I was one of the many voices pleading to the TV gods to bring back Torchwood… even though they already killed off two of my favourite characters, aside from Captain Jack Harkness, of course.
Now, I am afraid. Now, I’m wondering if it’s going to be a “be careful what you wish for” scenario. Because Torchwood is coming back, but not though BBC.
One of the things I find delightful about British shows is the ease they have about presenting potentially controversial topics. I rarely see this in American or Canadian programming. If you saw both versions of Life on Mars, you‘re probably well aware of this phenomenon.
Captain Jack Harkness is a blatant and unapologetic omnisexual, and for me, that’s a huge part of his character and a huge part of his charm. All of the regular characters had some sort of same sex interactions at some point during the show without any weirdness or the sense of “look, ma, we’re being edgy.”
It worries me that moving Torchwood to Starz will stifle or change what is such a vital part of Captain Jack’s character, and Captain Jack IS Torchwood (as far as I’m concerned). If you lose your center, the whole thing will crumble. But if you’re interested, here’s some pics of the new cast.
My fears probably won’t stop me from convincing the hubby we REALLY need to add Starz to our already obscene cable package, but I’m going to spend the days leading up to its debut afraid an American reimagining will destroy a show I adore.
KC Burn
Contact – Infinite Futures 
I can understand your apprehension, KC. A radical change in cast, even if the MC is still there, can create havoc with the essence of the show, and like you I’d be concerned about the Americanization. We watched “Torchwood” for a while, lost track of it due to travel and network scheduling, and haven’t really seen it in over a year, not even in reruns. Its move to Starz doesn’t help, as we don’t have that one either : P
Hi Cathy! Torchwood is hands down one of my favourite shows… one of those that I’ll watch in reruns, despite owning the DVDs (oh, so obsessive). Although I do like Mehki Phifer and Bill Pullman, though, so maybe all is not lost. I hope.
Oh, I’m so torn. Torchwood was the only Dr. Who show I watched — unless you count the old Dr. Who that I used to watch as a kid. I love Capt. Jack for the same reasons you do, but I’m not sure I can watch the show with Ianto gone.
Hey Lisa – I used to watch the Tom Baker years as a kid, but honestly, David Tennant as the Doctor was pretty spectacular. Capt. Jack & the Doctor… oh so pretty together… ahem… I was devastated about Ianto, he was absolutely one of my favourites, and I liked Owen quite a bit too. But I’m willing to stay invested for Capt. Jack!
I didn’t watch Torchwood. I don’t have cable at all, so no BBC America–or Starz.
But I do think the American version of The Office is fantastic, so there is some hope. We *can* take some shows and do them justice.
I’m showing my optimism today, huh? It’s a rare thing!
Hi Ella! I must admit, I never watched the British version of The Office, so I can’t fully compare, but you’re right, it was a good adaptation.