BBC just dropped a trailer for its upcoming series The Watch, said to be inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld stories about the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, and fans of the books were quick to render criticism of its inaccuracies. Though few carried as much impact as Pratchett’s daughter, author and video game writer Rhianna Pratchett (known for her work on games like Mirror’s Edge and 2013’s Tomb Raider), who had some choice words for the show’s creators.
In a post on Twitter, Rhianna Pratchett shared her thoughts on the trailer. “Look, I think it’s fairly obvious that The Watch shares no DNA with my father’s Watch,” she said, before clarifying, “this is neither criticism nor support. It is what it is.” Her clarification is likely an attempt to appeal to the better nature of Discworld fans and implore them not to attack the show or those involved just because it’s different.
She later added, “The Watch will succeed or fail on its own merits. But watching the recent talk around the show, I feel I should point out that there are many fine actors & crew involved who’ve worked hard on this. If you don’t like what you’ve seen, then please don’t take it out on them.” It’s a good sentiment to have, because while criticism is valid and even important, it should not be tied to hostility.
The trailer had already drawn the ire of many fans, which led to many agreeing with Rhianna Pratchett’s thoughts on the matter. Terry Pratchett’s Discworld is beloved by readers, so it’s easy to see why many would feel so passionately about any adaptations of his work. BBC America specified that the series would be “inspired” by Terry Pratchett’s stories rather than being a straight adaptation, and while many fans seemed open to the idea of twisting up the formula like that, they drew the line when the trailer appeared to show major character differences.
Fellow author and Nebula Award-winner Aliette de Bodard weighed in as well, saying, “I’m a big fan of remixing things and adapting them, and I don’t expect any adaptation to be faithful in the sense of rigidly following books. But… you cannot take the core of what makes the story, remove it, and then change every single character and still call it the Watch.” This reflects the common criticism of the show’s concept, where central characters have entirely different personalities than in the original stories.
These sorts of adaptations always tend to draw a less than favorable reaction from at least a small part of the source’s fanbase. But considering the magnitude of changes being implemented, it’s not exactly a mystery as to why the blowback is a bit more powerful this time around. The Watch doesn’t aim to be a retelling, but rather more of its own story. But if that’s the case, one could argue that there’s no reason to base it on Terry Pratchett’s work in the first place and that an original concept with a few homages would be better suited.
However, Rhianna Pratchett’s words ring true. Regardless of context to the original source material, the success of The Watch will depend on how well it performs on its own. It could very well be an excellent show, and if that’s the case, it might be a good idea for the Discworld fans to try their best to separate it from their beloved stories.
Source: The Guardian
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