The Undiscovered Country: John Barrowman, Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner Defend "Torchwood" Decisions

I couldn't stick around for yesterday's Torchwood/Being Human panel at Comic-Con as I had to get back to Los Angeles (the trains wait for no man) but I sent my two fantastic freelancers to cover the BBC America dramas panel on the final afternoon of Comic-Con 2009.

Series creator Russell T. Davies was joined by Torchwood: Children of Earth director Euros Lyn, executive producer Julie Gardner, and series star John Barrowman on the panel for Torchwood.

The main topic, of course, following the conclusion of Torchwood: Children of Earth on BBC America last week: Ianto Jones, who perished in "Day Four" of Children of Earth.

"Everyone's going to answer this question in their own way, but they always said it as people die young in Torchwood," said Barrowman of the death of Ianto Jones. "They just do. It's a dangerous world. It was sad, yes. But we were all sad. but that's the way it is."

"It's the right thing for the story," said Gardner. "Part of that journey is that the man he loves, that he's in a relationship with is the cost of making Captain Jack a hero. He has to suffer, he has to go through that in order to be the hero."

But it was Davies who threw himself on the sword. "If you want to blame me, I absolutely take the blame," said Davies. "I said let's kill him and I saw it through, I made it happen. No one's going to change my mind and no one's going to bring him back. Sorry, but that's it. Blame me."

"But a brilliant piece of TV drama, was it not?" said Barrowman in response, pointing at Davies as the crowd cheered.

As for allegations that Davies has been rude to viewers, Davies was bluntly honest about his feelings: "I have nothing but respect for internet fandom," he said. "I understand that some things I have said have been taken the wrong way and I understand that, and that's okay because sometimes people will always read things the way that makes sense to them. But I'm just not going to change my mind. I'm not."

You can find audio for the entire panel below, two video clips from the event, one in which Barrowman defends the "darker side" of Captain Jack Harkness in Torchwood: Children of Earth and the other in which Davies talks about his decision to kill off Ianto Jones, and more news from the Torchwood panel below.

Torchwood: John Barrowman on the "Darker Side" of Captain Jack:



Torchwood: Russell T. Davies Talks About the Decision to Kill Ianto Jones:



Thanks to the efforts of my crack freelancers, the audio for the full Torchwood panel can be found below:



While it's certain now that Torchwood will be back for a fourth season, there are no indications of an episodic count for next season, whether Cush Jumbo's Lois Habiba will play a role, or even a narrative direction. "It's too early," said Davies. "We haven't even sat down for meetings yet."

What is certain, however, is that there won't be a "Once More With Feeling"-style musical episode of Torchwood in the cards. Davies squashed any chance that Torchwood's agents will burst into song, saying that it would be difficult to top Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical efforts.

Reporting by Lissette Lira and Mark DiFruscio

Pillar of Fire: Televisionary Talks to "Torchwood" Executive Producer Julie Gardner (Part Two)

And just like that, after five incredible nights, Torchwood: Children of Earth is over.

But before we put Torchwood: Children of Earth to bed, I did promise that I would share Part Two of my interview with Torchwood and Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner from last week.

You had the chance to read the first part of my interview with Julie Gardner about Torchwood: Children of Earth, but now that the five-episode arc has ended, we can get to the more spoilery parts of my Q&A with Gardner, in which she talks about the mini-series' ambiguous ending, Ianto Jones, the theme of motherhood and family, and The 456, among other things.

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't yet seen the final installments of Torchwood: Children of Earth, don't read any further. But for those of you who have seen the ending and want to know just what the writers and producers were thinking about certain elements, read on.

Televisionary: There was a lot of public outcry in the UK about the decision to kill off Ianto in Day Four of Torchwood: Children of Earth. What is your take on the reaction--some of which was rather mean-spirited--and why was it necessary for the story for Ianto to die?

Julie Gardner: I think story-wise, I'd reflect on two things. I think the first that is that Torchwood is a series where it is repeated that people die young, that it's very much built into the DNA of the show, that it is a dangerous job and the characters are placed in life-threatening positions. And in a show where the world is in jeopardy and there's a big global threat of huge proportions, there has to be some sacrifice, there has to be a cost to that. It's not credible that our entire team would come out of that unscathed. It simply doesn't make sense.

And then you start to look at, well, how and who. Within the story, it's a story about the sins of the past, it's the story that examines what cost one child's life [has], it's a story that looks at to some extent the darker decisions that Captain Jack may have made, and he's the character that has to suffer. It's an examination of Captain Jack, how to push that character to be the ultimate tragic hero. He has to pay the ultimate price.

So I think Day Four, as painful as it is for me... As an executive producer, Gareth David-Lloyd is the most delightful, professional, versatile actor in the world to work with. I absolutely adore him and that character that he created in Ianto is charming and lovable and heroic and real and ordinary; he's a great character for an audience to identify with. As heartbreaking as it is to kill him off, it is absolutely, unequivocally in my mind, the right thing to do for the story. For the story we're telling, that sacrifice actually motivates the last episode. Torchwood has to be defeated at the end of Episode Four. It has to be as low and outlawed and hopeless as they possibly can be, so that they can rise again.

Televisionary: And when we start Children of Earth, we find them at a pretty low point but by the time the fifth episode ends, we actually see the team completely broken, separated, and hopefully we'll see them come back together in the future.

Gardner: Yes.

Televisionary: Was there a specific decision made not to show The 456 up close but to withhold that sight? Is it that what's imagined is far more terrible than what we can see?

Gardner: I think it came out [of the fact] that we do a lot of tone meetings on Doctor Who and Torchwood. The prosthetics maker, Neill Gorton, who works on both those shows and on The Sarah Jane Adventures, came up with a great design for The 456.

But I think as soon as you are dealing with prosthetics--even with the best prosthetics in the world and the greatest maker--when you are talking about a show that at its heart is looking at something political, something harrowing, something about real politics in the world, psychological terror, and children in danger, I think inevitably you want to go as real as you can.

You start to understand that less is more. It was a very fine prosthetic, but actually it's the reactions of people and it's the fear you bring to it watching that is most powerful. Your imagination is so strong at those points.

Televisionary: One of the most powerful themes throughout the series is that of motherhood. I'm wondering who came up with the idea of juxtaposing the threat against the planet's children against Gwen's pregnancy?

Gardner: It was Russell. The way we storylined was the writers on the five episodes were Russell T. Davies, James Moran, and John Fay and we did days and days of meetings together, myself, the script editors, the producer and I think I remember that was Russell. It's about what's right for that story but it's also what's right for the character of Gwen. All the time you're looking at ways of evolving that character and what's interesting for her, what puts her under more pressure in a story in which children are under threat, it's very interesting that your lead female character is pregnant.

Televisionary: The ending of Torchwood: Children of Earth can be seen as an ending of the series itself but it also leaves the door open for the team to return in the future. Was that an intention story-wise to leave it ambiguous, in case it wasn't recommissioned?

Gardner: Um, it's always a possibility, you never know how your work is going to be received. You never know what is going to be a hit and what isn't; you can't ever judge the audience. I wish we could; we'd all be incredibly wealthy and having a very relaxed time.

I think the end is governed by the tragedy of Steven's death and how the world that slipped into chaos and horror and how Frobisher's story has ended in a very dark way. I think at that point it's very hard to say, oh hurray, here's the surviving team, everything's fine again. It's not possible to do that, I think, at the end of all we've been through and after the death of Ianto. So I think the end for that team is right, it should feel elegiac, it should feel like Captain Jack is going to atone, that he needs time. And of course for Gwen, it's looking at the birth, it's looking at playing out [the fact that] she survived this terrible ordeal and is pregnant and she'll be a mum soon.

[Editor: And if you missed what Gardner told me last week about the possibility of Torchwood returning for a fourth go-around, I've included that below.]

Televisionary: I'm wondering, how likely is it that Torchwood will continue after the five-part transmission of Children of Earth?

Gardner: Um, we're having conversations now. We don't have any firm decision. We don't quite know what we're going to do next. But we're thinking about what could be the next editorial offering, so all I can say at this moment is: hold this space.

Torchwood: Children of Earth will be available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, July 28th for a suggested retail price of $29.98 on DVD. Or you can pick up a copy in the Televisionary shop for $18.49.

Flesh and Blood: "Torchwood: Children of Earth" Day Five

"Sometimes the Doctor must look at this planet and turn away in shame."

"Day Five" of Torchwood: Children of Earth, written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Euros Lyn, proved to be absolutely gut-wrenching television, as evocative as it was gripping. In the hands of Davies and his writing staff, Torchwood: Children of Earth is one of the most powerful and moving pieces of television making this year.

As a whole, Torchwood: Children of Earth is about what happens when we reach that tipping point, when the hard choices have to be broached, and sacrifices made. It's also about how the sins of the past always have a nasty habit at catching up to us and how truth will always out in the end. It's a heartbreaking testament to the enduring spirit of the human race and also how easily we as a society can turn on ourselves.

You've read my advance review of Torchwood: Children of Earth as a whole but now that "Day Five" has aired, we can discuss this installment in detail. (And, if you haven't yet watched the fifth and final episode of Torchwood: Children of Earth, beware: SPOILERS aplenty below here.)

