[Televisionary]

I've really, really enjoyed the first season of Torchwood , the Doctor Who spinoff which has finally wrapped here in the States after far too long a delay. I've already waxed philosophical about Torchwood 's complex characters--more flawed than their typical American counterparts--and its stunningly casual take on sexuality several times since the series debuted a few months ago. Chances are that you've either already fallen under its warped spell or, if deeply disturbed individuals trying to save the world while getting it on with each other isn't your bag, you haven't. (If you didn't catch the first season, which ended this past Saturday, or don't get BBC America, fret not: the DVD will be released on January 22nd.) Yes, this is a far darker tale of time-travel, rift-based aliens, and adult action than the generally more family-oriented Doctor Who , but Torchwood has proven, over the course of its freshman season, to pose some difficult questions abo

Addicted to the stylishly sleek sci fi drama Torchwood but worried about when Season Two of the Doctor Who spin-off will ever make it this side of the pond? Fret no more. BBC America has announced that the second season of Torchwood , its highest rated series to date, will launch not six months from now, but earlier than expected: January, in fact. The digital cabler unveiled plans today to return the hauntingly savage series to its primetime schedule on January 26th at 9 pm ET/PT. Season Two brings back familiar faces in Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), Owen Harper (Burn Gorman), Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori), and Ianto Jones (Gareth David Lloyd), along with guest stars including James Marsters ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville ), Alan Dale ( Ugly Betty, Lost, The OC ) and Doctor Who ’s Freema Agyeman. In a nifty bit of cross-country cooperation, Torchwood will now air close to its UK premiere. “Torchwood has legions of loyal fans in the U.S.," said

Saturday night television has become an oxymoron these days, with networks liberally sprinkling repeats and burnoffs throughout their weekend schedules. But in the age of TiVo, surely there's something airing on Saturdays that's worth the effort, even if you're not sticking around at home to watch it. (Someone has to go out and drink all of those mojitos.) So it's with much insistence that I tell you to record Torchwood on BBC America, the only intelligent and gripping thing on the telly on Saturdays. I praised the series when it first premiered (an advance review of the series can be found here ), but over the last few episodes, Torchwood has managed to further deepen its characters and offer plots that differ in tone each week while still offering glimpses into a tantalizing moral grey zone. Sure, it would help if Torchwood had aired in the US when it did in the UK (between Seasons Two and Three of Doctor Who ), as much of the mystery of what's up with Captain J

Longtime readers know that I have become quite a Doctor Who fan since the advent of the new, reinvigorated series starring at times either Christopher Eccleston or David Tennant. So it was no surprise to me that I fell--hook, line, and sinker--for the Doctor Who spinoff, Torchwood , which premieres tomorrow night on BBC America. I should begin by saying that Torchwood is not similar to Doctor Who in tone, scope, or theme; in anything, it approximates a winning combo of The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer , albeit with a Welsh accent and a quirky, offbeat cast of characters, each with their own cross to bear. Here's the skinny: John Barrowman ( Doctor Who ) stars as the bisexual adventurer Captain Jack Harkness, a former 51st century Time Agent and con man who has more than a few secrets of his own under his carefully coiffed head of hair and military-issue overcoat. He leads a team of alien hunters and scientists known as Torchwood (itself, mind you, a famous anagram for

While the episode that featured her character may not have yet aired in the States (catch it tomorrow night), comedian Catherine Tate has been tapped to reprise her role as Donna , the uppity runaway bride, in the fourth season of Doctor Who . Tate, known for her hilarious eponymous sketch comedy series (which aired last year on BBC America), will return to Doctor Who as Donna, the aforementioned runaway bride who found herself aboard the TARDIS rather than preparing for her nuptials. Tate will appear alongside series lead David Tennant in all thirteen installments of Season Four as the Doctor's companion. (Yes, fortunately, David Tennant WILL be back after all .) Lest you worry about the fate of Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), who joined the Doctor at the beginning of Season Three (also airing this Friday night, natch), she'll be returning to the series as well, following a three-episode stint on Who spinoff, Torchwood . "We are delighted that one of Britain's greate

BBC Three has announced that it will make Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood the "centerpiece" of its fall schedule, launching the "sci fi crime thriller" series in October. No plans are currently in place to import the series Stateside, though our neighbors to the north will be able to catch Torchwood on CBC. Spinning off of one of Doctor Who 's most memorable characters, Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Torchwood will be set in present day Cardiff (that's Wales to you lot) and will surround a group of covert criminal investigators called the Torchwood Institute, an organization commissioned by Queen Victoria and tasked with investigating alien technology. The team will be headquartered at The Hub, located beneath Cardiff Bay, the site of the TARDIS' landing in "Boom Town" and the location of the rift discussed in "The Unquiet Dead." Created by current Doctor Who writer/producer Russell T. Davies, Torchwood stars John Barrowman as bis