Torchwood (UK): Season 1
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 81 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 81
  3. Negative: 9 out of 81

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  1. mark
    Sep 8, 2007
    4
    A few ok episodes, but a humorless mess most of the time. Have no idea how they managed to make Jack Harkness such a dull and boring character. Can't hold a candle to Dr. Who.
  2. DuncanL
    Sep 11, 2007
    0
    I watched this when it first came out in the UK, and was bitterly, bitterly disappointed. The characters are appalling and unpleasant, the stories are dreadfull and the acting is abysmal. I gave up entirely after the cyberwoman episode, which was one of the worst hours of TV I've ever witnessed.
  3. EricE.
    Jan 18, 2008
    2
    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.… Expand
  4. Jeff
    Apr 15, 2008
    3
    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).… Expand
  5. LauraM.
    Sep 6, 2007
    3
    Did you all see the same Torchwood I saw? It makes NO sense and isn't even fun like Dr Who, where its OK to not make that much sense? The characters are SO not believable at all and the acting (except for a couple of the episodes) is wooden and contrived. The stories are all "been there, done that" - (can you say, 'fight club'?) Dont get me wrong I want it to do well, I really do! I loooove Dr Who and LOOOVED Captain Jack in Dr Who, but for some reason this show falls flat. I watched all of season 1 already and found 4 episodes that were what I would expect in this spinoff. Sadly, the rest were so illogical that I think I actually felt a brain aneurysm starting to form. Unfortunately, this is a great premise that really takes itself too seriously, and with the writing it has, it shouldn't. Maybe season 2 will be better... I sure hope so!… Expand
  6. MartinS.
    Aug 22, 2008
    2
    I don't know whats worse the acting or the writing. A major disappointment.
  7. Charlie
    Dec 12, 2007
    3
    Just watch scary episodes of Doctor Who. This is a terrible show.
  8. Sally
    Sep 21, 2007
    2
    Rises to "mediocre" on occasion but this is truly one of the more dreadful genre programs to come down the pike in recent memory. Terrible television with poor production values, bland characters substitute a checklist of hip antihero traits rather than personality and episode plots that liberally raid from better shows. Obviously sailing by on the strength of the Doctor Who brand and the novelty of bisexual characters. Yawn.… Expand
  9. lightningbarer
    Jun 7, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Seriously, an 8.0 from this piece?
    What to say amidst the sea of contrived, melodramatic posts from users AND actual reviewers?
    Ok I'll take a stab at it, this series is to tv, what M.Night is to directing, everything is SO godawful that I can't understand how it got as many fans as it did.
    So there's gay scenes in it-ooohhhh how risque.
    A stupid woman substitutes one abusive dickhole for a ratfaced abusive dickhole, the march of feminism moves on here.
    Seriously, like most shows these days, the problem with Torchwood isnt in its cast(I've seen them in other non-who stuff and they're just fine) its the characters that are 'just there', I mean come on, what need does Toshiko fill other than the cute lab geek that has bi-tendences?
    I could ask the same of every character, even Jack and they had the best chance to really make him deep, somewhat sick of life with being completely immortal, but all he really wants to know is "whats on the other side" why jack, wondering what your missing out on. Because y'know, I'm ok with you being gay, doesn't mean I'm gonna walk up to you and ask questions about your sex life.
    Yet people rave, they sit down and ask for more, they like the boring, mind numbing plotless stories that fifteen year olds post on fanfiction.net.    … Expand
  10. ermac
    Dec 19, 2012
    4
    Noioso, privo di una trama concreta, e in alcuni punti decisamente onirico. Peccato sarebbe potuto essere qualcosa di bello come lo spunto da dove è partito cioè il Doctor Who.
    Un po meglio dalla 3 stagione
  11. libbycritiques
    Aug 13, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a fan of Doctor Who, I went into this really wanting to like Torchwood and with an open mind that it would be very different despite being a spin-off. The most obvious change is that it… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 2 out of 13
  1. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    100
    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.
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  2. San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
    Reviewed by: Charlie McCollum
    80
    Torchwood is grand fun and great adult entertainment.
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  3. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    30
    It at times seems like a pornographic parody of "The X-Files."
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