I have to begin by saying how absolutely amazing Peter Capaldi was as John Frobisher. For a role that deceptively starts out as little more than a paper-pushing civil servant, his performance in the final installment of Torchwood: Children of Earth turns Frobisher into a tragic figure the likes of which are rarely seen on television. Forced by Prime Minister Brian Green (Nicholas Farrell) to give up his own daughters to the inoculation scheme (read: turn them over to the 456), Frobisher reaches his own tipping point and requisitions a firearm, which he then uses on his two daughters, his wife, and ultimately himself, rather than give them over to a hellish eternal existence.

In Capaldi's gifted hands, Frobisher becomes a wholly sympathetic character, who is forced to perform an unspeakable act in order to safeguard his children's safety. Is it murder? Or an act of mercy? Could he have stood by and let his beloved daughters become the personal fix of an alien race? The way that Green so cruelly and matter-of-factly informs Frobisher of his decision--a calculated ploy to paint the government as dupes of the 456--send chills up my spine. This is a man who values his own power more than humanity itself.

"Day Five" also gives us a street-level view of what the crisis with the children is causing around the world. Davies was wise to develop the character of Ianto's sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix) and here she plays a vital role when Jack tasks Gwen with keeping Ianto's niece and nephew safe. These are the very children who are at risk of being taken and the scenes with Gwen and Rhys running with the children were utterly heartbreaking.

As I said earlier this week, it was especially brave, in a series about the victimization of children, to make the female lead pregnant and in "Day Five" Gwen questions having a child in a world like the one they're living in. How can you bring life into a world that would give up its children callously? Where they could be at risk if the 456 returned?

And yet there's always hope. After making her taped confession about the end of the world, Gwen admits to Rhys that she wouldn't go through with an abortion, that she wouldn't do that to him. Even in a world as topsy-turvy as this one, children still represent hope for a better future.

It's also a world where people are willing to take a stand, whether it's Rhiannon's no-good husband Johnny (Rhodri Lewis), the imprisoned Lois Habiba (Cush Jumbo), Gwen's former copper colleague PC Andy Davidson (Tom Price), Frobisher's long-suffering PA Bridget Spears (Susan Brown), or cabinet minister Denise Riley (Deborah Findlay), the latter of which turn on the Prime Minister when he expresses relieve at saving his own political career after the 456 incident, intending to blame what happened on the Americans. I loved that Davies withheld the reveal that Spears was wearing the Torchwood contact lenses until the very last minute and then she intended to expose Brian Green for the coward he really is... and that Denise Riley took over without so much as a political coup. Justice will overcome, one imagines.

But "Day Five" also finally revealed the truth of what the 456 wanted the children for. A "hit" of chemicals that creates a euphoric effect on them; these children--kept alive forever--are walking bodybags of recreational drugs. That the truth behind the abductions comes down to pharmaceuticals is a stroke of genius. During "Day Four," I couldn't figure out what the 456 would possibly need the children for if the kids weren't keeping the 456 alive. I never could have imagined that this what what they wanted them for, that after getting a taste (from those twelve kids) they now want millions of them. They're little more than alien junkies jonesing for their next fix.

Jack and the British government enabled this situation by handing over those twelve kids in 1965 and even if they turn over millions of children now, there's no guarantee that the 456 won't come back at any point in the future and demand even more. In fact, it's more than bloody likely that they would keep demanding more and more as time goes on. So how to stop them?

Despite still reeling from the death of Ianto in "Day Four," Jack Harkness is able to come up with a plan that could destroy the 456 and prevent the crisis from unfolding. But there's a price to pay for this. In 1965, Jack sacrificed twelve orphans in order to save the planet. But now, faced with the loss of millions of children, there's a different cost, a personal sacrifice that has to be made. And despite his feelings for his grandson Steven (Bear McCausland) and with the knowledge that it will destroy what little love exists between him and his daughter Alice (Lucy Cohu), Jack uses Steven as a conduit for a signal that will damage the 456.

Despite the fact that Jack can't bear to look at Steven as he does it, the fact that he has had to sacrifice his grandson--his own flesh and blood--kills Jack inside more than any bullet wound or explosion. He once offered up strangers to save Earth but now he's forced to give up his own flesh and blood. Is it cruel that he prevents his daughter from seeing her child one last time? Or does he know that there's no way she'll ever be able to let him go? After all, it's both of their lives that Jack gambles away and the dark look that passes afterward between Jack and Alice confirms that their relationship is dead and beyond repair.

It's no surprise then that Jack runs away. He blames himself not only for the deaths of Ianto and Steven but also those of Tosh, Owen, and Suzie as well. But there's nowhere he can go that he can escape his crushing guilt, even as he tells Gwen that he's off to the other side of the solar system. The Doctor knows better than anyone that it doesn't matter where or when you go, you can't outrun your past or your sins.

So is this the end of Torchwood? I don't think so, though the team is completely fractured, battered, and broken. Ianto, Tosh, and Owen are dead, Jack is running, and Gwen is six months pregnant. Something tells me, however, that this isn't the last we've seen of the team. Jack will come home eventually, Gwen will have her baby, Lois will join a new incarnation of Torchwood and the team will continue to safeguard the planet against alien threats.

In the meantime, just keep your fingers crossed for Season Four of Torchwood. I know I am.

What did you think of Torchwood: Children of Earth? Were you surprised by the twists and turns along the way? Is this the end of the team and the series? Will Jack return from the stars and what will happen to Gwen's baby? Discuss.

Torchwood: Children of Earth is available for purchase on DVD Tuesday, July 28th for a suggested retail price of $29.98. Or you can pre-order a copy today in the Televisionary store for $17.49.

Innocence Lost: "Torchwood: Children of Earth" Day Four

"Three-two-five-zero-zero-zero."

The latest episode of Torchwood: Children of Earth ("Day Four"), written by John Fay (who scripted "Day Two") and once again ably directed by Euros Lyn, was absolutely heartbreaking on a number of levels.

It was inevitable that death would once again cast its pall over the Torchwood team but what was wholly unexpected were the callous actions and behavior of the PM's cabinet as they debated the criteria for deciding which of the nation's children will be offered up as human sacrifices to The 456, especially in light of what happened to the original twelve children taken in 1965 in the United Kingdom's first dealing with the alien race.

Just what happened to these children? What are the criteria for choosing the next sacrifice? What is the cost of one child's live? And can Torchwood stop the 456 in time to prevent an outright war? Hmmm...

You've read my advance review of Torchwood: Children of Earth as a whole but now that "Day Four" has aired, we can discuss this installment in detail. (And, if you haven't yet watched the fourth episode of Torchwood: Children of Earth, beware: SPOILERS aplenty below here.)

While there's still one last installment left to go, "Day Four" of Torchwood: Children of Earth proved itself to be the most harrowing and poignant yet. It also managed to transform a taut sci-fi-tinged political potboiler into a full-blown ethical debate about the value of life, the eternal struggle between the classes, and the nature of sacrifice.

There have been few sights more shocking--in any drama series, really--than the reveal in "Day Four" of that poor child hooked up to the monstrous 456 inside the tank. It was a stunning twist that I did not see coming at all. The 456 promised Jack Harkness that the children they took would "live forever." And, in a way, they have: confined to a hellish existence as little more than a parasitic host for their captors. Just what the 456 is using them for remains to be seen but the fact that they have been kept in a state of arrested aging does not bode well. These creatures aren't after our natural resources or our planet itself: they are harvesting our very future, using these children for their own ends, and they've proven to have developed an appetite for them in the forty-odd years since they last dropped by Earth.

What's upsetting about "Day Four" isn't just the fact that children are being brutally victimized, it's also the ease with which the government decides WHICH children are more expendable. When Prime Minister Brian Green (Nicholas Farrell) and John Frobisher (Peter Capaldi) sit down with Gold Command to discuss their counter-offer to the 456, who have demanded ten percent of the Earth's child population, is the very moment that Torchwood: Children of Earth becomes something more than just suspenseful entertainment; it's become a thought-provoking examination of the choices we make under pressure, the decisions that are made when governments are up against the wall, and the value of human life.

Their debate quickly descends into the grim murkiness of moral relativism. If they have to provide the 456 with ten percent of their children, it not only won't be their children getting sacrificed. Unaccompanied asylum seekers are the first to be thrown on the fire; after all, "no one will miss them," the very same argument that Jack Harkness made about the orphans in 1965. But the government also needs to plan for the future, to ensure that the factories and hospitals of tomorrow will be staffed with tomorrow's workers. That means targeting the underperforming schools whose students won't grow up to offer society all that much: the poor, the unemployed, the hoodlums, and the council estate inhabitants.

And yet the very idea of these children should be sacrificed is sickening. That each child should be judged as unimportant or non-essential because of the circumstances of their birth and childhood. Who is to say that they won't grow up and improve the planet we live on, that they won't rise above their station in life and make a difference? But there's no scientific way to predict that and in their blindness and hubris the government--who quickly deem these children "units" to be bartered with--decides that this is the best way to ensure stability. But what price stability compared to a parent's love?

Still, there's a spin for everything. Find a civil servant and they'll be able to turn any situation around for the better. And so they do here. After all, Earth's population is spiraling out of control and putting a strain on the planet's natural resources; a culling of ten percent of the future population could actually be "good." That this ten percent would reflect the unwanted or missable elements of society is an additional perk.

I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit. I don't think that a US network would have ever approved this storyline and I have to applaud the BBC, Russell T. Davies, and the cast and crew of Torchwood: Children of Earth for having the courage to produce a series that is asking some tough questions.

