1. Was mildly excited aside from the Starz thing.