I’ve always been a little frightened by Torchwood fans. Although there’s naturally a lot of crossover between Doctor Who and Torchwood viewers, given their shared fictional universe, I’ve found that people who defend the latter to be super-protective of the show. Fair enough – fan appreciation for any TV drama is an indicator that it’s doing something right, even if I personally believe that viewers would be better off finding a decent US genre drama, rather than a show that apes them.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a US version of Torchwood has been rejected by the Fox network, forcing it to find a home elsewhere. A US iteration of Torchwood does sound odd, doesn’t it? After all, its slightly strange name is anagram of its mother show, and its main character, Captain Jack Harkness, exists because of Doctor Who.
In other words, to a US audience, Torchwood would automatically have less relevance. I don’t think, stylistically, it would be a good fit – there’s something altogether British about Torchwood, and relocating the hub to, say, California or New York just sounds a little bit weird.
I’m not being pessimistic about it, per se, but if commisioning such a series was a power I had, I couldn’t see how a show steeped deep within the mythology of something so British could have relevance to viewers of, say, 24.