As for The 456, it is a protection racket they're running. We learn that in 1965 the Earth was threatened with a mutated strain of Indonesian flu that could have wiped out much of the world's population and the 456 provided them with an antivirus in exchange for twelve children. Did Jack make the right decision? Does the good of the many outweigh the good of a few? Are the lives of twelve children worth that of billions of people? Jack Harkness would argue yes, that he made the only decision available to him: save as many people as possible. After all, The 456 promised to stay away. But, like any protection racket, it was only for a time and now they're back and they want even more children.

They're more than willing to prove their point, to demonstrate their power by unleashing a virus in Thames House and initiating a complete lock-down of the facility. I'm not sure quite how they were able to pull off this gambit, other than the fact that their technology is far more advanced than our own (see how they silenced remnant Clem) but the results are devastating, not least of all for Torchwood itself.

Which brings us to poor Ianto.

I'm sure a lot of people are extremely angry that the writers have killed off Ianto Jones (for a full explanation of why, come back on Friday evening for Part Two of my exclusive interview with Torchwood executive producer Julie Gardner) but I feel that his death was necessary for the story at hand. It was inevitable that someone would die during Torchwood: Children of Earth as the stakes were so high, but it couldn't be Jack (he's immortal) and Gwen is the audience's entry point to the story, so it couldn't be her.

Much of the action in these episodes has focused on Jack and Ianto's relationship--and the secrets which Jack kept from his lover--making it only fitting that one of them should die before they get their happy ending. (Torchwood fans know there's never a happy ending to be had.) And it was a hell of a way for Ianto to go, standing at the side of his lover, guns blazing as he was poisoned by an alien virus. But even as he died, his thoughts weren't of going softly into the night but rather that Jack would forget him in time.

Like I said, absolutely heartbreaking. Ianto won't be forgotten, not by Jack nor by Torchwood's fans. The look of realization and sorrow on Jack's face as he comes back to life spoke volumes about how Ianto's death has struck him. And remember at the end of the day, it was Jack who colluded with the aliens back in 1965. If he had taken a stand against them, none of this would have come to pass, not the current situation or Ianto's death. If anyone blames themselves for Ianto's death, it's Jack. And I'd say that it will be a long time before he can unload that guilt.

If Ianto's death seemed to prove that one person can't make a difference in the face of unbeatable odds, the bravery of Lois Habiba (Cush Jumbo) in standing up to the Prime Minister and Gold Command and unmasking herself as a spy for Torchwood proved that it only takes one whistle-blower to reveal the truth. So much of what has happened has been buried--blank pages, off the record conversations, conspiracies designed to suppress the truth--that it becomes easy to keep silent, to avoid taking a stand, and to allow horrors to unfold before your very eyes. Despite being just a PA and tea girl, Lois does set off a revolution right there in the cabinet room. Can these people hide behind the Official Secrets Act when everything can be made public record?

The truth about what they're proposing comes as a shock even to Johnson (Liz May Bryce), whose mission has been to ruthlessly hunt down and exterminate Torchwood and hold Jack's daughter Alice Carter (Lucy Cohu) and grandson Steven (Bear McCausland) as leverage against Jack getting involved with the 456 affair. But as Torchwood managed to trick Johnson and her militia into "finding" Gwen and Clem at Torchwood Hub 2, Johnson is stunned by what her employers are proposing. Could it be that Torchwood has some new allies?

As for Jack himself, his daughter Alice sums it up best: "A man who can't die has got nothing to fear." She meant it in reference to Johnson, but it applies to the 456 as well. He's got nothing to fear but also, after Ianto's death, nothing to live for either. All of which makes him extremely dangerous...

On the finale of Torchwood: Children of Earth ("Day Five"), the future of the human race is in jeopardy as the world descends into complete anarchy.

Channel Surfing: Russell T. Davies Defends "Torchwood" Twist, "Dexter" Animated Prequel for Fall, T.R. Knight Dishes on "Grey's" Departure, and More

Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has an interview with Torchwood creator/executive producer Russell T. Davies, in which Davies defends the latest plot twist in Torchwood: Children of Earth (MAJOR SPOILER alert if you haven't yet seen "Day Four"), which has resulted in some angry fans. "It's not particularly a backlash," Davies corrected Ausiello. "What's actually happening is, well, nothing really to be honest. It's a few people posting online and getting fans upset. Which is marvelous. It just goes to prove how much they love the character and the actor. People often say, 'Fans have got their knives out!' They haven't got any knives. I haven't been stabbed. Nothing's happened. It's simply a few people typing. I'm glad they're typing because they’re that involved. But if you can’t handle drama you shouldn’t watch it. Find something else. Go look at poetry. Poetry’s wonderful." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Dexter fans have something to look forward to before Showtime launches the next season of Dexter. The pay cabler will release "Earl Cuts," twelve animated webisodes that will serve as a prequel to the series that explore how Dexter (Michael C. Hall) honed his craft as a serial killer, this fall. Hall will provide the voice for the titular killer. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has an exclusive interview with T.R. Knight, who candidly discusses the true reasons behind his departure from ABC's Grey's Anatomy after appearing on-screen for just 48 minutes during the entire fifth season of the series. Rather than confront Shonda Rhimes, Knight opted to just leave the series. "My five-year experience proved to me that I could not trust any answer that was given [about George]," Knight told Ausiello. "And with respect, I'm going to leave it at that." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Drama project Exit 19, from CBS Television Studios and writer/executive producer Jeffrey Bell, isn't quite dead. The project, which was shot as a pilot presentation for CBS in 2008, has been brought to cabler Lifetime, where it is being redeveloped. Bell will write a new version of the pilot script for Lifetime. (Variety)

Warren Leight (In Treatment) has come aboard FX drama project Lights Out, where he will serve as executive producer/showrunner alongside creator Justin Zackham should the project be ordered to series. Lights Out stars Holy McCallany and Melora Hardin. Elsewhere, Leight has signed a script deal with Peter Chernin's new production venture and, should HBO pick up another season of In Treatment, Leight will not stick with the series. (Hollywood Reporter)

TBS has ordered twenty additional episodes of comedy House of Payne--that's in addition to the twenty-six it recently ordered--bringing the series' total episodic count to 172 installments. (Variety)

ABC will launch reality competition series Crash Course on Wednesday, August 26th at 9 pm, following the run of I Survived a Japanese Game Show. (Variety)

30 Rock scribe Donald Glover--who also co-stars in NBC's Community this fall--has signed a two-year talent holding deal and blind script commitment under which he will write and star in a project for Universal Media Studios. (Variety)

AMC has hired former Brillstein-Grey Television executive Susie Fitzgerald as SVP of scripted series (though her title seems to still be under discussion), where she will spearhead series development at the cabler, which is quick to point out that she won't be a direct replacement for Christina Wayne, who resigned from the network in February. (Hollywood Reporter)

Reality shingle A. Smith and Co. is developing unscripted series Shark Boat, which follows diver Stefanie Brendl and the crew of Hawaii Shark Encounters, the only company in the US that allows people to free dive with sharks. (Variety)

American Idol executive producer Ken Warwick has signed a three-year deal to continue on as showrunner on the musical competition series, a deal that would making him "one of the highest-paid showrunners in TV -- if not the highest paid," according to Variety's Michael Schneider. (Variety)

UK network Channel Five has purchased the UK terrestrial and digital rights to ABC's upcoming drama series FlashForward for a sum believed to be between $500-600,000 per episode, significantly lower than the enormous sums paid by UK outlets for such Disney ABC Television series such as Lost and Desperate Housewives. (Hollywood Reporter)

Meanwhile, ITV has acquired the rights to US series The Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

New Tricks and Old Ghosts: "Torchwood: Children of Earth" Day Three

"We are here."

"Day Three" of Torchwood: Children of Earth, written by Russell T. Davies and James Moran, certainly brought with it some rather unexpected twists, along with an extra heaping of tension, suspense, and terror as The 456 arrived at Thames House and announced just what it is that they want.

Meanwhile, Torchwood attempted to use PA Lois Habiba (Cush Jumbo) as their literal eyes on the inside and get their new base of operations--nicknamed Hub 2--up and running so that they could stop The 456. That is, until Jack took off without so much as a by-your-leave.

So what do The 456 want? What does Clem know? Why is Frobisher so hell-bent on keeping the previous encounter between Britain and The 456 off the record? Let's discuss.

You've read my advance review of Torchwood: Children of Earth as a whole but now that "Day Three" has aired, we can discuss this installment in detail. (And, if you haven't yet watched the third episode of Torchwood: Children of Earth, beware: SPOILERS aplenty below here.)

I thought that "Day Three" was absolutely bloody brilliant. Despite the fact that the episode, scripted by series creator Russell T. Davies and James Moran, had a hell of a lot to cover in an hour's time, it never felt rushed or overblown, instead slowly building the tension towards The 456's arrival--via a pillar of fire no less--at Thames House and escalating things until the realization of Jack's involvement in the 1965 Scotland encounter and the reveal of what The 456 what for their "gift."

But before then, there were some nice character moments: Ianto taking the team to an old Torchwood One holding facility, Rhys using the grease to dub the place Hub 2 (making him an honorary member of the team) and cooking the gang beans, Jack letting the cat out of the bag and telling Rhys he knew about Gwen's pregnancy before Rhys did; Ianto looking for some shenanigans in the dark with Jack, despite the world coming to and end; Gwen's meeting with Lois in which she begged her to use the Torchwood contact lenses, which would allow them to spy on the proceedings at Thames House.

