Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine BBC does Terry Pratchett's "The Watch". What the holy hell...?

I just watched the promo's for "The Watch" which is "inspired" by Terry Pratchett's books. Holy Shit NO! Vimes is a worn down drunkard that manages through strange circumstances to BECOME. Lady Sybil is not a hot waif, but a Valkyrie in repressed polite society. Carrot doesn't pose in front of mirror's. He's a strange combination of innocent and average man with the presence of a King. Cherie is a DWARF, beard etc.

You've got perfect writing and I know it can be done because it HAS been adapted well before. Hogfather, Color of Magic, Going Postal. I just...I can't...

damn.

That sounds rather disappointing.

They did a great adaptation of Going Postal.

edit: just watched the trailers, it looks ok in it's own right, but nothing like how I envisioned the characters.

Has anyone watched Good Omens? The book was fun and I wondered how well they adapted that. They had good actors for it at least.

I've never read the book but I enjoyed the series.

Cramer, Exactly. If I hadn't read the books (repeatedly) and listened to the audio books, it would probably be fine. But, the key word is "inspired". It seems like they took the story and said "great, we've got a through line and a setting, now lets jettison that pesky personal characterization and history and do what we want".

Thing is, if you did any reading about the other adaptations, Pratchett turned down many offers to let the few that did get made be made because the people making them were faithful to the stories. Yes, they were mini's, and not everything could be put it that was in the books, but they were the same characters, telling the same story.

What I saw...just wasn't anything like what he wrote other than superficially.

Stile, Good Omens was a great example of what I just talked about, but...it had Neil Gaiman watching over it.

I hope this happened because the family needed the money or something. Nothing against the actors, they play what they are given. But...Cherie has a beard, and you know she's a female dwarf, beard and all, it's central to her character. Carrot doesn't practice how to act, it's an innate part of him. Sybil is a warship under sail in a skirt. A woman of "a certain age and stature", fierce but tender hearted. She's not some hot model.

Anyway, I was simply shocked at just how much they were talking about getting rid of the things that made the characters who they were, so they could say "inspired" by.

I really hate this revisionist excrement.

Ouch.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2...th-terry-pratchett-work-daughter-rhianna

When Neil Gaiman says "no", that should say something.

I'll only have read a couple of books with the Watch in them. The characters worked well, and would take little effort in moving across to another medium. They're designed to be accessible because there's parody/ satire in the books.

It looks like another series where those involved believe they know far better than the author, and have written over the core of what makes the original work. Perhaps it will work on it's own. Having a borrowed name will help it sell. But it will be borrowed, rather than integral to the work.

I'm sure if it's met with indifference, those involved will think that audiences just weren't ready for The Watch, rather than their version of it.

Holy excrement balls NO! I tried it. I went in knowing that it would not be exactly like the books, but...no.

No Sgt. Colon.
No Nobby Knobbs.
Angua, Cherie and Detritus there before Carrot.
Carcer was his mate.
Sybil is a hot ballbuster.

No.

They ditched everything character and structure wise that made the books what they were. Slapdashed just enough of Pratchett's work to call it "inspired". I'd call it theft.

My wife is a HUGE Pratchett fan. She fully acknowledges that this barely resembles the books, but she seems to be enjoying it anyway.

And if I hadn't known, I probably could have too. But I do know, and I can't watch it. Glad she's liking it though.