# Terry Pratchett OKs Night Watch TV Series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [March 19, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280 "2011-03-19T20:40:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/241 "2020-10-11T23:52:53Z")
Rhianna Pratchett’s not happy with it, either. > ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/242 "2020-10-11T23:59:27Z")
And here’s an article comparing the show The Watch to Terry Pratchett’s City Watch. > **[Terry Pratchett's Discworld The Watch TV Series](https://discworldmonthly.co.uk/terrypratchett_thewatchseries.php)** > > A Brief History of The Watch TV Series development. All the news about the TV Series, its cast and development since its inception in 2011. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/243 "2020-10-12T07:04:31Z")
Jesus, that looks terrible - I was right, it does look horribly cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/244 "2020-10-12T20:50:38Z")
Usually when Pratchett’s work is brought to TV, you can squint at some of the characters and say, “Yeah… sure. That looks right.” Not in this one, though. Nobody looks right. At all. I can’t figure out which looks and acts the least like their literary counterpart- Lady Sybill Ramkin? Vimes? Cheery\*?! They’re all just horribly, horribly wrong. The only character that looks kind of right would be Detritus- 'cause at least they made _him_ out of rocks! This is so disappointing. \*_Seriously. Cheery looks taller than Carrot, and doesn’t have a beard. What the hell, guys?_ ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/245 "2020-10-12T21:42:00Z")
At first having a woman cast as Vetanari didn’t seem _too_ bad and I thought might could work. But while that may be _possible_, the version in the trailer was pretty awful. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/246 "2020-10-14T15:13:32Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Usually when Pratchett’s work is brought to TV, you can squint at some of the characters and say, “Yeah… sure. That looks right.” I can manage that with Carrot, but only for the looks. And really, I’d give the series a try if they made all of the characters look ‘wrong’ to me but had the stories and personalities right - while I don’t like the steampunk thing, it’s not a deal killer, and actors and characters often don’t match. But majorly altering core character traits, repeatedly referenced parts of their appearance (especially ones that affect the story), and the entire basis of whole storylines is way too much for me. I mean, Sam Vimes in eyeliner? Cheery’s gender (and possibly race) change? Lady Sybil as a young, thin, eye-catching woman? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/247 "2020-10-14T18:55:09Z")
Vimes bothers me the most. Vimes is supposed to be the straight guy. He’s not wacky - he’s the calm center of the hurricane of wackiness around him. Making him just as silly as everyone else is completely and utterly missing the point. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/248 "2020-10-14T19:25:26Z")
I don’t know how I picture Vimes in my mind, but I know he does not look like that. I spent the entire trailer trying to figure out if that was really supposed to be him. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/249 "2020-10-16T14:04:09Z")
Also, eyeliner seems EXTREMELY out of character for someone who hates all forms of ostentation and tends to wear thrift store clothes and cheap boots with his rusty chain mail. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2020, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/250 "2020-10-17T16:34:30Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Vimes bothers me the most. Vimes is supposed to be the straight guy. He’s not wacky - he’s the calm center of the hurricane of wackiness around him. Making him just as silly as everyone else is completely and utterly missing the point. Completely agreed. He looks nothing like how Vimes should look, and, based on the trailers, he _acts_ nothing like how Vimes should act. I don’t generally like to run down others’ creative works, but it feels like the creators of this series have intentionally disconnected it from its source books, to the point that there is no resemblance at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/251 "2020-10-20T16:36:27Z")
I just watched the trailer. I can understand different interpretations to a work. The Sam Vimes in my head may not match the Sam Vimes in your head, and that’s okay. I don’t think this Sam Vimes matched what was in anybody’s head. I just… Yeah. Maybe Neil Gaiman and Rhianna can get Amazon Prime to do an adaptation correctly. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/252 "2020-10-22T10:51:21Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Maybe Neil Gaiman and Rhianna can get Amazon Prime to do an adaptation correctly. Hope is on the horizon. [https://discworldmonthly.co.uk/narrativiadiscworlduniverse.php](https://discworldmonthly.co.uk/narrativiadiscworlduniverse.php) > In an exclusive relationship going forward, Narrativia, the independent production company launched by Sir Terry Pratchett in 2012, strikes new development deal with Motive Pictures and Endeavor Content to create truly authentic Discworld screen adaptations. > Rhianna Pratchett, Co-Director of Narrativia, says: “Discworld teems with unique characters, witty narrative and incredible literary tropes, and we feel these should be realised on screen in a form that my father would be proud of. It’s wonderful to embark on this journey with Motive and Endeavor Content, who both perfectly share our vision to make this a reality.” ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/253 "2020-10-22T12:40:23Z")
