Torchwood

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yeah it's pretty good but I don't have bbc 3 on my sky package just bbc1&2 so I catch it on the repeats the following wednesday night on bbc2. It's a pity it's only on a 13 episode order right now but hopefully it might get picked up for a proper 22-ep seasonif it proves popular in the ratings
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Technically the yanks did a better job with The Chronicle a few years back (same basic premise, fighting monsters, without the Doctor Who tie-in) I'd actually forgotten about it till it popped into my head just now. It however also only lasted a season before being cancelled. They both I think suffer/ed from being too light hearted whereas The X-Files for example for me was too heavy-handed and was too serious. If there was some middle ground which torchwood is capable of touching on it could be more successful than it will be as it is



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Missed this on tv but rented season1 part 1 disc 1 (disappointingly containing only 2 episodes...) yesterday.

I thought the first episode was really well written (Russell T Davies is the Welsh Joss Whedon...) but something about the way it looked was a bit naff...it works in Doctor Who, but looked a bit out of place with all the sex, violence and swearing in Torchwood. The exploding rat in episode 2 was just gross.

But there isn't enough sci-fi on tv at all, and John Barrowman is in it, two excellent reasons for watching the rest of the series.



Revenge of Mr M's Avatar
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I watched a couple, but didn't find it particularly interesting. It just didn't feel real and I know that may sound weird seeing how it was a fantasy show but... well, you know what I mean... right? I'm hoping? Also, I never really took a liking to any of the characters, that's always key too.
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Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
So...anyone watching Torchwood:Children of Earth on all this week? I didn't get past epsiode three of the first series because it was all a bit silly, but lots of my friends are into it so I decided to give this series a go, and I am hooked! Yes, it is still silly, but the characters seem a bit more...settled and convincing. I'd recommend giving it a second chance.



Hello Salem, my name's Winifred. What's yours
i had to review the first episode for my job and i gave it 3 out of 5. I think its more 24 than buffy this time around but i want the sex and violence back, thats what set it apart.

last nights one was good too



The sex and violence is gone so they can sell it more Stateside and it really pisses me off.

I'm not a Torchwood fan, but I don't dislike it. My problem is that it's a BBC programme which has been changed for the benefit of overseas (American) networks. It was made with licence payers money for the licence payers. If they want to sell it abroad (as the did the first couple of series) that's great, but their first thought should be for the people who paid for it - the licence payers. If they're altering the content of their programmes, a programme that the people were very pleased with, just so they can sell it to more networks in the States, I think that's wrong.

BTW, just to make clear, if it had been an ITV programme or any other commercial broadcaster, then I'd be fine with it.



It's ****. End of. There is nothing even remotely interesting or redeeming about the show. It's not even bad in a cheesy or forgivable way.



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
The sex and violence is gone so they can sell it more Stateside
Is that why? I have also heard people say it has been toned down so they can put it on bbc1.



The sex and violence is gone so they can sell it more Stateside and it really pisses me off.
Is that why? I have also heard people say it has been toned down so they can put it on bbc1.
Yep, that's why. I remember them saying it when they announced that they were making another one (which is now the current one). Obviously, they can put it on BBC1 if they want but, let's face it, 9pm on BBC1 has seen more graphic sex and violence than the content of Torchwood. It started on BBC3, was popular and so moved to BBC2, continued to be popular and so made the step to BBC1. Other programmes have done the same thing (obviously not including BBC3 for those older programmes) without changing content. Among them, Absolutely Fabulous, which (to my knowledge) still couldn't be shown on a US free-to-air network without being cut and, everytime they talk about doing a US version of it, it's so watered down that you wonder why they're bothering, which, in the end, they don't. Over here, that started on BBC2 and then a repeat run of the first series really took off and it was moved to BBC1. If anything, there was more sex and violence/drinking and drugs after the move than before.

I don't know, but I'm guessing that, as Torchwood is/was the highest ever rated programme on BBCAmerica, they thought they dilute it a bit in the hope that one of the networks would be interested in picking it up (BBCAmerica has to bid for programmes like the other networks do, even if they're BBC programmes) and that they'd get more money for it.



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
The more I hear about American tv with it's 'networks' and things constantly getting 'picked up' and quickly dropped, the more I actually like the bbc. Complain all you like about the license fee but at least the programmes aren't so dependent on the whims of advertisers. Still, there's plenty of sex and violence in US programmes, so it still seems odd to me.



There's plenty of implied sex, but little to no nudity. Violence they're much more free about, though suprisingly, still not as graphic/explicit as it is here. Not on network tv anyway.

I agree with you about the BBC too. For all the moaning I do about tv in this country, most of it is about the other channels and, when it is about the BBC, it's usually because they've 'dumbed down' so much that they're getting as bad as them and/or are chasing ratings they've no need to do (as they get the licence fee).



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Well, enough violence for you in that last episode? Bloody hell.

I feel a bit annoyed and disappointed with it, though, story-wise. Too many loose ends. A little too relentlessly miserable, no come-uppance for anybody, morally inconsistent (which is not the same as morally ambiguous which is probably what Davies was aiming for.) Meh. :I



I tried watching it because Dr. Who is kinda neat and it has a pansexual lead character (you don't see that every day) but gave up in the middle of the second season. Too freakin' stupid. I like the Welsh chick, she's got character...



Thursday Next's Avatar
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
This five part 'third series' was kind of different from the 'proper' series, though. Although the resolution could accurately be described as 'freakin stupid'. Gwen kind of annoys me, although she's alright when she's not running around after Jack. I liked Ianto. That scene...well, I won't spoil it just in case any of you ever watch it...



Maybe I just have a hard-on for the Welsh accent...Rhys!

But yeah, you could say Dr. Who is kinda silly too, but Torchwood tries too hard to take itself seriously (plus, Tennant >>> Barrowman)...If Farscape doesn't pan out, I may come back to it...if only for some herb-induced giggles...