Speaking of which, Cush Jumbo is quite a remarkable find; she gives Lois a steely quality while keeping her absolutely sympathetic and engaging. On lesser series, there would be a bit of Mary Sue-ness about her but here Lois is a conflicted character torn between her duty to her job and her duty to her country, embodying a might versus right debate that seems hardwired into Torchwood: Children of Earth's DNA. The scene in which Gwen pleads with her and forces the contact lenses into her hand is fantastic; both women clearly share the same agenda but only one can put herself on the front line. It's a nice echo of PM Brian Green (Nicholas Farrell)'s assertion that Frobisher being put on the front line isn't an honor: he could be the first to fall. Both Gwen and Lois are aware of the risks involved so when Lois does put in those contact lenses, it's a victory for Torchwood, giving them the ability to remain in the game.

And make no mistake: the stakes are higher than they've ever been. Frobisher (Peter Capaldi) proves this when he holds a private audience with The 456 before the aliens can speak to anyone else. He wants it made absolutely clear that any previous conversations or encounters between the UK and the 456 are to remain completely off the record. Why exactly? Because Frobisher doesn't want the rest of the world learning just what happened last time The 456 showed up on British soil... and walked away with twelve children as a result, a "gift" handed to them by Jack Harkness himself.

We know the what now but not the why. Why would the British government willingly give over twelve innocent children to a possibly hostile alien race? And why would Captain Jack Harkness of all people agree to deliver these souls to them? What were The 456 holding over their heads? What price do the lives of twelve children have? That's the mystery now. Jack says that The 456 have shown themselves to be untrustworthy by dint of the fact that they have returned, which makes me believe that these twelve were a virgin sacrifice, a necessary evil to ensure that The 456 went away peacefully.

But, if that's the case, why cover it up? Why order the execution of Jack Harkness and others who were there that night in 1965? Because they could blow this thing sky-high, of course. They could let the other nations of the world know that the United Kingdom negotiated with these creatures, delivered children to them, and swept it all under the rug. There's no way to manage the potential fallout from such a realization nor the damage it would do to the British government.

Which is why Frobisher isn't taking any chances. As soon as he and Johnson (Liz May Bryce) become aware of the existence of Jack's daughter Alice Carter (Lucy Cohu) and his grandson Steven (Bear McCausland), they make their move and bring them in. But Alice is Jack's daughter through and through. Cohu is sensational and she proves the depth of her parentage, grabbing a kitchen knife and her son and sneaking out of the garden when she realizes things have gone too quiet outside. Loved that she clobbered one of the agents and took his firearm (very Jack) and reminded Steven to play the game that his grandmother--ex-Torchwood operative Lucia Moretti--had taught him. Hell, even her grey overcoat nicely echoed that of her father Jack's military coat. (Nice little visual cue there to link them together.)

As for The 456, they are even more terrifying than I could have imagined. Kudos to Davies and Co. to actually avoid showing them outright, making the unseen even more eerie and menacing than something tangible and visible. The fact that they are obscured by poison smoke, vomiting, screeching, and flailing about makes them even more unknowable, even more dangerous, and even more of The Other. The disembodied voice that hisses out of the speakers is far more ominous and forbidding than a prosthetic alien.

And then there's poor Clem (Paul Copley), a man tortured by ghosts from the past, by his memory, by scents on the air. He's still connected by some invisible thread to The 456 and is aware of their movements. He knows what they want, he can sense them, and he recognizes Jack as one of the instruments of men which delivered him into their care. (Or tried to, anyway.) Why was Clem spared? Just what will this knowledge do to the already-battered Torchwood team? How on earth will Jack be able to justify his actions? And will there even still be a Torchwood when this is all over? Find out tonight...

On Day Four of Torchwood: Children of Earth, the mysterious events of 1965 become clearer and the true intentions of the 456 are finally revealed.

Concrete and Conspiracies: "Torchwood: Children of Earth" Day Two

"We are coming tomorrow."

Never before have just a few words held such terrible import as they did at the end of the second installment of Torchwood: Children of Earth ("Day Two"), written by John Fay, in which the Torchwood team dealt with the aftermath of the explosion which ripped apart the Hub, their Cardiff base of operations, and their leader, Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), and struggled to survive in the light of a massive political conspiracy that sought to silence them permanently.

But just why would PM Brian Green (Nicholas Farrell) and Permanent Secretary to the Home Office John Frobisher (Peter Capaldi) want to eliminate Torchwood from the playing field when they might just be the few people in the world who have any chance in hell at stopping The 456? Hmmm...

You've read my advance review of Torchwood: Children of Earth as a whole but now that "Day Two" has aired, we can discuss this installment in detail. (And, if you haven't yet watched the second episode of Torchwood: Children of Earth, beware: SPOILERS aplenty below here.)

"Day Two" had a lot to live up to, following so closely as it did on the heels of the killer opener to Torchwood: Children of Earth and I felt that it didn't quite match the level of tension and drama as the first installment. That said, the second act is always a tricky one and often compels characters to be more reactionary than they normally would.

It's no different here in "Day Two," where a separated Gwen (Eve Myles) and Ianto (David Gareth-Lloyd) must deal with the fallout from the destruction of the Hub and plot a course to safety on their own. For Gwen, it's a quick stop at home to grab her husband Rhys (Kai Owen) and head to London. But not before Gwen gets to kick ass on two separate occasions. The first: grabbed by some suspicious-looking EMT blokes, Gwen manages to pummel them into submission with a fire extinguisher in the back of the ambulance and then grabs their firearms. As a laser target hits her eye, Gwen jumps out of the ambulance and fires simultaneously with both her guns. (Fanboys everywhere must have leapt out of their seats as it was seriously hot.) The second: with Johnson's military strike force bearing down on her, Gwen calmly stands in the middle of her street and then fires right at their vehicle, taking out their wheels with a calculated air and without blinking an eyelash. Like I said, hot.

I'm loving that Rhys has a more integral role in the plot here and clearly seems to be along for the ride. Not only did he manage to secure them a ride to London (concealed in the back of a potato lorry) but Rhys also poses as an undertaker in order to gain access to the military facility where Jack is being kept. (More on that in a bit.) Throughout Torchwood's run, Rhys has often been painted as a bit of a liability for Gwen, a reminder of the fragile hold she has on normalcy and a target to be used against her. So it's only fitting then that Rhys has more to do here than just hold Gwen's bag (though he does that too in order to keep her trigger-finger handy); he's transformed from an outsider to a valuable member of the Torchwood team.

Ianto, meanwhile, kept on the low down and cautiously avoided making contact with anyone once he learned that Gwen was alive. With nowhere else to turn, he made contact with his sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix) via a letter secreted in their delivered newspaper and arranged a meet. While the objective was to obtain a laptop and a car, Ianto's meeting with Rhiannon revealed more of his own hidden backstory as they meet in a park where Ianto claims their father broke his leg as a boy. Was it an accident as Rhiannon claims? Or is Ianto accusing his dead father of assaulting him outright?

For a story about family bonds, it's interesting to see just how each of the main characters in Torchwood: Children of Earth reacts to the threat at hand. Ianto reconnects with his sister; Gwen tells Rhys about her pregnancy; Jack's daughter Alice (Lucy Cohu) nervously tries to reach Jack; Frobisher tells his daughters to keep their phones on all day even as he tries to tell his wife everything is fine.

But everything is not fine, not by a longshot. Besides for ordering Torchwood to be executed, Frobisher has a lot on his plate. Not least of which is new PA Lois Habiba (Cush Jumbo), who takes it upon herself to meet with Gwen and Rhys after they contact Frobisher's office. Given that it's only her second day, Lois is making some huge strides with treason, already breaking the Official Secrets Act after only 24 hours in Frobisher's employ. I have to give Lois credit: she's plucky. She not only meets with Gwen and Rhys but offers them valuable intel, maps to the facility where Jack is being held, and the knowledge that Frobisher wants them dead. All this plus a meal and tea and the very PA-like offering of salt and sugar. (Have I mentioned I already love Lois?)

And then there's the matter of the room which The 456 order constructed for their own purposes, sending the building instructions to Thames House via a concentrated burst of information over the 456 frequency. And, is just me or is the shady Mr. Dekker (Ian Gelder) way too into this entire process? The way that he blew on the glass as it filled up with poisonous gases made me very, very uncomfortable. While I don't think he's in league with The 456, his methods and behavior are not exactly on the up and up. I loved his speech to Frobisher about elected officials like the PM coming and going but the civil service, the "cockroaches of government" outlasting them, just like The 456.

Johnson (Liz May Bryce) proved herself even more cunning in "Day Two," realizing that even an internal blast couldn't kill Jack Harkness for good. The scene in which the body bag slowly filled as Jack's body regenerated itself was a thing of beauteous horror, even as it dawns on Johnson that, if killing Jack is no longer an option, containment will have to suffice. The look of horror on Jack's face as he realizes that Johnson is going to encase him in concrete was palpable and I actually squirmed in my seat as he was pelted with liquid concrete, a sentence of perpetual suffocation, death, and rebirth carried out. Stunning visual and a horrific testament to how far Johnson is willing to go to carry out her plans.

