SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Am I alone in my trepidation about series 4? I loved series 1 and 2 though I can take or leave series 3. The books were at worst okay and at best brilliant.

However the next series with the American cable station hook up,well I wonder?

What does "American cable station hook up" have to do with it?

I think season four will be produced (or co-produced, or whatever) with an American network.

It will indeed. No hub, no Cardiff so who knows what to expect?

Moira wrote: "I think season four will be produced (or co-produced, or whatever) with an American network."

I hope we (USA) don't mess with it, not even the thick accents as long as English subtitles are included. If it's cable it may not be too bad, if network watch out.

Kernos wrote: "Moira wrote: "I think season four will be produced (or co-produced, or whatever) with an American network."

I hope we (USA) don't mess with it, not even the thick accents as long as English subtit..."

You get English subtitles in the US for this series? Interesting.

I've never seen English subtitles for it - not in the BBCA, anyway. Of course, I don't find the accents to be that thick, either. *shrugs*

I find a lot of North Americans have a real hard time with foreign accents. That being said, I can't recall any BBC show having subtitles.

Bill wrote: "You get English subtitles in the US for this series? Interesting."

I'm not sure, some BBC series do, but most don't.

One American and one Welsh, should be okay

Nigel wrote: Am I alone in my trepidation about series 4?

No, Nigel, I'm right there with you. Though, I'm sure they'll screw it up. I loved Torchwood, all 3 series. American productions of British shows are never as good.
Starz is the pay cable channel that picked up Torchwood.

Read this interview with Davies for more info on the new season of Torchwood:
http://tv.ign.com/articles/113/113342...

Americans on Torchwood, the CIA no less? I don't think so. I wouldn't worry about accents since Gwen will probably be the only one to have an accent.

I watch a lot of British TV and have no problem with accents. I can identify where each accent is from and everything they're saying. I've never seen English subtitles on BBC or BBC America; never needed them.

My wife is from England so she can sometimes help me if I miss an English accent; although even she can sometimes have trouble with some of the more northern accents...

Have you ever seen The New Avengers, which was a Canadian/ UK/ French production of the original series. They did a pretty good job with that one; mind you it didn't hurt that Joanna Lumley was in it. :0)

Jackie wrote: "...I watch a lot of British TV and have no problem with accents...."

I watch lots of Brit-TV, too, all on DVD. A problem I've had getting older it that sound, voices esp are becoming distorted and I find the background music too loud, so I often turn on CC or subtitles, if I can, even in US series. Add a thick accent, which seems common on Brit TV today, and it becomes a lot more of a problem.

Thanks for the link. I would rather have a BBC production on general principles. But, at least it is on Starz. Torchwood was always more adult than Dr. Who? and I hope it becomes even more adult (I don't mean sex, but situations). And I hope they find a new boyfriend for Jack. If they hook him up with a girl, it will be a big disappointment.

Better an American production than no TOrchwood at all. Time will tell.

Kernos wrote: Better an American production than no TOrchwood at all. Time will tell.

True.

I'm lucky to have excellent hearing. It's my eyesight that's poor. Even with my good hearing, I find many shows and especially movies have very loud background music that interfere with the speaking voices, I don't understand why that is.

Certainly agree, better co-produced than not at all

And Davies is still involved so it won't go to complete crap.

Lets hope the cast survive this time

The fact that I can have no reliance on that is one of the reasons I won't be watching. Three out of five drop dead. Those odds are too high for me.

In a Torchwood sense what excactly is dead though?

Hah! You're right. Owen died twice and Jack dies all the time.

I really hope the amreicans don't mess it up as they do with so many good european series and movies.

About the sub-titles I always use the sub-titles for the deaf. Okay you will have notifications about other sounds than speaking but it is a big help with the accents. Wich is for me, being Dutch, a blessing.

I'm trying to remember US TV series derived from Brit series. All in the Family and Queer as Folk come to mind. These were both excellent and ground-breaking in the US. This is different from Torchwood which has some of the same actors and such. Will the new Torchwood also be shown in the UK?

What other US series were based on UK series?

Kernos, I'm sure Torchwood will be shown in he UK, unless they want a revolt, LOL
Europe gets out programs, just a little later than we do, same as we have to wait a few weeks for new shows on BBCA.

Kernos wrote: What other US series were based on UK series?
The Office was originally British. Life on Mars, Eleventh Hour.

Wow, I just found this list, there's been a lot American remakes of Brit shows:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...

A.C. wrote: I really hope the amreicans don't mess it up as they do with so many good european series and movies
SyFy is remaking Being Human, I can't see that as being anywhere near as good as the British production.

Kernos wrote: "I'm trying to remember US TV series derived from Brit series. All in the Family and Queer as Folk come to mind. These were both excellent and ground-breaking in the US. This is different from Torch..."

Sanford and Son was derived from Steptoe and Son. Beatrice Arthur tried to do a version of Fawlty Towers that failed.

There can be only one Fawlty Towers! No one can do it like John Cleese. I bought the series and still watch it. Laugh every time.

Jackie wrote: "There can be only one Fawlty Towers! No one can do it like John Cleese. I bought the series and still watch it. Laugh every time."

