Casting an Americanized Torchwood

Among the various post-strike coverage, I found an AP article that looks at US networks adapting UK series. While I was familiar with most of what the article had to say, it certainly got my attention when it asked, "So can an Americanized version of Torchwood be far behind?" Of course, that got me thinking -- who would I cast in an Americanized Torchwood?

I guess I should add a disclaimer that I'm playing this exercise from a fantasy world where a network that adapts Torchwood for US audiences would be run by it-getters who realize their audience is a queer and queer-friendly one and will, hopefully, cast for that audience.

Captain Jack Harkness

Captain Jack is the toughest character to re-cast. That's partly because it's hard to imagine anyone but John Barrowman in the role, but also because it's a particularly demanding one. Jack is smart, dashing, charming ... oh, yeah, and irresistibly hot to boot. Jack can wear his arrogance on his sleeve and make it seem cute, but he also bears the burden of trying to guide humanity through the key period that is the 21st century.

Cheyenne Jackson comes to mind as one performer who can handle all those qualities. Judging from what I've seen of him from clips of Xanadu: On Broadway and on The [title of show] Show he can certainly play Jack's humorous side and I've been thinking Jackson is due to be cast in an action hero role. Besides, considering how breakthrough the character is, I like the idea of having another openly gay actor in the role.

Another out actor that comes to mind for the role is Robert Gant who also can deliver a mix of looks, charm and humor. I haven't seen Gant in any action-oriented roles, so his upcoming spy movie Kiss Me Deadly will give us a clue. However, as much as I like the idea of having an openly gay actor in the role, I can also see Nathan Fillion playing Captain Jack with a lot of the same qualities he brought to Firefly as Captain Mal Reynolds.

Of course, the biggest problem with adapting Torchwood -- its connection to the Doctor Who franchise -- is condensed in the character of Jack Harkness. In this Torchwood is Jack still a reformed time-traveling con artist? Is there another Doctor out there in the universe of the Americanized Torchwood?

Gwen Cooper

Gwen is supposed to be an everywoman character who the audience can identify with -- fallible and not an expert like the rest of the Torchwood team. She's supposed to bring a perspective that doesn't come easy to the rest of the crew, a quality not as tangible as Tosh's computer expertise or Owen's medical training. Who can make Gwen's failings a relatable quality rather than a reason for irritation? Dipping once again into the pool of actors from Joss Whedon shows, I can imagine Amber Benson adding a touch of vulnerability that'd get us wanting to see her learn from her mistakes and from being around Captain Jack.

On the other hand, instead of tempering Gwen's tendency to screw up with vulnerability, I could see Katie Finneran playing to Gwen's willful side. We saw her play an FBI agent on The Inside and on Wonderfalls she made her character's failings as part of her complexity. Similarly, I can see Clea DuVall bring a dynamic where Gwen's mistakes make her seem less incompetent and more like someone still in training. (Work with me, here, I'm trying to like Gwen.)

Owen Harper

Owen has a lot of rough edges but a charm underneath it all that lets him get by in a lot of cases. He can be more than a little pigheaded and more than a little slutty. Now, from what I remember, that also describes Eddie Cibrian's Third Watch character who, thanks to Cibrian, was kinda likable even if his faults were hard to miss.

However, Leonard Roberts, who we last saw as DL on Heroes and as one of Riley's associates on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, can certainly play strong-willed characters. Roberts can also exude a certain magnetism that would explain why Owen gets by when he can be quite irritating a lot of times. On a different side of things (though, once again, I'm dipping from that Whedon well -- I blame the strong casting and great scripts), Seth Green could bring a different side to Owen's failings and the charm he can have despite those problems.

Toshiko Sato

Tosh is the most introverted member of the Torchwood team, someone who'd rather think things through in their head before speaking out (save for when she's telling a room full of WWII military that she's Japanese, oy) and I think I can imagine the incredibly charismatic Keiko Agena in the role. Agena is usually great at playing characters with a lot of energy, I think it'd be interesting to see her play someone who has a lot of energy that stays within her skull. It'd be nice to see her in a role that gets more screen time than her Gilmore Girls character did, as well.

However, someone who would help an Americanized Torchwood quickly appeal to a gay audience, Margaret Cho and her loyal fanbase come to mind. She could bring a number of fans to Torchwood, much like how she got me to check out The Lost Room. Tosh is quite different from many roles Cho has taken on -- shy, reserved and not quick to speak out, but I think she's up for that challenge. However, I remember the complaints about how her All-American Girl family wasn't played by actors of Korean descent. Considering that there is no shortage of talented actresses of Japanese descent, like Tosh, maybe I should take another look at Japanese-American performers. I mostly remember Devon Aoki as part of the team on the lesbian-themed spy movie D.E.B.S.. I recall her displaying a quiet strength, there, one that I could easily see translating to Tosh's cerebral nature.

Ianto Jones

Ianto is an efficient administrator who frequently swallows his emotions until they've built up and it all gets released on one giant emo torrent. That quickly brings Battlestar Galactica's Alessandro Juliani who plays the reserved Lt. Felix Gaeta. Gaeta is usually quiet and reserved, focusing on work over his emotional state until it's a little too much and he stabs a guy with a pen. Geata's devotion to Gaius Baltar has set off a lot of Battlestar Galactica fans' gaydar, suggesting Juliani could nicely capture Ianto's dynamic with Jack.

The challenge with Ianto is playing his sensitivity without letting it define him, which brings Ryan Carnes to mind. Gay TV viewers probably remember him best as Andrew's first boyfriend, Justin, on Desperate Housewives. When Justin was being used by Andrew, Carnes made Justin's weakness a sweet trusting nature instead of just being too stupid to realize what Andrew was up to. However, Carnes has a connection to the Doctor Who franchise, as well, having played a major role in an emotional two-parter. However, thinking about Ianto's emotional side has me thinking of out actor Adamo Ruggiero whose expressive eyes remind me of Gareth David-Lloyd. Playing gay teen Marco on Degrassi Ruggiero showed his ability to play teen angst without turning it into self-involvement or whininess.

What do you think? Who would you like to see in the roles of the Torchwood team if they were adapted for an American network?