Talking Telly: What’s in the future for ‘Torchwood’ Series 4?
December 4, 2009 by Dana
Filed under BBC, British TV, Talking Telly, Torchwood
It’s pretty much official now. John Barrowman has revealed at several events that he has signed on for another series as Captain Jack Harkness on “Torchwood”, and he says it’s going to be a proper 13-episode series, probably airing late in 2010. Hallelujah!
No word on Eve Myles (who probably has recently given birth herself – she actually was really pregnant in “Torchwood: CoE”) but Kai Owen was one of the first to reveal that TW was coming back, so it’s safe to assume he’ll be back too.
Now here’s where the speculation begins. And if you haven’t seen “Torchwood: Children of Earth”, get thee to a Best Buy and buy it and come back and read the rest later.
- Russell T. Davies now lives in LA, last I heard. Apparently his plan is to separate the show as much as possible from “Doctor Who” and it’s been made clear that the new Doctor won’t be dropping in (although Capt. Jack is in Tennant’s last “Doctor Who”) for appearances.
So what would be the best way to do the show minus the DW universe and whilst building a new team. America! BBC America has had record ratings for TW and Jack IS American. If he’s still wandering the universe, it might make sense him to go home again, per se.
(And if RTD or some BBC writers read this, Huntsville, AL, has a space center, builds stuff for the shuttle and other spacey stuff, and a lot of weird creatures reside here. And Alabama just passed a law offering tax credits for TV and film shooting in the state. Just think about it. Huntsville is a bit like Cardiff.)
- I guess I will have to accept the fact that, no, Jack is not wandering the universe, figuring out a way to resurrect Ianto (I bet he wishes he had kept the Resurrection Glove he used on Owen) or Stephen. So a nice dashing doctor replacement would not hurt my feelings. Of course, Jack should show some angst over losing Ianto, but Jack is also the sex object for the whole world.
- I never really thought Gwen would be the last person standing, but she is and she’ll have a kid. I can see another kickass woman coming along who can go out on cases that will make Gwen’s jealous streak come out.
- Rhys? He’s going to take over the coffee duties and attempt to keep whatever hub they have in some sort of order. He’s not Ianto.
Feel free to speculate and to mourn Ianto’s death (again) in comments.
Author Info - I've always felt British despite being born in a tiny town in southern Tennessee. I've wandered around a lot, mostly due to my career in new media for local TV stations, I currently live in Huntsville, AL and use my TARDIS to watch British TV. My favorite Brit shows are Britain's Got Talent (heck, anything Ant and Dec do is a fave), Torchwood, Doctor Who, The Sunday Night Project Project, Later...With Jools Holland, and a million different things. Read more from this author
I’ve got to admit, the idea, is brilliant… but, I don’t believe it would work. First, you’ve got to ask, why would they film it in the states? Unless you’re trying to appeal to the U.S. audience, which we know the BBC is, but I doubt Torchwood is the show to do so. If the AFA got wind of an omni-sexual foreigner show trying to influence American youth with that British “filth” as a gay actor plays Jack…. then all Heck would break loose here in the “Holy land”. Furthermore, Torchwood is already in America in the form of Fringe. J.J. Abrams is a huge fan of Brit telly, and created Fringe as the watered down version. Lastly, merely the logistically aspects of moving staff and production, even special effects to the U.S. would be overwhelming. Not sure if you’ve ever bothered to Google BBC’s studio in L.A., but most fast food restaurants are bigger.
No I think the real reason Davies and Julie Gardner have been in L.A. is the hashing out of a Doctor Who movie. It may have already fell through, or the ball could still be rolling. If the BBC’s most successful show can’t hack it on the big screen then certainly Torchwood will never see the light of day here in the U.S.
What I suspect Julie will do, is what she did for BBC Wales. Is find productions which can be filmed relatively inexpensively that appeal to a wide range of audience. In this case it’s possibly co-producing the shows with American networks. Think “84 Charing Cross Road”. I’ve actually written a spec script for the BBC and I’m currently in the process trying to get it commissioned. It fits this “formula” well, as it would focus on the main characters being “American” while the location and additional cast would be Welsh/English. It could very easily translate to American TV often bouncing back and forth between the two countries depending on budget or a sound stage depending on the direction and feedback of the executives.