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67 Days left 'til the Starz original series Torchwood: Miracle Day. Are you fuming yet? I'm aware that most of you reading this are UK viewers and having talked to a bunch of you I know this is a bit of a hot topic, so take a second to step back and let's try to keep an open mind?

There are a number of complaints that have come out of the fact that Torchwood has been picked up by an American network. Many UK fans ans Non-UK fans I have talked to are concerned about the future of the show, about it being Americanized and about how Starz will try to change it. There is a lot to say and several things I can address but that's more blogs to come. Let's chat about this one thing, the fact that Starz is advertising Torchwood as a Starz original series.

I think this issue came to fans attention when the first promo poster was released and it had on the top of it "A Starz original series". Now I am going to support the unpopular opinion here, that Starz is completely in the right to claim Torchwood as such, but please don't take any of what I say to be an attack.  I am trying to be honest about how I am seeing this issue forming for fans and it's not my intention to come off insensitive or insulting. Hear me out:

When that poster was released my personal experience with friends and acquaintances, specifically those from the UK, was that people were very upset that the big bad American network was coming in and trying to claim Torchwood as their original series when BBC and in fact the British fans have claim to it. I think that a lot of the hostility and the negative reaction that non-US fans are having to Torchwood in the US is based mostly in misunderstanding and a sort of possessiveness.

If you somehow missed it, i'm American and so it upsets me when all of my friends in the UK are so down on everything American. I think maybe they don't realize that some of the criticisms of my culture ruining everything they touch can be a little offensive. But this isn't about me and I don't want to get into the whole Americanized debate just yet, but I would love it if Torchwood fans in the UK (or outside the US in general) didn't automatically take issue with every move and expect the worst.

When Starz claims that it's a Starz original series you have to consider that maybe, by the standards of the definition of an original series it might be. What's an original series? In the sense that I believe Starz to be using it, an original series' is one that originated in creation from Starz, aslo something that has not been done before as such. It is a sort of blurry concept but I don't think Starz is trying to take all the credit here.

But these different opinions of what an original series is seems to me to be what is upsetting people. Everyone is saying that it's a BBC original series, they started the production of course and they are still very much involved, but that's not what Starz is laying claim to. Starz is saying that they are partially responsible for creating the current incarnation and they are! It's a BBC/Starz co-production. Both are the origin of this series of the show and both have claim to it. And let me assure you both parties signed agreements that specificy they can each claim it as an original series. We've seen Starz and BBC do so on their promo materials. Nothing is getting miss-represented. I think that it may just be fans of the show before MD resistant to change.

I am not trying to push buttons here, I am just trying to reach out to you reading in hopes that you'll see maybe a co-production can be just that, a shared creation. Collaboration can be a good thing and America is not trying to steal Torchwood, we are only trying to spread the love.

So go ahead lay into me if you must. Is Starz way out of line? Can't we all just get along? Are you worried what the US involvement might mean for Torchwood as we know it? xx

<3Dana

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Tammy a.k.a SOUL1essHarpy
5/3/2011 12:08:33 am

*grin* Look at you playing 'devil's American advocate'! LOL

We've discussed this before, you and I, and we have different opinions. But, if everyone agreed, how boring would life be??

As an American, I definitely lean towards the side of cringing as the US generally makes a habit of mucking up good UK programs. I really can't help it, though, I've got a massive hard-on for the UK! What can I say?

That being said, I do believe that, in this case, enough of the people who were key in making it a success in the UK are still involved with the project & will keep it from evolving too far away from the Torchwood we all have come to know and love. Also, if it brings new fans and keeps the show going, who are we to complain?

*Gets down off her soapbox* Thank you for your time ;P (send hate mail to me on twitter)

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Jenni
5/3/2011 12:55:07 am

I must say, we're crap at reworking British comedies, but that's because our humor is vastly different. That being said, I've noticed no issues with dramas.

And it is a Starz Original Series, especially in the UK version of the word.

And to all those bitching about the US involvement: Hey WE didn't kill off Ianto. Understood?

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Lana
5/4/2011 03:15:14 am

I don't have a problem with the US getting involved in Torchwood, if it means a bigger budget and a better series then I'm all for it!
The only problem I have is that the UK don't have a release date for MD yet, so we Brits are feeling a bit hard done by that it started as a UK series but the US get their release date first - feeling a bit left out here!

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Mickie
5/11/2011 11:30:57 pm

Well you already know my thoughts on the original series thing…but to be honest when you go to their site it's in a category of original series and most of them didn't start off on Starz.

I am glad Starz came along because I am sure they'll not try to change it. But as a UK fan I also have worries. Lets face it I think it would be the same if Torchwood had been a US series and the BBC had stepped in to help save it and it was suddenly being filmed in the UK with mostly UK writers etc. I am very sure US fans would be worried lol

I want accuse America of messing it up UK TV series when they re-make them because the UK have had it's fair share of messing up US stuff in the past. Not everything we touch in TV land turns to gold you know! lol

So for me it's a kind of love and hate thing. I love that the money is going into it to make it even better. I know that if Starz hadn’t stepped in the BBC would have completely dropped TW! I love there's some brilliant writers there, though I'd have liked to have seen more UK writers involved. From what I've seen it is mostly US. And the cast is amazing. But I would like to have seen Kai higher up the casting, given that he is an original.

I leave the rest till later lol. But as Tammy said the world would be boring if we all had the same opinion...lol

Mickie x

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