I loved that it was Ianto who managed to save Jack, using the nearby construction equipment to rip the concrete cell from the facility itself but the escape sequence after that seemed a little clunky and cheesy, a rare misstep in a mini-series that has been utterly grounded and believable. That they were able to outrace Johnson's goons in a slow-moving piece of equipment, move a lorry in front of the road and explode it, and drive off without fear of anyone catching them taxed my credibility a little. But still, it's a minor quibble for a story arc that has me on the edge of my seat and it enabled Ianto to free Jack from his prison by dropping the concrete chunk into a quarry.

I'm thrilled that the team is reunited by the end of "Day Two" (love that Jack fittingly just slings Rhys' coat over his shoulder rather than covering up his naked body) and it's just as well that they are, with The 456 promising their arrival tomorrow. Just what do The 456 want? What demands will they make when they arrive? How does it connect to their use of Earth's children as their unwitting spokespeople? And what exactly happened in 1965? Find out tonight...

On Day Three of Torchwood: Children of Earth, an ominous pillar of fire descends upon London; things get personal for the members of Torchwood when their loved ones are targeted.

Blank Pages and Executive Orders: "Torchwood: Children of Earth" Day One

No bones about it: Torchwood: Children of Earth certainly kicked off with a bang.

Written by Russell T. Davies, the first installment ("Day One") of the five-episode event--which comprises Torchwood's third season--certainly ramped up the tension and intrigue and brought the team to the brink of destruction even as they face their greatest threat yet, an alien incursion on Earth that seems to be using the planet's children as a sort of advance warning system.

Just who are The 456? What do they want? And why are they speaking through Earth's children? Those are the burning questions yet to answer. That is, if Torchwood survives long enough to get to the bottom of a political conspiracy that has ensnared the prime minister, Thames House, and a black ops organization with no qualms about killing whoever gets in their way.

You've read my advance review of Torchwood: Children of Earth as a whole but now that "Day One" has aired, we can discuss this installment in detail. (And, if you haven't yet watched the first episode of Torchwood: Children of Earth, beware: SPOILERS aplenty below here.)

As the start of Torchwood: Children of Earth, I thought Davies did a fantastic job of setting up the overarching plot and raising the stakes completely. While previous Torchwood excursions have included dangerous situations for the team, none have resulted in the outright destruction of the Hub, the team's underground Cardiff base of operations.

The explosion at the end of the episode--resulting from a bomb being implanted inside the stomach of an unconscious Captain Jack Harkness--was as shocking as it was thrilling, the announcement that nothing would be the same after this five-episode arc and that there were no sacred cows here. Everything is up for grabs: the team's base, their lives, the very fabric of society.

And Davies pulled a nice bait-and-switch with Rupesh Patanjali (Rik Makarem), the Anglo-Indian doctor who seemed a most likely candidate to join Torchwood after his introduction, especially as it was arranged that Jack and Ianto would meet Rupesh by chance at the hospital. What plays out is a nice callback to Gwen's introduction to the team after she stumbled onto something inexplicable and alien. But Rupesh isn't an idealistic recruit; rather, he's a member of the very same black ops task force that is sent to take care of Jack Harkness and several others on a blank page organized by the Permanent Secretary to the Home Office, John Frobisher (Peter Capaldi), a civil servant with knowledge of the so-called 456 and how their arrival ties into an incident in 1965 Scotland.

It's that knowledge that sets him on a path of destruction, targeting Jack Harkness and several others even as the Prime Minister Brian Green (Nicholas Farrell) denies all involvement in these matters. If there's blame to be assigned, it's going to fall on Frobisher and not the PM. But just what are they concealing? For one thing, it's connected to that 1965 incident, an incident which resulted in the disappearance of several children and which left one--Clement McDonald--an unwitting witness to all that passed.

Clem (Paul Copley) is now a grown-man living in an institution. His history and true name are shrouded in mystery but we learn that he was the sole survivor of what appears to be the 456's last visit to Earth in 1965.... and he has sensed their return--smelled it, more precisely--on the air for the last few months. He's also targeted by the black ops force overseen by the ruthless Johnson (Liz May Bryce) but he manages to slip out of the facility before he's nabbed.

That is, after he meets Gwen Cooper and comes clean about his real name and, in a rather surprising twist, tells her that she's pregnant. It's a stunning twist that's nicely juxtaposed with the threat facing the planet's children. In a world where aliens are seemingly controlling the planet's youth and speaking through them, is a pregnancy something to celebrate? Or rather to fear?

Eve Myles' performance with Clem was a study in underplaying a scene; she slyly wins over Clem's trust with her sweet gap-toothed smile and playful touches and reminds the viewers just why Gwen is the heart and soul of Torchwood. It's her innate kindness and sympathy that make her the perfect entry point to the series for viewers.

And families seem to be on the forefront of everyone's mind in this installment as Ianto goes to see his estranged sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix) in an effort to borrow his niece and nephew for testing (no dice there). Instead, their meeting becomes a heart-to-heart where Ianto comes clean about his relationship with Jack, a major turning point considering that Jack refuses to use the word "couple" to describe them. We also learn that Ianto broke off relations with his sister after the death of their father and that he doesn't tell her anything about himself. That does for his sexuality as much as it does for Torchwood itself. It's all secrets all the time for Ianto.

Jack, meanwhile, has a family of his own. Or namely, an adult daughter named Alice Carter (Lucy Cohu) and a grandson named Steven (Bear McCausland) with whom he maintains a fiction that he is Alice's brother. For her part, Alice has a natural suspicion of Jack and well as a need to protect her son from her father. It's not easy to explain why you are older than your father or why your father never seems to age while you get older and older. Suffice it to say: things are strained even before Jack turns up looking to borrow Steven for a little while.

Meanwhile, at Thames House, there's a new PA in Frobisher's office named Lois Habiba (Cush Jumbo) who stumbles onto the fact that her new boss is dealing with an extraterrestrial threat and furtively uses the login of Frobisher's PA Bridget Spears (Susan Brown) to uncover the execution order on Jack Harkness. It might just be me but she seems to have the makings of a crack Torchwood recruit and she's perfectly positioned to help the team, no?

Johnson herself is terrifyingly efficient. The way that she called out "sides!" when Rupesh attempted to flee after he shot Jack (and realized that Johnson was going to have him killed) was stunningly cold. She's a worthy adversary for the Torchwood team and is just as dogged in her pursuit of the government's agenda as the Torchwood team is in stopping alien threats. Could it be that they're outnumbered and outwitted this time?

Best line of the evening: "Big science fiction super-base. Honestly!" - Gwen on what's inside the Hub's relatively unassuming exterior.

What did you think of tonight's installment? What do the 456 want? Why are they coming back? Why must Jack Harkness and Torchwood be eliminated? And just what does the 456's latest message--"We are coming back"--actually mean? Find out tonight...

On Day Two of Torchwood: Children of Earth, the fractured Torchwood team is forced to go underground as the government attempts to hunt them down and eliminate them.

Reminder: "Torchwood: Children of Earth" Begins Tonight on BBC America

"We are coming."

Just another reminder that the five-episode event Torchwood: Children of Earth begins Stateside tonight at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

Before then, you can read my spoiler-lite review of the five-episode Torchwood: Children of Earth arc and the first part of my exclusive interview with Torchwood and Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner about Torchwood: Children of Earth, Matt Smith as the new Doctor, and what to expect from the five episodes that kick off tonight.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has excellent interviews with Torchwood creator Russell T. Davies and series lead John Barrowman, and The Star-Ledger's Alan Sepinwall talks to Russell T. Davies.

And don't forget to tune in to BBC America an hour before the start of Torchwood: Children of Earth for Torchwood: Inside the Hub, a preview at the mini-series and profiles of Torchwood's main characters... and stick around after the Torchwood: Children of Earth credits have rolled for a fifteen-minute behind-the-scenes look at the mini.

Torchwood: Children of Earth begins tonight at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

The Heavens Themselves Blaze Forth: Televisionary Talks with "Torchwood" Executive Producer Julie Gardner

Throughout her storied career and tenure at BBC Wales, executive producer Julie Gardner has had her hand in the development of several of the United Kingdom's most hallowed drama series, from Doctor Who and Torchwood to Life on Mars.

Recently relocated to Los Angeles to take up a position at BBC Worldwide Productions, where she was reunited with BBC drama commissioner Jane Tranter, Gardner is about to bring her own inimitable style and story sense across the pond.

I caught up with Gardner yesterday to talk about Torchwood: Children of Earth, which airs next week on BBC America (you can read my advance review here), Doctor Who's Matt Smith, and her new scripted development position here in LA.

(FYI, Part One of our Q&A contains minor spoilers for Children of Earth; Part Two will follow after Torchwood: Children of Earth finishes its run on BBC America.)

Televisionary: Given the strength of the ratings in the UK last week during Torchwood: Children of Earth's run it definitely seems like a bona fide hit. Can you tell us what the thinking was behind the decision to structure this season as a five-episode story arc rather than a traditional thirteen and then strip them across five nights?

Julie Gardner: The thinking was an editorial one. We have started our life in the UK on BBC Three, the second series then moved to BBC Two, and at the end of that one we knew we were going to have the chance to move to BBC One. The discussion between Russell, myself, and the then drama commissioner Jane Tranter was really about how to create an event out of Torchwood by moving to BBC One and how to really look at how to bring in a new audience while hopefully rewarding the audience that we had had on the previous two years.

