I am – Hercules!!


It’s a British drama from Russell Davies (“Queer As Folk,” “Doctor Who”) about a team charged with containing alien threats.

Note that “Torchwood” is an anagram of “Doctor Who.” Fun!

The New York Times says:

… It’s possible the space-time rift isn’t the problem, though. I’d do bad things in Cardiff too, mostly because it is lighted here to look like Studio 54 in the mid-1970s. … “Torchwood” is a world I wouldn’t mind seeing erased.

The Chicago Tribune says:

… Part of that appeal stems from the retro good looks of Harkness, a mysterious space adventurer clad in the sweeping greatcoat of a World War II hero. This is just my two cents, but the blue-eyed, square-jawed, energetic Capt. Jack makes Tom Cruise look like a tired old hag. Harkness, who's played by John Barrowman, now has his own show, "Torchwood", and you don't need to know a thing about "Doctor Who" to enjoy this cheeky, sexy sci-fi romp. If you like brisk, escapist alien adventures mixed with a bit of wisecracking and some surprising forays into emotionally charged terrain, this is the show for you.…

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer says:

… Surrounded by a team of geeks with no lives beyond hunting down aliens and collecting otherworldly technology, Harkness grants Saturday night's stay-in crowd reason to camp out on the couch and not sacrifice any cool. Or at least convince yourself that's the case.…

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

… Suffice it to say, if you're a fan of that other Capt. Jack, played with a fey swagger by Johnny Depp in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, you may be equally intrigued by the ambiguous Capt. Jack of "Torchwood." He's a mystery to his team, which argues over whether he's gay or straight (evidently he's bisexual). …

TV Guide says:

… imagine my surprise to be hooked on Torchwood, a cheeky and often startlingly adult spin-off. … But the big mystery among Torchwood's rank and file: Is Captain Jack gay? "Paramilitary is not the dress code of a straight man," quips one of the team. …

Variety says:

… yields "X-Files"-ish charms with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" bite -- a smart, occasionally salacious hour wryly populated by cheesy monsters. Built around another one of those crack teams assigned to protect the Earth, the quirky interaction within the group (which loses members here and there) elevates the material, as does John Barrowman's "Who"-originated perf as intrepid and mysterious Yank leader Capt. Jack Harkness. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… so good and unsettling and creepy that even grumps like myself can't help but be in its thrall. The genius of the hour from creator/executive producer/writer Russell T Davies ("Doctor Who" and "Queer as Folk") is the way it takes the audience's natural skepticism and stands it on its head as we watch all manner of outrageousness unfold through the eyes of a disbelieving cop. It also doesn't hurt that the male lead, the mega-intense John Barrowman, is a near dead-ringer for the young Tom Cruise. He even sounds like Cruise. This in itself is a form of science fiction come to life. …

9 p.m. Saturday. BBC America.

Blade Runner Ulimate!!

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