"Torchwood" (2006)TV series 2006-????

Creator:

Russell T. Davies

Seasons:

1 | 2

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The 21st century is when it all changes

Plot:

Captain Jack Harkness, the former Time Agent and con man from the 51st century last seen traveling with the Doctor...

Plot Keywords:

Anti Hero | Bisexual | Immortality | Doctor Who | Renegade

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

John Barrowman	...	Captain Jack Harkness (26 episodes, 2006-2008)
Eve Myles	...	Gwen Cooper (26 episodes, 2006-2008)
Burn Gorman	...	Owen Harper (26 episodes, 2006-2008)
Naoko Mori	...	Toshiko Sato (26 episodes, 2006-2008)
Gareth David-Lloyd	...	Ianto Jones (26 episodes, 2006-2008)
Kai Owen	...	Rhys Williams (17 episodes, 2006-2008)
Paul Kasey	...	Weevil / ... (13 episodes, 2006-2008)

Runtime:

50 min (26 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:MA (some episodes) | Australia:M (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, UK

Company:

BBC Wales

Trivia:

"Torchwood" is the first Doctor Who spin-off to make it to series, and the first dramatic spin-off of "Doctor Who" (2005). A failed attempt to spin-off a series from the original "Doctor Who" (1963) resulted in the television special, K-9 and Company (1981) (TV), featuring the characters K9 and Sarah Jane Smith. After failing to produce a series, the pilot was broadcast as a seasonal special.

Quotes:

Captain Jack Harkness: [voiceover during first season opening] Torchwood: outside the government, beyond the police. Tracking down alien life on Earth, arming the human race against the future. The twenty-first century is when everything changes. And you gotta be ready.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Richard & Judy: (2006-01-09)" (2006)

For fans of less conventional Sci-Fi, Torchwood is well worth watching.

I'm an American girl who just finished watching the first Torchwood series/season all the way through. I've noticed that BBC shows seem to expect a level of quality from themselves that is lacking in many of the American shows Hollywood has given us over the past few years. British television seasons are shorter, and the phrase "quality over quantity" tends to hold true. I'm glad to report that Torchwood does not disappoint in this respect.

The closest resemblance I can think of to the ensemble cast of Torchwood would be those of a Joss Whedon series, especially the unjustly short-lived Firefly. As with those shows, the cast makes Torchwood into something more than a campy sci-fi adventure. You care about the characters not because they are unrealistically perfect superheroes, but because they are flawed, almost to the point of dislike, yet they manage to hold your sympathy. They are human, and are appropriately difficult, irrational, and occasionally disappointing, but also compassionate and strong. Reminiscent of Angel, the human team of Torchwood slowly peel back layers to expose the hidden emotions and vulnerabilities of their leader, the mysterious Captain Jack. The alternative sexualities of the Captain and some of the other Torchwood members are played up, something I personally have never seen in another show within this genre, but it never feels heavy-handed. Sexuality is regarded as natural, occurring within the characters' personal story lines without being explicitly pointed out or harped on as a plot device.

Torchwood starts off strong. The pilot (despite it's use of a slightly clichéd device to introduce the main characters) left me curious, and the next two episodes had me hooked. The high point of the season is the episode Countrycide, which is a fifty-minute long, old-school horror movie taking cues from classics like The Hills Have Eyes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and coming off more effectively creepy than the remakes of both those films. Late in the season, Torchwood staggers just a bit as the story lines become more existential, more about morality and humanity with heavy themes of life and death that are at times laid on a bit thick. But it finds it's footing again by the conclusion, which is excitement ala Buffy. You can even forgive the silly looking final confrontation because the danger still feels real.

Torchwood may never reach the classic status of Doctor Who or the X-files, but it is definitely worthy of the chance to prove itself with multiple seasons and possibly become a lasting cult-hit. If you were/are a fan of Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Supernatural, X-files, or to a lesser extent even Farscape or the anime series Witch Hunter Robin, all of which I was reminded of while watching, I highly recommend watching Torchwood through at least once. It should also be noted that while it isn't a necessity to have seen the new Doctor Who series to enjoy Torchwood, it does help to better understand the universe the shows are set within, and cross-references that might otherwise pass unnoticed.