I saw the trailer, and it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Sure, it’s different to the books. James Bond movies are different to James Bond books, but quite a lot of people like them. _The Magnificent Seven_ is different to _Seven Samurai,_ but it’s still a good film. Peter Cushing’s two Dalek films are different to the Doctor Who serials they were based on, but I like them. Different isn’t always bad. We’ll have to judge the series on its own merits, rather than on it’s relationship to the books. And the trailer looks like it _might_ be good. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/254 "2020-10-22T19:34:28Z")
I’ve never seen a Discworld adaptation that was any good. Hogfather was very close to the book and honestly, it seemed silly when I saw it on screen. So much of Terry was the narration, tone, and intricate wit. Very hard to adapt it any way that is all that great. Hogfather is probably the best I’ve seen, but even it was goofy compared to reading. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2020, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/255 "2020-10-26T07:12:30Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’ve never seen a Discworld adaptation that was any good. The various plays are frigging excellent - and I say that just having seen local am-dram productions. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2020, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/256 "2020-11-30T23:02:59Z")
Character intros. > **[EXCLUSIVE: The Watch Promos Introduce Constable Carrot & Corporal Angua](https://www.cbr.com/watch-promos-carrot-angua/)** > > CBR's exclusive promos and photos for The Watch shine a spotlight on Marama Corlett's Corporal Angua and Constable Carrot (Adam Hugill). > **[EXCLUSIVE: The Watch Introduces Captain Sam Vimes, Lady Sybil Ramkin in...](https://www.cbr.com/watch-captain-sam-vimes-lady-sybil-ramkin-promo-photo/)** > > CBR's exclusive promos and photos for The Watch shine a spotlight on Richard Dormer's Captain Sam Vimes and Lady Sybil Ramkin (Lara Rossi). > **[EXCLUSIVE: The Watch Promos Introduce Constable Cheery & Sergeant Detritus](https://www.cbr.com/watch-promos-cheery-detritus/)** > > CBR's exclusive promos and photos for The Watch shine a spotlight on Jo Eaton-Kent's Constable Cheery and Sergeant Detritus (Ralph Ineson). So both Carrot _and_ Cherry are human dwarfs? Also, we see Carrot’s parents, who dress in human clothes, the mother is beardless, and apparently they live above ground. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2020, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/257 "2020-11-30T23:18:45Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > So both Carrot _and_ Cherry are human dwarfs? Also, we see Carrot’s parents, who dress in human clothes, the mother is beardless, and apparently they live above ground. Carrot is one of the greatest characters in the books. Everyone admires him so much; even I as the reader admire him. If they ruin him, they are insane. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2020, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/258 "2020-12-19T17:42:35Z")
[# _The Watch_ will disappoint _Discworld_ fans—and maybe everybody else, too](https://tv.avclub.com/the-watch-will-disappoint-discworld-fans-and-maybe-ever-1845891358) Basically, it will disappoint Discworld fans for sure, but isn’t good enough to please people who have not read the books. I just don’t think Terry’s writing adapts all that well. It’s the narration that makes me laugh as much as the dialogue… ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/259 "2021-01-02T01:12:35Z")
Tried the first episode. It was bad. Not just in a bad Discworld adaptation sort of way, but bad on its own as a stand-alone. Filled with quick cuts, and I’m sure it would make very little sense to someone who wasn’t familiar with the material it was very, very loosely based on. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2021, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/260 "2021-01-02T01:31:43Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Tried the first episode. It was bad. Shame, but no surprise. I doubt I’ll ever watch it. I don’t want any adaptation, but a mini-series each covering the Night Watch books would be a better idea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280.md?page=12)