Alongside all of those conversations, Russell had always wanted to do a big serial arc story and so rather than doing the balance of stories of the week with a tiny serial arc, he was quite interested in one big storyline. At the BBC, they had transmitted--or were about to transmit--Criminal Justice across a week and a previous title, Five Days, had also had a similar kind of event slot. It felt like a very good fit to take a week out of the schedule and attempt to tell a really big political thriller, if you like, with sci-fi content.

Televisionary: Does the success of this scheduling strategy make you more inclined toward taking risks with future nontraditional formats?

Gardner: Yes, I think the joy and exciting thing about Torchwood is in some respects it's a show that year on year changes its shape because we've moved across three channels across three years, because we've experimented with how dark we are, how mainstream we are, how much story arc versus how much story of the week, I think it's a title that, by its history, can change itself. And I think that makes it very exciting and very fresh.

Televisionary: You used the work "experiment" and one of the things that I found remarkable about Torchwood: Children of Earth is that it manages to conflate several genres--sci-fi, political thriller, social drama--into one series. How would you describe Torchwood: Children of Earth as a whole and what specific issues did you and Russell set out to capture with the storyline?

Gardner: Ah, it's hard to boil it down into one thing but I think maybe the topline headline I would offer is that it's a first contact story told in a very real way. So it's not a first contact story told in an action-adventure, straightforward way. It's an examination of what are the potential real consequences of this if that first contact is also a threat. I think for Russell, it's also looking at a world where we are always watching the news and seeing terrible things that happen and looking at, well, what could take the world to that point.

I think, for me personally, what I love about Children of Earth is how we look at the characters, all with families of their own. I think that's quite a departure from previous years. So we're looking at Ianto with his sister and his nephews and nieces; we're looking at Gwen, pregnant; we're looking at Captain Jack and his family situation. And in a five-part serial that has children at risk and a threat transmitting through children, it becomes a mix of very big global stakes with a very personal flavor and consequence.

Televisionary: Children of Earth features an incredible array of supporting cast members. How did you assemble such an amazing cast?

Gardner: They were fantastic, weren't they? It's two things, really. It's a tribute to the quality of the writing because people were reading script and really wanted to do them. It's also our great casting director, Andy Pryor. Andy works across Doctor Who, Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures. He's worked with me on so many titles and he is extraordinary at his job. So I think it was a combination of a really good casting director and script and a director, Euros Lyn, who's absolutely fantastic with actors.

Televisionary: Were you at all surprised by how charismatic and magnetic newcomer Cush Jumbo, who plays Lois Habiba, was in Children of Earth?

Gardner: No, she's gorgeous, isn't she? I'm not surprised, I'm jealous.

Televisionary: Given that you're now over here in Los Angeles with BBC Worldwide Productions--

Gardner: Hurray!

Televisionary: We're very happy to have you over here in LA.

Gardner: Thank you very much. The weather is considerably better. (Laughs)

Televisionary: I'm wondering, how likely is it that Torchwood will continue after the five-part transmission of Children of Earth?

Gardner: Um, we're having conversations now. We don't have any firm decision. We don't quite know what we're going to do next. But we're thinking about what could be the next editorial offering, so all I can say at this moment is: hold this space.

Televisionary: Doctor Who is itself undergoing some transformations of its own this year. Two words: Matt Smith.

Gardner: Hurray! (Laughs) Matt is marvelous, absolutely marvelous. I can take no credit for his casting. As you well know, I finish on Doctor Who at the end of David Tennant's years and at the end of Russell's. I know Matt's work from the UK and I think he's an exceptional actor.

I think from Christopher Eccleston to David Tennant and now Matt Smith, the thing in common is that they are three great, versatile, talented actors so I am very excited to see what he brings to the role.

Televisionary: Speaking of which, you recently relocated to work for BBC Worldwide America here in LA. What does your new position entail and what does it mean for sci-fi programming?

Gardner: I'm working for BBC Worldwide Productions, which is the commercial arm of the BBC. It's the division that has made Dancing with the Stars, so it has had some success in reality formats. I'm here to look at scripted and I'm here to look at new ideas for American networks and cable companies and to also look at reformats of UK titles. It's a privilege to be here, it's a really exciting time for me. I love American TV.

What it means for sci-fi, I don't know yet. I'm five weeks in and the thing I'm concentrating most on is the word "merge" on the freeway.

Come back next week after Torchwood: Children of Earth concludes its run on BBC America to find out what else Gardner had to say about Torchwood: Children of Earth in a spoiler-laden Q&A in which she discusses the end of the five-episode event and specific plot points along the way.

Torchwood: Children of Earth launches Monday, July 20th at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

Hard Choices and Tipping Points: An Advance Review of BBC America's "Torchwood: Children of Earth"

When Torchwood started out, it was a darker and more adult version of the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who geared towards the post-watershed hour. It was violent, sexy, and provocative.

Two seasons later, Torchwood has established itself in its own right and made an indelible impression on its devoted audience, who gravitate towards its morally compromised characters, bleak storylines, and the lack of happy endings. Season Two ended with the death of two of the Torchwood team's members and, as the five-episode event Torchwood: Children of Earth begins, the team is still reeling from their deaths in their own ways.

Death has always been a part of Torchwood. It's a seductively dark series where everyone is painfully mortal. That is, except for the immortal Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), who is fitfully unable to throw off his mortal coil, despite no lack of risk or danger. For Jack, death is a quotidian part of life, like the passing of the seasons. Even so, the loss of Tosh and Owen is like losing a limb for Jack and his Torchwood associates Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd). The Hub, the team's Cardiff base of operations, is eerily silent, a monument to their lost comrades and to their enduring work. Which would be hard enough if the team weren't about to face their greatest challenge yet in Torchwood: Children of Earth, written by Russell T. Davies, John Fay, and James Moran and directed by Euros Lyn.

I had the opportunity to watch all five episodes of the gripping Torchwood: Children of Earth, which air Stateside on BBC America next Monday through Friday evenings, and was enthralled by a plot that's as heartbreaking as it is thought-provoking.

Spoiler-phobes, no worries. Because Torchwood: Children of Earth is a thriller in the very best sense of the word, I'm not going to go into too much detail here about the plot or give away any spoilers, it's really best enjoyed when you're truly in the dark about what's going to happen next.

So what's the basic set-up of Torchwood: Children of Earth? Jack, Gwen, and Ianto are still processing the aforementioned deaths of Tosh and Owen while they continue to go about their top-secret business of guarding the Rift and keeping Earth safe from extraterrestrial threats by any means necessary. (Wondering what happened to Freema Agyeman's Martha Jones, whom Jack wanted to leave UNIT and join the team in Doctor Who's "Journey's End"? We're told she's on her honeymoon but just who she married is a mystery for another day.)

At its weakest point, something happens that shakes Torchwood to its very core and may destroy the team altogether: the imminent arrival of an alien race, which appears to be speaking through every child on the planet. Just what do these aliens want? Why have they come to Earth and announced their presence in such a fashion? And how does it connect to a previous incursion on British soil by the so-called "456" in 1965? Can Torchwood stop them in time? And what secrets are several characters hiding?

The cast for Torchwood: Children of Earth is top-notch. Barrowman, Myles, and David-Lloyd anchor the five episode thriller with aplomb. Barrowman turns in the performance of his career to date, taking Captain Jack Harkness to some very dark, scary places and forcing Jack to deal with some unpleasant skeletons in his closet.

Myles in particular is sensational and it's fascinating to compare her strong and confident performance here with her first appearance on the series and see just how much Gwen has grown as a character while still providing the team's heart and soul. Of all of Torchwood's members, Gwen has managed to do something that the others have not: made both halves of her life complete. By bringing her husband Rhys (Kai Owen) into the circle of trust, she appears to be the only Torchwood member capable of having something resembling a normal life. Likewise, it's nice to see Owen's Rhys play a much bigger role here than in Torchwood itself; for a change, Rhys isn't a liability for Gwen but proves himself a valuable and capable member of the team and Owen ably demonstrates just why this powerful, sexy, and brainy woman would choose to spend her life with Rhys.

For Ianto, on the other hand, it's not so easy. He's dating--sort of--Captain Jack though it's clear that it's not all sunshine and roses in their relationship. For one thing, Ianto wants more than Jack is seemingly able to give and he's keenly aware of the fact that he will grow old and die while Jack will live on, young and handsome. Similarly, he can't bring himself to tell anyone the truth, keeping both the professional and personal sides of his life in the dark. He still hasn't told his sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix) the truth about his career or his sexuality... and hasn't actually told Torchwood anything about his past. David-Lloyd makes Ianto's situation painfully real and sympathetic, rendering suited coffee boy Ianto a tragic figure caught between duty and love.

The supporting cast assembled for Torchwood: Children of Earth is equally talented. Special kudos go out to Peter Capaldi's Machiavellian civil servant John Frobisher, a man whose duty is to protect the United Kingdom and its secrets and who proves himself early on only too willing to cross a number of moral boundaries to do so. Likewise, newcomer Cush Jumbo (Harley Street), who plays junior PA Lois Habiba is a real find; she manages to fit seemlessly into the plot and stand out among some of Britain's most talented actors. (Something tells me that we'll be seeing more of the deftly charismatic Jumbo in years to come.) Paul Copley turns in a jaw-dropping performance as Clement McDonald, one that's light years away from a previous turn as a cuckolded husband in BBC's seminal drama The Lakes. Lucy Cohu (Meadowlands) is fantastic as the enigmatic Alice Carter, who has a surprising link to Captain Jack; Liz May Brice is coolly menacing as ruthless MI-5 enforcer Agent Johnson; and Nicholas Farrell is terrifying as the self-serving Prime Minister Brian Green. (Hmmm, Gordon Brown and Brian Green. Coincidence?)

