‘Doctor Who’ alum David Tennant joins Fox’s ‘Broadchurch,’ after starring in UK version

Clearly, the folks over at Fox really liked watching David Tennant star in the BBC America series “Broadchurch,” because they have hired him to more or less do the same thing here in America.

As first reported by TV Guide, the former “Doctor Who” star will headline the American version of the show, which will feature Tennant using an American accent. This show will start filming in early 2014, and is currently being billed as a limited series similar to “Wayward Pines” (from M. Night Shyamalan) and also the upcoming season of “24.”

It’s the international crossover that makes this casting interesting, even if Tennant is fantastic and would be worthy regardless. It is hardly the first time, though, that something like this has happened. Mark Strong has done the same thing  with “Low Winter Sun” (which originally aired in the UK), but we imagine that Fox has much higher hopes for this show than to be one of the biggest flops in cable TV history.

Are we excited about this? Clearly, and it proves that Fox has their head on straight when it comes to the future of network television. They understand that shorter seasons and limited series may be a way to capture an audience rather than some 22-episode behemoth, since audiences are not that interested in investing their time into something like this anymore. “The Following” earlier this year is an example of a show succeeding in a shorter format, even though it did end up getting renewed for another batch of episodes.

Do you like the casting of Tennant for both versions of the show? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below! Meanwhile, be sure to click here to find out some more details about the actor’s next venture in the “Doctor Who” 50th anniversary special.

Photo: BBC America