10 Things We’re Hoping To Get From BBC America’s The Watch
The latest iteration of Terry Pratchett's Discworld comes to the small screen.
With its recent trailer receiving… mixed reviews, BBC America’s interpretation of Terry Pratchett’s The Watch could go in any direction at all.
It certainly has made some interesting choices from the outset. The original book series, though it often played with analogues of modern concepts and technology, always stayed rooted in its post-medieval, not quite industrial revolution aesthetic, with a heavy dose of magic for good measure. With the trailer clearly indicating a shift towards punk, with everything from electric guitars to heavy eyeliner, all bets for the ultimate tone of the show are off.
The statement from Rhianna Pratchett that the show shares “no DNA,” with her father’s work was certainly disheartening to hear for many fans of Pratchett’s long running book series, who were hoping for at least a semi-faithful adaptation. However, even with a determined movement away from the original books, the source material itself has great potential to influence the show.
With eight books dedicated to their escapades and appearances in many other of Pratchett’s works, the series could cover everything from occult plots to foreign interventionism, organised crime and football hooliganism.
With this breadth of source material in mind, particularly regarding character and plot potential, there’s still plenty to be hopeful for with the latest reimagining of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch.
10. Terry Pratchett's Unique Charm
Whether in the early works, his final stories, the wizardly adventures or the children's books, Terry Pratchett wrote with a masterful sense of style.
These books oozed with character, more than justifying the 41 separate novels that made up the Discworld series. The tone and language had a fantastic way of carrying voice, making each story feel distinct whilst still comfortable within the larger setting. With the range of works he pulled inspiration from, the Discworld series is as engaging as it is unpredictable.
This tone wasn't lacking for The Watch either, each book finding new ways to explore the characters and the city of Ankh-Morpork itself. While we track Vimes' progression through life, and that of all the other intrepid misfits of The Watch, seeing them come - and in a few cases very definitively go - we grow to see them all as compelling and endearing people. Relationships (romantic and platonic), rivalries, prejudices, dreams and fears: each main character got enough to really make them feel alive.
With witticisms aplenty, smooth satire and a genuine emotional reaction, this new series couldn't hope for a better bank of character dynamics and conversations to draw from.