Crossovers with other TV shows?

[DreamDangerously]

That actually sounds like an excellent basis for a series. Andrew Mc Carthy is a good actor and Jason Issacs is brilliant. It would be interesting to find out why it never got off the ground.

[fenris]

Name this TV series: it's about a young woman who - after coming into contact with an ancient artifact - slowly discovers that she's a member of a bloodline that is destined to play a key role in the battle between the forces of good and evil. In the first episode her best friend is killed, only to return as a ghost who only she can see and talk to. The main villains are a charming and incredibly powerful older man who's constantly trying to persuade the heroine to join him, and the man's son - the subject of an un-natural birth - who is a darkly handsome, rebellious individual, and also a blood relative of the heroine.

That's right, it's Witchblade.

Hmm. When Hex first appeared, Sky were quick to label it as 'the British Buffy', which is understandable, as they clearly hoped that some of the success enjoyed by Joss Weedon's show would rub off on their series. Others have compared Hex to Charmed and Point Pleasant. However, as you can guess from the description given above, I believe that Witchblade is the American series with which Hex has the most similarities

Loosely based on a popular comic book series (it's 100th issue was published last month) Witchblade debuted in 2000 as a made-for cable movie. It was a ratings winner, and so a series followed in 2001. Yancy Butler played NYC police detective Sara Pezzini, who becomes the reluctant and unwilling owner of an extremely powerful, ancient, paranormal weapon called the Witchblade. When not in use the Witchblade appears to be a simple bracelet, but when activated it changes into various metal gauntlets, from which assorted blades and swords emerge. If this wasn't enough for her to deal with, Sara's best friend and partner Danny is killed in a shootout, but proceeds to appear as a ghost (sound familiar?), offering sage advice.

Sara eventually learns not only that many members of her bloodline have previously owned the weapon throughout the centuries, but all of those ancestors were actually her. But this isn't some kind of simple reincarnation/past lives scenario - instead, aspects of Sara have been scattered throughout time, all operating independently of each other.

Sara is soon encountering all kinds of threats: secret societies, demons, serial killers with paranormal abilities, immortal beings, supernatural forces - many of whom desire the Witchblade's powers for themselves. Even the Devil himself turns up in a couple of episodes. But her two main opponents are the immensely powerful and influential industrialist Kenneth Irons, and his son, Ian Nottingham.

One of the richest men alive, Irons has extended his lifespan by both scientific and occult means. He's obsessed with obtaining the Witchblade, but his main problem is that the weapon can only be worn and used by women. Therefore, for several decades he's been repeatedly trying to gain the Witchblade by proxy, by attempting to persuade the current owner (one of whom was Sara's grandmother) to join forces with him, in the hope that he can eventually control her and use the Witchblade's powers through her.
In addition, Irons has learnt that the Witchblade will allow itself to be worn by other strong, capable women if a member of Sara's bloodline isn't available. These temporary hosts are referred to as 'pretenders' and if Irons can't win Sara round, he has a few ruthless 'pretenders' lined up to kill her and take the Witchblade for themselves.

Irons' son, bodyguard and main operative is Ian Nottingham. A highly efficient assassin, he paradoxically has a child-like fascination with the world around him. It's eventually revealed that he is a bio-engineered clone, created using genetic material taken from Sara's grandmother, meaning that he and Sara are related.

The series proved successful, and returned for a second season on 2002. However, there were delays throughout production due to Yancy Butler having to go into rehab for her self-confessed drink problem. Despite healthy ratings, the show didn't return for a third season. The final episode provides a resolution of sorts, while still leaving many questions unanswered.
An animated Witchblade TV series is currently being screened in the States, and a movie (with an all-new cast) intended for cinema release is in pre-production.

Regarding the live action Witchblade series, I consider it to be one of my all-time favourite TV shows, alongside Kolchak: the Night Stalker, Something Is Out There, Forever Knight, Brimstone, and of course Hex. I keep hoping it'll come out on DVD.

[fenris]

I keep getting ideas for Hex fan fiction, despite the certain knowledge that I'll never physically have enough time to actually write any of these stories.

For example, how about a Hex/Strange crossover, set before the events of Hex's first series? The premise would be that John Strange and Jude try to identity and track down a demon who is apparently responsible for the deaths of dozens of young girls over the last couple of centuries. The only thing they know about this creature is that it's referred to as 'The Anointed One'...


And following last week's Torchwood's episode 'Greeks Bearing Gifts', I'd love to see a Hex crossover in which Ella crosses paths with alien exile Mary during either the 19th or early 20th centuries.


