Whomever murdered that boy, David Tennant is very disappointed in you. The beloved Tenth Doctor actor’s next big project is Gracepoint, a 10-episode Americanization of the UK series Broadchurch that, judging from the first trailer below, seems like it might be trying to capitalize on some of that True Detective buzz. Except without all the existentialism.
Why is the Doctor talking with a sort-of-American accent? We think it’s just to make us uncomfortable during police interrogations. Oh god it makes us so uncomfortable.
But hey! Anna Gunn is there too and from Breaking Bad to Deadwood and beyond, she is one solid actor, so probably this mini-series is going to be great based solely on her and Tennant’s performance. Who do you think killed little Timmy? Or was it Danny? Whatever. David Tennant is yelling at people onscreen and it’s just nice to see that again. He burns at the center of time, you know.
Do you think K-9 will show up?
Gracepoint premieres this fall on Fox.
Having watched Broadchurch already, watching this trailer is causing some serious cognitive dissonance. Like, whiplash in my brain, man.
And whatever you do… Do not Blink!
Looks like a shot for shot remake. I love David Tennant, but it might be hard to watch this show knowing every twist. Hope it succeeds, but I’m more excited about the character returning in some sort of Broadchurch sequel.
According to the show runner, they will choose a different killer to give some sort of surprise, but the redudancies abound so much I doubt it will hold the attention of those of us who saw BROADCHURCH.
Not to mention we’ll get whiplash from Tennant’s bouncing accents.
What happened to David Tennant?? He looks terrible. Is he a heavy drinker?
The only thing I can say about yet another stupid American remake of a British series is, good on David Tennant for managing to cash in twice!
@3, Yes it is a shot for shot remake of the first season of Broadchurch, only in an American setting. As to it being like “True Detective”, no as Broadchurch came out before that and the Americanized version was already in the planning stages.
It is filmed in and around Victoria, BC, Canada.
It’s generating a lot of buzz in this community, and a number of my friends are working as extras. Additionally, one of the local hospitals has built a TARDIS as a fundraiser, with some hope that David Tennant will stop by for a picture.
VERY MINOR SPOILER ALERT:
@quinne Tennant’s character has health issues.
Plus, it’s been more than a few years since he played the Doctor, and
he’s (gMasp!) aged like us mere mortals.
(Moderator note: whited out the spoiler – SR)
I think it’s a pretty flawless American accent.
And, #6, hooray for premature snap judgments! You stay positive, huh?
Loved the original and will be watching this one too. Cast looks intriguing.
And, #6, hooray for premature snap judgments! You stay positive, huh?
Meh. I didn’t pay money to see the remakes of Psycho or The Day the Earth Stood Still, either, and I was fully justified in those snap judgements. This isn’t a stage play, in which different actors and directors deliver nuanced differences that are worth noting; this is a reshoot of a supremely well-done work that got it right the first time. You tell me how this is anything other than a cynical waste of time, talent, and resources solely for the purpose of profiting by pandering to an audience who can’t deal with cultures even marginally different to their own, and I’ll happily retract.
#12: I was with you until you said, “… pandering to an audience who can’t deal with cultures even marginally differnet to their own.” That’s just a prejudiced swipe, and one that’s not borne out by the intense fanbases and solid profits that foreign shows get in the U.S. I think it’s more accurate to say that TV production companies *assume* that we won’t watch foreign productions or actors with accents (though they seem to finally be getting that we’re happy to watch foreign actors in American productions). Or maybe they hope to make a bigger chunk of the pie by being the producers of the remake, and not merely the carriers of the original who purchase it for re-airing.
@12 – actually, with the exception of David Tennant, this will have different actors and directors and a pretty impressive set of them IMO. There will almost certainly be “nuanced differences that are worth noting” and, to me, worth watching. Also, it seems to be true that a large swath of the American public won’t watch British productions so an American remake is the only way to get great content into the hand of the public. I’m supportive that this could be a worthwhile show.
Well, I watched Broadchurch and for me it didn’t live up to the hype. Making this an apparant shot-by-shot remake seems a missed opportunity. I would have been interested in seeing a US take on the basic idea, a small happy community dealing with the fall-out from a sudden murder. After all, it’s been an age since Twin Peaks!
Sihaya@13:
I think it’s more accurate to say that TV production companies *assume* that we won’t watch foreign productions or actors with accents
You’re absolutely right, and I should have worded it that way. Most of the audience is far more intelligent than the people in charge — which is, of course, nothing new in any field of human endeavour.
I’m just amazed at how good David Tennant is at an American accent. Looks like it might be a solid show. So now, do I wait for this, or do I look at Broadchurch?
I don’t understand all the negative comments. I watched Broadchurch and loved it, and am looking forward to doing it once again with the Americanized version. I adore BBC America, the British shows are so much more imaganitive. Also, from this video I for one think David Tennent does a good job of covering up his British accent.
Actually looks pretty impressive, and apart from Tennant it has a great set of other actors including Anna Gunn, Michael Pena, Jacki Weaver and Nick Nolte (a bunch of Oscar and Emmy norms there).
But of course, having seen and liked Broadchurch, it does appear to be an exact remake with the same set of characters and storyline, so based on that I wonder how much I could like it. Certainly they can change up some things with culture and ethnicity but how much different can it be?
I’ll keep an eye on it but unless the makers indicate it adds something significantly new and changes the murderer I suspect I probably won’t watch it (not to mention that here in Australia it will likely be on the subscription TV no one wants to get!)
Meanwhile, everyone knows there will be a Broadchurch series 2 with Tennant and Olivia Coleman, right?
(And Tor, I hate your captcha system :))
#16: Ain’t that the truth.