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Torchwood
SERIES: BBC America, Saturday 9:00p (60 minutes)

7.7 based on 13 reviews read critic reviews how did we calculate this? based on 43 votes read user comments rate this tv show

Get more information on this show at TV.com.

TV:

• Doctor Who: Season 1
• Torchwood: Season 2

• Official Show Site
• Official Show Site (UK)

Starring John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Burn Gorman, Naoko Mori, Gareth David Lloyd, and Indira Varma

This spin-off from the producers of the new Doctor Who has Captain Jack Harkness in charge of a secret government organization with the mission to protect the world from alien threats.

GENRE(S):	Sci-Fi & Fantasy
CREATED BY:	Russell T. Davies
FIRST AIR DATE:	September 8, 2007

Originally aired in the UK on BBC3 22 October 2006. Also airing on HDNet starting on 17 Sep 2007.

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen

There are a fair number of leaps of logic in the light-hearted Torchwood and mysteries abound. The special effects are generally decent and the writing and characterizations leaps and bounds better than in "Flash Gordon," "Eureka" or "The Dresden Files," to name just a few pathetic contemporary sci-fi shows.

83

Entertainment Weekly Ari Karpel

After a riveting pilot, this third episode is more of a run-of-the-mill procedural, but thanks to the charismatic Tom Cruise-y Barrowman, this Captain Jack will get you bi tonight. [21 Sep 2007, p.76]

80

San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum

Torchwood is grand fun and great adult entertainment.

80

Kansas City Star Aaron Barnhart

Torchwood is so much more tricked-out with talent and visual wizardry, moves at such breakneck speed and makes such demands on its viewers that it leaves most American TV shows in its dust.

80

TV Guide Matt Roush

Torchwood, a cheeky and often startlingly adult spin-off.

80

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland

There's a lot to love about Torchwood, especially for fans of the early days of "The X-Files," when it was more of a clever horror anthology series and the alien conspiracy had yet to take over the plot.

80

Hollywood Reporter Ray Richmond

A new BBC America sci-fi/thriller that's so good and unsettling and creepy that even grumps like myself can't help but be in its thrall.

80

Philadelphia Inquirer Tirdad Derakhshani

Torchwood doesn't disappoint: After tonight's slam-bang premier, subsequent episodes only get more outrageous.

80

Los Angeles Times Robert Lloyd

A dark and splendid "Dr. Who" spinoff with overtones of "Men in Black" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

80

Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker

The adult show supplies shocking twists. The tone ranges from passionate to campy to scary.

70

Variety Brian Lowry

Briskly paced if relatively unimpressive in its sets and effects (one "alien" more than anything resembles a Vegas showgirl), Torchwood has the fixings of a thinking-man's sci-fi series that doesn't take itself too seriously.

30

Newark Star-Ledger Alan Sepinwall

It at times seems like a pornographic parody of "The X-Files."

30

The New York Times Ginia Bellafante

Torchwood is a world I wouldn’t mind seeing erased.

The average user rating for this tv show is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 43 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Donald D. gave it a10:
The best show to come to america, well one of the best, have to include Dr.Who, and Skins.

Martin S. gave it a2:
I don't know whats worse the acting or the writing. A major disappointment.

Jeff gave it a3:
This first season was terrible. Eric E's earlier review hits on pretty much every point I think needs to be made about the show and the Newark Star-Ledger's review puts it in perfectly concise terms. I'm not sure the show was created as an agenda pusher, but I'm pretty sure every character in the show is gay/bi and that's just ridiculously hard to believe (also makes it hard to believe it's not an agenda pushing show, but I digress). The biggest tragedy of the season was how they spend several episodes building up the "big bad" for the last episode and it's solved quickly and in a MOST unfulfilling manner. The only episode I liked this season was the one that had nothing supernatural going on (Countrycide, I believe).

Rebecca P. gave it a10:
I love this show and hope they don't take it off the air. It's raw, dark, sexy and completely original, as are the characters.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
Great show, with the thrills and spills of doctor who with added kick.

Brandon A gave it a9:
While set in the Dr. Who universe, it is not constrained by Dr. Who's unflinching optimism. The characters are much stronger and the plots are darker. It is the best parts of the X-files combined with flair of Dr. Who.

Eric E. gave it a2:
This shows first season was absolutely terrible. The story lines went from terrible to mediocre. The acting was mediocre. The show says it is for grown ups and proves that it is by swearing here and there and showing nudity for no purpose other than to prove that it is for grown ups. The swearing and nudity does not further the story line at all. They just seem to be thrown in as an afterthought. Oh ya thats right we are for grown ups, so lets have you show your butt and you say the f word. The story lines don't seem to be story lines for grown ups, in fact most of them seem very cheesy/tongue in cheek like Doctor Who (which I don't mind cheesy because I love Doctor Who), they just don't fit with their "adult theme". Each character has had a gay scene just for the sake of showing gay scenes. I can understand one/two gay character but all of them? This show is just about pushing agenda's through bad storytelling. If they want to push agenda's at least tell us a good story.

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