Incidentally, I've remembered another British TV show that I'd like to think could be considered part of the unofficial shared Hexverse. Virtual Murder was an attempt at an Avengers-type series, with the late Nicholas Clay as a Birmingham University professor who helped the police solve bizarre crimes. For example: works of art melting, death by virtual reality, and vampires on the loose. Kim Thomson played his lover and sidekick, Sam Valentine. Virtual Murder was screened on BBC1 in 1992, but as far as I can recall it was dumped into a late night slot with hardly any advertising or publicity, despite the fact that each episode featured some impressive big name guest stars. Only one series (six episodes) was made, and as far as I'm aware it's never been released on either VHS or DVD, nor has it ever been repeated by the BBC or any of the various satellite channels. Thomson went on to star in the equally short-lived The Wanderer, discussed earlier in this thread.

[orokiah]

fenris said:

For example, how about a Hex/Strange crossover, set before the events of Hex's first series? The premise would be that John Strange and Jude try to identity and track down a demon who is apparently responsible for the deaths of dozens of young girls over the last couple of centuries. The only thing they know about this creature is that it's referred to as 'The Anointed One'...

Hex/Strange crossovers would be great, and I really like this idea - it has heaps of potential.

A more-than-likely AU fic that featured Cassie and Jude bonding over their demonic offspring would be my choice of crossover. I did think about writing it when the repeats of Strange were on Sci Fi earlier this year...never quite got around to it though.

[fenris]

It's clear from Thelma's ghostly presense that Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) was a strong influence on Hex (I can even recall a reviewer on the IMDB describing Hex as being 'Randall and Hopdyke').

Have recently noticed that the DVD boxset of both seasons of the remake of Randall and Hopkirk (the version that was broadcast in 2000/2001 and starred Vic & Bob) is currently available at a very reasonable price. I was seriously tempted to buy it, until I looked at the packaging and saw that although the series was filmed and broadcast in 16:9 widescreen ratio, for some bizarre reason the DVDs are in pan-and-scan 4:3 full frame ratio.

Hmm. Think I'll save my money and hope that as widescreen TVs are becoming increasingly more popular, the production company will one day see sense and release the show in it's original ratio.

[fenris]

The BBC fantasy series Neverwhere was finally released on Region 2 DVD on Monday (23/04/07). I'd missed it when it was originally screened in 1996 (as far as I'm aware, it's never been repeated), but I'd heard so many good things about the series that I immediately bought it. Had today off work, so sat down and watched it all in one sitting.

For anyone who's unfamiliar with the show, Neverwhere was written by acclaimed comic book/fantasy author Neil Gaiman. If it was produced today, after the success of Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings movies and New Who, the BBC would undoubtedly spend a fortune on it and it would have impressive CGI backgrounds and effects all over the place. But back in 1996 when it was made, fantasy was a dirty word as far as the Beeb were concerned, and Neverwhere was made on the cheap, with the kind of budget that Original Doctor Who struggled with - and to the extent of being shot on video instead of film.

The story concerns ordinary London office worker Richard Mayhew (played by Gary Bakewell) who one night comes to the aid of a badly injured homeless girl named Door (Laura Fraser). This simple, selfless act turns his life upside down, and Richard soon discovers that London isn't one city, but two: London Above (the one we're familiar with) and London Below, an other-dimensional realm that intersects with the other London in various places (usually deep underground, in back alleyways, or on the rooftops).

The two Londons are twisted mirror images of each other, with most of the features of one existing in a different form in the other. For example, in London Below there is a dangerous and haunted crossing called Knights Bridge; a rooftop dwelling hermit named Old Bailey; an Earl who has a Court; a secretive religious order called the Black Friars; a highly skilled metalworker named Hammersmith; and The Angel Islington (Peter Capaldi) - an actual angel banished from Heaven.

Richard discovers that Door is royalty in London Below, but her entire family has been murdered by the immortal, supernatural assassins Mr. Croup (Hywel Bennett) and Mr. Vandemaar (Clive Russell), and now she has to stay alive while trying to find out who they are working for and why that someone wanted her family dead. Joining Richard and Door on their quest are legendary warrior Hunter (Tanya Moodie), wily and self-interested trickster The Marquis De Carabas (Paterson Joseph), Anasthesia ( Amy Marston) a 'rat speaker' who does tasks for the rats that they - not possessing thumbs - can't do themselves, and Lamia (a then-unknown Tamsin Greig), one of the Velvets - female vampire-like creatures who live on the Underground (get it?).

I wasn't disappointed by Neverwhere. Despite the low budget, it's a wonderful-looking series, with the majority of scenes shot on location in various tunnels, disused London Underground stations, and even the deck of HMS Belfast. It makes me wonder how good the show could have looked if it had been shot on film and had some decent money spent on it. The cast all fully inhabit their roles, with not a single duff performance to be seen, although Croup and Vandemaar are probably a little too camp. And the script has imagination to spare. Just two examples: (i.) Door's family home is a 'composite house' - once inside, you can get from one room to the next by just walking through a door, but each room exists in a different place. And (ii.) the amazing sequence in which Richard is faced with the possibility that he's had a breakdown and is imagining London Below and it's inhabitants, and in reality he's just another damaged homeless person, talking to himself while dossing on Underground platforms.