While Torchwood: Children of Earth functions on a surface level as a rip-roaring political thriller crossed with an alien invasion drama, it's actually a canny exploration of society today, asking tough questions about the worth of the individual. Captain Jack speaks about making hard choices and it holds true for each and every character in the five-episode third season, giving the event a weightiness and merit all its own.

Sacrifice is a major thematic component of Torchwood: Children of Earth and its influence snakes its way insidiously throughout the plot. In a crisis, such as the one that looms on the horizon in Torchwood: Children of Earth, which of us has value? Which ones of us are expendable? And who decides which moral lines in the sand we can--and should--cross when faced with unspeakable terror? Does the good of the many outweigh the good of the few and what would any of us do when faced with a decision that could have consequences for the fate of the human race?

Likewise, Torchwood: Children of Earth feels painfully contemporary, effortlessly capturing our primal human need for information and the proliferation of social media. In an age where no one can stop any signal, Torchwood: Children of Earth presciently captures the unease of the recent Iran elections and shows us a world where everything is recorded in one way or another. The pervasive use of various recordings throughout--and I won't reveal what or who is being recorded or why--not only drive the plot but also make us question the essential truth of what we're seeing with our own eyes. Is what we're told by our governments and media outlets true? Is there such a thing as off the record? Will the truth, like murder, always out?

Torchwood: Children of Earth could have coasted by on an alien invasion story and been entertaining popcorn television but, by skillfully layering in some meaty philosophical debate and social themes that affect all of us today, it transformed itself into one of the year's most important and controversial pieces of television making and proved once and for all that it need not hide in Doctor Who's shadow.

Torchwood: Children of Earth Trailer:



Torchwood: Children of Earth First Seven Minutes of Day One:



The five-night Torchwood: Children of Earth event begins Monday, July 20th at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America and BBC America HD.

Channel Surfing: Mystery Man in Black from "Lost" Talks, FX Aims for Hit with "Archer," "Harper's Island" Doomed, and More

Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.

TVGuide.com talks to Lost's Titus Welliver, who played the mysterious man in black seen in the fifth season finale (that many of us are referring to as Esau). "The way that I interpreted it, on a biblical level, is that it's a sort of Cain-and-Abel scenario," said Welliver of the showdown between Jacob and his character. "So by destroying Jacob, what does that prove — that [the man in black] can ultimately have power over the island? Do the castaways become solely his playthings? And why was it so important that he find the loophole to be able to kill Jacob? That moved me in the direction of thinking that if he needs this loophole, there's a greater power than the two of them that they're answering to." (TVGuide.com)

FX has ordered six episodes of animated comedy Archer (working title), about the eccentric employees of an international spy agency, from writer/executive producer Adam Reed. Project, which will launch this fall and be paired with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, features the voices of Jon Benjamin, Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell, Aisha Tyler, and Judy Greer. Says Variety's Michael Schneider, "Benjamin plays Sterling Archer, a suave spy who goes by the code name Duchess. Walter plays his mother, while Tyler is his ex-girlfriend, Agent Lana Kane. Greer plays his secretary; Parnell is the spy agency’s comptroller." (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Lynette Rice is reporting that there's no hope for CBS' Harper's Island, citing unnamed insiders who "insist" that there won't be a second season of the serialized slasher series. CBS, meanwhile, wouldn't comment officially on the likelihood of a cancellation. Series was originally intended to be an ongoing franchise where each season would introduce a new killer and a new batch of victims. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)

Steven Weber (Brothers & Sisters) and newcomer Ben Schnetzer are in talks to come aboard ABC midseason drama series Happy Town, where they would respectively replace Dean Winters and John Patrick Amedori, who appeared in the original pilot. (Which I reviewed here.) Weber will play John Haplin, scion of the town's founding family who is distraught after the kidnapping years earlier of his daughter by the mysterious "Magic Man." Schnetzer will play John Haplin's son who is himself enmeshed in a star-crossed romance with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. (Hollywood Reporter)

Modern Family director Jason Winer has signed a new multi-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television, under which he will remain on board ABC's single-camera comedy Modern Family as a director and co-executive producer. He'll direct six additional installments from the series' initial thirteen-episode commitment as well as develop new series for the studio with his writing partner Ryan Raddatz. (Variety)

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan talks to Torchwood: Children of Earth star John Barrowman about the event season of the Doctor Who spin-off series. "I say this with my hand on my heart: If I were only asked to be Captain Jack for the next 10 years, I would do it," said Barrowman. "I'm definitely up for [Season] 4, 5, 6, whatever. For as long as they want to do it, I'm there." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville scribe Drew Z. Greenberg has joined the writing staff of Syfy's Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica, according to showrunner Jane Espenson. (Twitter)

Ryan Seacrest has signed a new contract that will pay out $15 million a year for the next three years that will keep him on board as host of FOX's American Idol through 2012 and make him exclusive to 19 Entertainment/CKX. Simon Cowell is already in the midst of renegotiating his own contract and Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi are all said to be "expected to ink new deals to return next year." (Variety)

Taryn Manning will guest star in the third episode of the CW's Melrose Place, where she will play a singer whose latest music video is directed by Jonah (Michael Rady). (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Los Angeles Times' Liesl Bradner profiles ubiquitous actor Patrick Fischler, who has appeared on the small screen this past year on such high-profile series as Lost, Mad Men, and Southland. "After Mad Men I got a lot of 'How dare you speak to Don Draper like that?'" Fischler said. "People -- mainly women -- were mad at me that I told Don off. I took it as a compliment." (Los Angeles Times)

Showtime has ordered six episodes of half-hour variety series Live Nude Comedy, described as a "mix of stand-up comedy and modern-day burlesque." Project, from Salient Media and The Collective and executive producers Gary Binkow and Michael Green, is hosted by Shannon Elizabeth and will launch on Thursday at midnight ET/PT on the pay cabler. Format will include an audience-participation sketch with Elizabeth, followed by two comedians and two dancers. (Variety)

E! Online's Watch with Kristin is reporting that Michelle Trachtenberg will fulfill her guest turn on the CW's Gossip Girl this fall, despite NBC shifting her midseason medical drama series Mercy to the fall. "Our sources tell us that Michelle Trachtenberg won't miss a beat of Gossip Girl," wrote Team Watch with Kristin. "She's doing everything she was expected to do as of last spring, and Georgina's episodes are good!" (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

HBO and Cinemax have joined Comcast's TV Everywhere initiative, allowing the cable operator to stream its series, movies, and other premium content to 5000 subscribers in the Philadelphia area in a pilot program to start in several weeks' times. The pay cablers join TNT, TBS, and Starz in the test program, which if it is successful, will be made available to Comcast subscribers around the country at no additional cost. (Hollywood Reporter)

It's official (finally!): CBS has announced that Neil Patrick Harris will host the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, to be broadcast live on September 20th. (Variety's Emmy Central)

Cabler VH1 has ordered four episodes of concert series Live and Loud Fridays from Live Nation. Series, which will feature rock performances from venues around the country, will launch this week with Poison and Def Leppard. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

No Brief Candle: John Barrowman Claims "Torchwood" Punished by the Beeb

Torchwood: Children of Earth star John Barrowman has lashed out at the BBC for "punishing" the Doctor Who spin-off series as it moved from BBC Two to BBC One with the third season, when its episodic count was reduced from a traditional thirteen to a leaner five episodes.

Barrowman made the comments in the latest issue of the UK's Radio Times, which hit newsstands today, just a few days before the launch of Torchwood: Children of Earth in the United Kingdom.

Unlike in previous seasons, Torchwood: Children of Earth is being stripped five nights a week in an "event" format by both BBC One and BBC America in the States.

"I'm going to get a little political and I'll probably get into trouble for it, but... we were the most successful show on BBC3, ever," Barrowman told Radio Times. "We moved to BBC2 because the ratings were so good; the ratings were great again and we were beating shows that had been on BBC2 for a long time. The decision was made to go to BBC1 – and then we were cut. From 13 episodes down to five."

"The five episodes, the miniseries as I call it, are incredible – I have no doubt about that – but personally, I felt like we were being punished," said Barrowman. "Other shows move from BBC3 and 2 to 1, and they don't get cut. So why are we? It felt like every time we moved we had to prove ourselves."

Torchwood creator and lead writer Russell T. Davies, however, refuted any claims of being punished by the Beeb.

"Part of us thought, 'We could do another 13 episodes, we've learnt how to do that, and the second series was better than the first.' But why not change it?" Davies told Radio Times. "I know if this was America, they'd try to keep it going for seven years, doing the same thing every week. And BBC America, who show Torchwood, are furious that we've changed the format. But they're not our paymasters. It's the British audience we make these for. And I don't think audiences are remotely lost by a change in format."

And, for their part, the BBC certainly didn't want to "punish" Torchwood either.