Me too. It's on BBC Canada regularly and the missus and I still enjoy watching the show.. Another favourite is The Vicar of Dibley; hilarious!

I love Dawn French as the vicar, another one of my favorite shows. Annie, what a trip she is! LOL
Britian knows how to do comedy, unlike America.

Torchwood will be shown in the UK

I always got the impression that John Barrowman (Jack) is the kind of actor who wouldn't sign on to something bad. He had to turn down a full-time gig with Desperate Housewives so he could be free to do Torchwood (USA), which means he's risking a lot to make this happen. So my guess is that he knows (or has a general idea) of how the general story arc is going to go for at least this first season and feels it's worthy.

From the interview, I thought this was very telling:

"Also, if you look at the history of Torchwood in the UK, it's moved three channels in three years. It started on the digital channel BBC3 and moved to BBC2 and finally Children of Earth moved to BBC1 which is like the UK's network channel. Each time, particularly with Children of Earth, Russell reinvented it for a new audience."

It kind of explains why there was continuity changes in each season and gives hope that it's really not going to be that big a difference in this new one.

True and lets not write off (!) US TV sci-fi after all the early X Files were superb

Jackie wrote: "...Wow, I just found this list, there's been a lot American remakes of Brit shows:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ame......"

Great link, Jackie. Thanks.

Nigel wrote: "True and lets not write off (!) US TV sci-fi after all the early X Files were superb"

That's what I was thinking too.

Has anyone read any of the Torchwood books? Some of them are really rather good, surprisingly!

X files was a long time ago. American TV has gone downhill in a big way since then, especially in the scifi genre.

Well let's hope the creative side of the new Torchwood will be the same as the first 3 series

I think it can, mainly because of Russell Davies involvement. If it were given over completely as an American production, I wouldn't hold out much hope for it. But we do have Davies and that means a lot as far as continuity and integrity.

Jackie wrote: SyFy is remaking Being Human, I can't see that as being anywhere near as good as the British production.
."

Are they really remaking it? I thought they were just going to show Being Human!! And I was so looking forward to seeing it in Jan.

(I am from neither the UK nor US but I have to agree with the general consensus) Please Starz don't mess up Torchwood!!

Of course BBC Wales is still involved or is it BBC Int'l so it shouldn't be too bad. T_T

Spirited,
Yes, it's true. They've changed the character's name and I have no idea what else they'll change.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1595680/

All I know is, there is no replacement for Mitchell.

Nigel wrote: "Has anyone read any of the Torchwood books? Some of them are really rather good, surprisingly!"

I just took a look at some of these on amazon who lists them as YA. I consider the series adult. I wonder if the books have been sanitized.

Love Being Human and can't wait for series 3, and Jackie I agree the original Mitchell will be hard to replace.
Looking forward to Dr Who at christmas. I only hope that they don't mess with Torchwood to much.

I'm on a countdown til the Doctor Who Xmas Special. Funny, I wasn't counting down to the actual holiday.

I would not describe them as YA though these days where anything goes I imagine loads of 14-16 year old watch Torchwood.

Yeah, that's interesting. Davies says that the Sarah Files are for kids. Dr. Who is for families. And Torchwood is decidedly for adults. Although from some of the YA I've read, it's such a wide parameter that yeah, older teens would probably watch the show (but would they be interested in reading the books?).

I doubt it very much as the best ones are quite subtle.

Jackie wrote: "X files was a long time ago. American TV has gone downhill in a big way since then, especially in the scifi genre."

Well ST:DS9 and Babylon 5 were contemporary with X-files and I think better overall. Since early X-Files, I enjoy ST:Voyager and Enterprise, Stargate SGI and Atlantis. I did not like the new BSG. It was way too sentimental for my tastes. The only ongoing TV series I really like is Supernatural, though not SF. I have not seen the vampire series, though suspect they are too romantic for me.

Are there any recent real SF series made for US TV.

Scifi doesn't last on American network TV and now with Siffy acting like the networks, I wouldn't hold my breathe on anything good forthcoming.

The only thing I can think of that's still airing is 'V'. And that won't last either, it's not as good as other scifi that's already seen the axe.

I loved all the shows you mentioned. But most were from a different time, when they'd give shows more than 8 episodes to become a highly rated show.

Just started re-watching series 2 and it motivated me to get the novels down from the attic and give them a re-read.

I've never read a Torchwood book. Which ones are good?
I fear Torchwood and Doctor Who moving to the US. How can Torchwood remain "outside the government" with a CIA agent as a regular? I love Being Human, but I suspect the American version will leave all the class issues, one of my favorite aspects of it, by the wayside.

Kernos,

What about "Firefly?" There are no space-based sf series now or since "Firefly," but "Lost" and "Fringe" are definately sf.

Julia, I have the same reservations about the new season of Torchwood. I'm pretty sure Doctor Who will be only an episode or two, not based in the US, that would really suck.
Syfy's Being Human probably won't be worth watching. If it's good they'll cancel it, if it sucks they'll keep it.

Andromeda ran from 2000 to 2005. Well developed. I hated to see it end.

Thanks for reminding me about Firefly, Julia. It's a great show. I like the Serenity movie too.

It seems that most of my favorite shows have been largely space based and not Earth based.