Perhaps more than any other TV show I've seen (with the possible exception of Strange) Neverwhere is positively crying out for crossovers with Hex. Characters from either series would be perfectly at home if they landed in the other. I can easily imagine Leon comparing notes with Richard, Ella finding kindred spirits in both Door and The Marquis, Jo and Lamia trying to outvamp each other, Islington and Azazeal discussing the good old days before they got chucked out of Heaven, and Thelma being absolutely smitten with Door (as played by the beautiful, doe-eyed Fraser, she seems just Thelma's type).

In conclusion, I can heartily recommend Neverwhere, especially to Hex fans.

[DreamDangerously]

I had to sit down for a good ten minutes after the suggestion of crossing over hex with Neverwhere.

That's like taking a fine 100 year old wine and adding diet coke to it!!!!
No prizes for guessing which one Hex is.

Neverwhere has actual plot and consistancy and, well good writing.

The original novel is absolutely brilliant and the TV show itself didn't really quite do it justice but none the less I watched the series when it was on the first time and thought they did a fabulous job considering the limitations, also demonstrating that special effects do not necessarily a good story make.

I'm a hardcore Neil Gaiman fan, I've read all his novels and stories and I have a vast collection of his comics and been fortunate enough to meet him so I'm more than a little bit precious about anything he's done.

I'd even be nervous of a big buget hollywood remake in case it trampled over all the subtleties of the story, which is a posibility if the movie of Stardust goes down well in the summer.

[fenris]

dreamdangerously said:

I had to sit down for a good ten minutes after the suggestion of crossing over Hex with Neverwhere. That's like taking a fine 100 year old wine and adding diet coke to it!!!! No prizes for guessing which one Hex is.

That made me smile. I'm a Gaiman admirer as well, DD. I take it you've seen his Babylon 5 episode, 'Day of the Dead'?

The original novel is absolutely brilliant and the TV show itself didn't really quite do it justice.

At the risk of being pedantic, the TV series of Neverwhere came first. Disappointed by the show's low production values, Gaiman subsequently took his screenplay and expanded it to create the novel.

[DreamDangerously]

What I meant was that the TV show didn't really do the story justice and novel did it better. Got myself a bit arse about face. Considering it was Gaiman's first solo novel it was the proverbial dog's privates. It was how I got in to Neil Gaiman in the first place...I watched the show on TV and then picked up the paperback on the basis of enjoying the TV show and found that Gaiman's writing had so much more depth to it.

My stepdad used to be a comic collector so on the back of me raving about Neverwhere he gave me all of Gaiman's Sandman, Hellblazer (actually he gave me a full set but obviously the ones that Neil Gaiman wrote were cause for particular joy), Miracleman comics and various other comics that he'd written including lots of one off graphic novels he did with Dave McKean and the Books of Magic.

I haven't seen his episode of Babylon 5 but that's because I generally never really watched the show.

[WarrenWitchesRule]

After reading your review I thought I might have a look-see at Neverwhere and so downloaded it. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I know like you said it was a little outdated SFX -wise, but apart from that It was really enjoyable.

Did any of you lot ever see the Amber Benson/Christopher Golden (Buffy alumni) web series Ghosts Of Albion? It was shown on BBC Cult a few years ago and became such a cult hit that now they have novella's RPG'S and some new novels etc.

Check it out at either:

www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ghosts/

or

www.ghostsofalbion.net/

[fenris]

It's good to hear that mine and DreamDangerously's joint recommendation led to you discovering and enjoying Neverwhere, WARRENWITCHESRULE.

I'd heard about Ghosts of Albion - it got a large amount of publicity and hype when it initially launched, due to the Buffy connection provided by Amber Benson - but never got around to looking into it. Thanks for the links.

[WarrenWitchesRule]

Yeah I think I'm gonna try and get it on dvd. Your welcome for the links Fenris-just keep finding good shows or books for me to watch or read etc!! (Pretty please) ;D

P.S
No one is posting anymore on here

[orokiah]

dreamdangerously said:

I haven't seen his episode of Babylon 5 but that's because I generally never really watched the show.

There was a really good script book of Neil Gaiman's B5 episode published a few years back, complete with his notes and thoughts on the script; not sure if it's still available though.

[DreamDangerously]

a friend of mine is a hardcore B5 fan, I'll see if he has it.

[fenris]

Some breaking news about Neil Gaiman: apparently he's going to direct his first film - and it's an adaptation of his comic book mini-series Death - The High Cost of Living (!!!!)

Here's a link to the info;

www.joblo.com/arrow/index.php?id=8000