# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/21 "2011-03-20T02:32:54Z")
> [@TPWombat](#): > > John Candy would have been a superb Sergeant Colon. I dunno, Candy had great personal charisma and stature. Colon’s probably the easiest role to fill; any comfortably doughy actor who could be tapped to play a stereotypical Irish cop would do the trick. Or go the other way and capitalize on Colon’s freewheeling with facts when talking to Nobby and hire John Ratzenberger. 😃 Though to be honest, if the series is portraying the events of _Night Watch_ specifically, Colon’s pretty young for most of it. For Vimes/Keel, I think in the end they’ll need a British actor who looks more like Peter Falk than anything, but I’ve always liked Nathan Fillion for him. Especially lately, he’s begun to show signs of aging comfortably. On preview: I think Brendan Fraser is about the best you could possibly do for Carrot, too. Michael Hogan is _far_ too old. Vimes is in his 30s as of _Night Watch_, early 40s at latest. Jeremy Irons is utterly perfect for Vetinari. Nick Frost would work well for a young Colon, absolutely. Of course, then you’d have to squeeze Simon Pegg in somewhere, which I wouldn’t mind at all. Coates, possibly? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/22 "2011-03-20T02:35:15Z")
If only there was a way to get Steve Buscemi onboard as Nobby Nobbs… ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/23 "2011-03-20T02:35:43Z")
[del]Oh, and James Marsters as Carcer.[/del] Hmm, on rereading the article it doesn’t look like it’s _Night Watch_ specifically, just a general show about the City Watch. Bah. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/24 "2011-03-20T02:50:10Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Though to be honest, if the series is portraying the events of _Night Watch_ specifically … It isn’t. It’s not an adaptation of one of the books. It’s a weekly series with all new stories. My guess, though, is that it’ll spend years in development hell, and never get made. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/25 "2011-03-20T03:08:16Z")
Please stop suggesting Americans for the roles. It’s doing my head in. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/26 "2011-03-20T03:19:33Z")
Quick, who’s the U.K. equivalent of Steve Buscemi? Nobbs has trouble proving he’s human, and you want him to be British? ---
**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:** [March 20, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/27 "2011-03-20T03:41:31Z")
Vimes is described as being tall, slim and glum. I’m thinking Nicholas Lyndhurst. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/28 "2011-03-20T03:42:42Z")
The reason Nobby can’t prove he’s human is because he’s as short as a dwarf, not just because he’s a bit weird and creepy. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Vimes is described as being tall, slim and glum. I’m thinking Nicholas Lyndhurst. How about Jack Dee? ---
**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:** [March 20, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/29 "2011-03-20T03:58:59Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > How about Jack Dee? Too short, and too sarcastic. Maybe he’d be right for The Patrician. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/30 "2011-03-20T04:10:57Z")
Huh? Vimes is a deeply cynical character, as is Jack Dee (not sarcastic), and there is no description anywhere of Vimes’s height. The Patrician, on the other hand, is nothing like Jack Dee, neither sarcastic nor depressive, and was perfectly played by Charles Dance in _Going Postal_, despite being ginger. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/31 "2011-03-20T04:20:18Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The Patrician, on the other hand, is nothing like Jack Dee, neither sarcastic nor depressive, and was perfectly played by Charles Dance in _Going Postal_, despite being ginger. I’d always pictured someone more like [Anthony Ainley](http://www.google.com/images?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&q=Anthony+Ainley&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=2H-FTe7rKYHBtgfUray6BA&ved=0CDYQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=615), may he rest in peace. I can live with a redhead Patrician. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/32 "2011-03-20T04:46:03Z")
> [@](#): > > It isn’t. It’s not an adaptation of one of the books. It’s a weekly series with all new stories. How much input, if any, will Pratchett have on those stories? Is he going to personally write any of them, or hand-pick his own stable of writers he thinks are up to it, or act as a creative consultant, or anything? Or will it just be hacks writing “with characters created by Terry Pratchett”? ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/33 "2011-03-20T05:40:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > How much input, if any, will Pratchett have on those stories? Is he going to personally write any of them, or hand-pick his own stable of writers he thinks are up to it, or act as a creative consultant, or anything? Or will it just be hacks writing “with characters created by Terry Pratchett”? I haven’t seen “Colour of Magic,” so can’t comment on that, but Pratchett had a lot of input in Hogfather, and even appeared in it. A great deal of the dialog is straight from the book. And the Halmis treated the material with respect. Unfortunately, with all this, the movie fell wide of the mark. Point being, if they can get a director, writer, and actors who can capture the spirit and humor of Pratchett’s writing, I don’t care if they mess up on the particulars. I always have the books when I need the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/34 "2011-03-20T05:54:11Z")
Hugh Laurie as Vimes. The best possible, I think. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2011, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/35 "2011-03-20T06:02:06Z")
> [@galen\_ubal](#): > > Hugh Laurie as Vimes. The best possible, I think. Hugh Laurie would also make an excellent Vetinari. But that leads me to the next obvious conclusion: Stephen Fry as Monstrum Ridcully. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/36 "2011-03-20T07:14:45Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > But that leads me to the next obvious conclusion: Stephen Fry as Monstrum Ridcully. Good call, but I think BRIAN BLESSED would work better. That said, Joss Ackland in _Hogfather_ was quite good. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/37 "2011-03-20T07:42:30Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The reason Nobby can’t prove he’s human is because he’s as short as a dwarf, not just because he’s a bit weird and creepy. No, it’s because he’s such a genetic throwback he looks like a badly shaved, poorly educated ape with appalling manners and an assortment of disfiguring ailments, and makes anywhere he’s stood or sat look like it needs a good scrub down as soon as he’s gone. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![yastobaal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/258eb7/32.png) [@yastobaal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yastobaal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/38 "2011-03-20T07:54:30Z")
There is also the issue of when they are going to set the series. Guards! Guards!? With only 4 characters? Men-at-arms when they are still getting no respect from the world at large? Or later when they can use a larger supporting cast but Vimes is the Duke? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/39 "2011-03-20T08:14:55Z")
Seems the Men-At-Arms time period would likely give the writers the most amount of material to work with. No respect to the police, a solid cast of characters, a city not-yet cleaned up, and they can play up the love interest of Vimes and Cybil. Though I’d still prefer they just make a miniseries based on Night Watch. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280/40 "2011-03-20T08:54:27Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Carrot is supposed to be like a redheaded Captain Awesome (from _Chuck_). Broad shouldered, narrow hips, i.e. shaped like a carrot. Unless I’m wrong, in the books Carrot is stated as having that name because his broad shoulders make him carrot-shaped, not because his hair is orange. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-oks-night-watch-tv-series/575280.md?page=3)