Comments on Televisionary: From Across the Pond: "Torchwood"

As with Doctor Who, the style of each episode is q...

2007-09-13T08:37:28.514-07:00

As with Doctor Who, the style of each episode is quite different, so you shouldn't necessarily give up on the series if you don't like an episode. When the series aired in the UK last year a lot of episodes got a love/hate reaction, and there was no real consensus about which were good and which not. However, a lot of people who were initially disappointed were more pleased with later episodes (ie episode seven onwards).

My only real concern was that the overall story of the characters didn't make a lot of sense - and so I had to watch each episode more or less as a stand alone story and try not to think too much about what had happened in previous episodes. I think this will be much better in series two - as all the writers will have a clearer idea of what Torchwood is now. Plus the production team have admitted that they made series one very quickly and they will be taking more time over series two.

Regarding cuts, Torchwood ran in a 50 minute slot, with no adverts on the BBC. A BBC America one hour slot will have 46 minutes of programme and 14 minutes of adverts. So the most that will be cut out is 4 minutes. You are NOT missing 30% of the show. Also, Torchwood episodes usually contain a number of aerial shots of Cardiff to add atmosphere, so these can be cut without damaging the plot.

Full length episodes will be available on BBC America On Demand and HD Net (in High Definition). For more details see:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/torchwood/message/2157

Torchwood received a mixed reception when it first...

2007-09-12T08:41:06.639-07:00

Torchwood received a mixed reception when it first aired in the UK. Critics complained about it being uneven. I personally don't think it is any more uneven than Doctor Who. If you notice, Doctor Who always starts with light episodes in the beginning of the season and then heavier episodes toward the end. I prefer a mix of light and dark in my sci-fi.

Just watched this and I prob. wouldn't have watche...

2007-09-10T20:37:38.388-07:00

Just watched this and I prob. wouldn't have watched if it hadn't been for your review and recommendation. It's not rocket science but it's a fun little sci fi gem of a drama. Thanks for recommending it!

Actually, the run time on BBC earlier this year fo...

2007-09-10T07:44:42.584-07:00

Actually, the run time on BBC earlier this year for "Everything Changes" was over 50 minutes (including seperate "Next Week" clip and end credits), meaning they cut out about 30% of the show.

It was annoying watching the show and feeling like I'd been retconned myself!

You had me at "Buffy." This is sitting on my DVR,...

2007-09-10T00:54:32.393-07:00

You had me at "Buffy." This is sitting on my DVR, waiting for me. Now I'm looking forward to watching it.

For anybody that likes Torchwood, I can thoroughly...

2007-09-08T19:58:52.009-07:00

For anybody that likes Torchwood, I can thoroughly recommend a six part British series from 1998 called Ultarviolet. It was written and directed by Joe Aherne who also directed several episodes of the new Doctor Who (Dalek, Boomtown, Bad Wolf and Parting of the Ways). It stars Jack Davenport (Coupling, This Life) and Susannah Harker (House of Cards).In many ways it is better than Torchwood, it certainly has a more consistent tone - dark and serious. Anyway, it's available on Region One DVD as it has been shown on the Sci-Fi channel. here is the Amazon listing for it.

Having already watched the first season of Torchwo...

2007-09-07T17:08:47.802-07:00

Having already watched the first season of Torchwood I was going to give it a pass on BBC America, but I think after your review I may just watch it again, especially to see how they cut it down.

I'm assuming they'll cut out the bare ass from the pilot.

I sure wish my cable co had BBC America.

2007-09-07T15:15:29.190-07:00

I sure wish my cable co had BBC America.

Being a big Doctor Who fan I had very high expecta...

2007-09-07T13:33:06.427-07:00

Being a big Doctor Who fan I had very high expectations for Torchwood and, luckily, it met them! It's quirky and creepy and fun but different enough from "Who" that you don't feel compelled to compare the two. I've seen the first two episodes and can't wait for more!

Caveat spector (or whatever the Latin for "viewer"...

2007-09-07T11:55:30.736-07:00

Caveat spector (or whatever the Latin for "viewer" is). BBCA is applying the shears to Torchwood. Assuming broadcast length to be 42:30, that will require cutting 5 to 8 minutes from each episode (based on timings of eps 1-4 on the screener).