"We wanted to create a powerful sense of event when the show came to BBC One and so talked with the show makers about a story that could run over five consecutive days," said a BBC spokesperson in a statement. "This [...] is something very special that we hope viewers will enjoy."



Torchwood: Children of Earth launches Monday night on BBC One in the UK and Stateside on July 20th on BBC America.

Channel Surfing: "Supernatural" Finds Its Lucifer with "Lost" Star, Peregrym Strikes "Copper," ABC's "Lost" to Run 18 Hours Next Season, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Mark Pellegrino (Lost) has been cast in CW's Supernatural next season, where he will play none other than Lucifer himself. Pellegrino, who will recur on Supernatural next season, is expected to first appear on the series' September 10th season premiere. Meanwhile, don't look for him to give up his other role: that of Jacob on ABC's Lost, which he could easily do as well given his recurring status on Supernatural. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Missy Peregrym (Reaper) has been cast as the lead in Canadian police drama Copper, which will air Stateside on ABC. Peregrym will play Andy McNally, "a newly minted cop fresh from the academy and the daughter of a homicide detective" who "is anxious about her first day on the job, which doesn't go as well as she had wished." Series is described as "Grey's Anatomy set in the world of rookie cops." ABC closed a deal to acquire 13 episodes of the series in April. (Hollywood Reporter)

Meanwhile, Lost is getting slightly longer next season. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello announced via Twitter that the ABC drama will increase to 18 hours for its sixth and final season, including both a two-hour premiere and a two-hour finale. (Twitter)

Producer Craig Piligian (American Chopper) has snagged rights to the life of airplane repo man Nick Popovich, which he plans to develop into an unscripted series that he will shop to cable networks including Discovery Channel or Spike. Popovich travels the globe to repossess airplanes and other huge-ticket items from owners who have defaulted on their regular payments. ""Every case is different," Piligian told Variety. "Maybe it's a small airline in Scandinavia that bought a 747. He has to figure out how to get past airline security and grab the plane. He plans it like a military operation. Sometimes he's in disguise. Often it gets a little hairy." (Variety)

T.J. Ramini (Desperate Housewives) has been cast in Day Eight of FOX's 24, where he will play Tarin Karoush, an associate of the character played by Anil Kapoor. (Hollywood Reporter)

Australian residents will be able to watch the upcoming season of Torchwood, entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth, within a few hours of its broadcast in the UK. UKTV will be airing the five episodes over consecutive nights day-and-date with the BBC One broadcast in the UK beginning Monday, July 6th. Torchwood: Children of Earth will be airing Stateside on BBC America beginning July 20th. (Digital Spy)

NBC has secured the rights to an edited-down one-hour version of Martin Bashir's 2003 documentary Living with Michael Jackson, which it will air tonight as part of a Dateline NBC special. (Variety)

Charlie Siskel has been named executive producer/showrunner on Comedy Central's Important Things with Demetri Martin, where he replaces Beth McCarthy-Miller as the series' production relocates from New York to Los Angeles. Additionally, Siskel will serve as executive producer on Showtime's upcoming six-episode Marc Wootton sketch comedy series, which he will produce alongside Wootton (High Spirits with Shirley Ghostman). (Hollywood Reporter)

As you heard here last week, Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer has signed on to direct the FX dramedy pilot Terriers. (Variety)

Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City) and director Howard Deutch (My Best Friend's Girl) are teaming to develop dramedy pilot A Town Called Malice, about a former rock star who returns to her hometown with her estranged teen daughter after her husband melts down on stage during a concert and the duo must rebuild their lives together. No network is attached. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Darkness Falls: Russell T. Davies, John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Gareth David-Lloyd Talk "Torchwood: Children of Earth"

When we last saw the Torchwood team, they were still reeling from the death of two of their own even as they teamed up with the Doctor (David Tennant) in order to save the universe.

Torchwood returns next month with a five-episode event season entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth, which will air across five nights at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America, following their transmission on BBC One in the United Kingdom.

Written by Russell T. Davies, John Fay, and James Moran and directed by Euros Lyn, Torchwood: Children of Earth stars John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, and Kai Owen, along with a slew of notable guest stars including Peter Capaldi, Lucy Cohu, Paul Copley, Nick Briggs, Susan Brown, and Tom Price.

There's still a lot of mystery surrounding Torchwood: Children of Earth, so let's turn to series creator Russell T. Davies and series stars John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Gareth David-Lloyd to describe what we can expect to see in their own words.

So what is Torchwood: Children of Earth about, other than the team racing to stop some sort of alien invasion that has the world's children going silent? Let's turn to Davies for the answer.

“This whole story tears Torchwood down, and then watches them rebuild, but always questioning them, asking what sort of heroes they are, how far will they go?" explains creator/executive producer Russell T. Davies. "And what’s the difference between a freedom fighter and a terrorist? At the same time, we get to know Jack, Gwen and Ianto more intimately than we ever have before - exploring their families, their history, their hopes and loves. And their failings, too. As the alien threat gets bigger, so Torchwood’s humanity is exposed, and threatened, and celebrated too. And their lives are on the line, none of them is safe!”

Still, says Davies, viewers don't need to know anything about Torchwood's backstory in order to enjoy this new series.

“No, not at all - there are fleeting references to the past, but from the moment it starts, we’re telling a brand new story," he explained. "It’s been deliberately written so that no one will be lost - and at the same time, the faithful viewer will discover so much more about the members of the Torchwood team. There are plenty of rewards for the long-term fan.”

Series star John Barrowman agrees. "Anybody who loves science fiction or a good drama will fall in love with Torchwood. It’s action packed, it’s sexy, it’s exciting, it’s an emotional roller-coaster and you just want to sit back and get ready for the ride of your life,” said Barrowman. "Torchwood is a team of people who are fighting for the best interest of humanity; they are no strangers to the daily threat alien forces pose to the safety of the Earth. But this time, they must fight with every ounce of instinct and energy they have to survive."

And despite the change in the series' format--changing from the previous two season's thirteen-episode structure to a five-night run--the series itself hasn't intrinsically changed, just evolved.

“We’ve tipped the series on its head and given people a whole new format," said series star Eve Myles. "It’s a completely different style of Torchwood, and is exactly what we should have done. It feels brand new all over again. It’s exciting and it’s positive."

Barrowman concurs. "It’s changed in the respect that in Series One we were crawling, Series Two we were walking and now Series Three we’re running," explained Barrowman. We know what Torchwood is and we know what it’s about - it’s full of drama and action. This storyline is one of the darker Torchwood storylines. Every time you turn a corner you don’t know what’s going to happen. And when you watch episode one you’re going to want to see two, and when you’ve seen two you’ll want to see three. You’re just going to want more and more and more."

"You’ll learn a lot about the characters in ways that you’re never known them before. If you like relationships then you’re going to see the difference in Jack and Ianto’s relationship and Gwen and Rhys’ - but you’re also going to see the similarities. The characters have evolved in ways because we’re learning new things about them. It makes it really interesting for us to play as actors and for the audience every episode will bring a new revelation."

And if that weren't enough, Barrowman teased that there's a dangling skeleton hanging in the closet of one of Torchwood's members, a secret that's dragged out into the light during Children of Earth.

“One of the team is hiding a secret that will be a revelation to a lot of people - not only to the viewers watching but to the team itself," he said coyly. "It will be very uncomfortable for the characters. And people watching it will question why they did it. Will they be able to understand why they did it? But as in all things with science fiction, as a series, we can touch on subjects that are not touched upon in a number of other dramas."

Myles, meanwhile, likened the action to that of an action-packed thriller, albeit one that plays out over five hours instead of a ninety-minute feature film.

"I was so excited when I got the scripts," said Myles. "It’s a five hour psychological action-packed thriller. With a movie, you’re looking at maybe 90 minutes of action - but with this new series of Torchwood, we’ve got five hours. It’s an event. It’s not just the third series where everybody is used to what Torchwood is - this series will actually terrify people. The pace increases from the word go. The first episode is an establisher and by the second episode you don’t know what the hell has hit you. The third, the fourth and the fifth go at such a pace."

"Gwen is still the heart and emotion of Torchwood but also realizes the responsibility she has as a member of the team," said Myles. "Everybody’s got to lose something to gain something, and as harsh as Gwen comes across sometimes, if she wasn’t, people would die. She’s got a huge responsibility on her shoulders. A few years ago she was working as a young police woman in Cardiff. A couple of years later here she is saving the world with Captain Jack. One way or another something’s got to give."

Look for Gwen to form a close relationship with Paul Copley's Clem, a man who is haunted by his past. "He’s absolutely fantastic," said Myles of working with Copley. "I was completely overwhelmed - he’s so right for the character. Gwen inevitably becomes his guardian because that’s what Gwen does - she’s Torchwood’s social worker. She’s a social worker that can run and fight and stand in her own corner and win. With Clem she has this incredible desire to protect him. She’s his protector and he’s the key to what’s going on."

Meanwhile, look for Torchwood's bookish coffee-maker Ianto to come into his own during Torchwood: Children of Earth.

"I think Ianto has changed quite a lot since the series first began because of everything that’s happened to him," David-Lloyd explained. "He lost everything he loved at one point, and then realized that all that was left for him was Torchwood and Jack - they had to replace the hole in his life. He’s learnt to be less guarded and be more like himself - a bit more content with himself as a person."

As for that relationship between Ianto and Jack, look for the duo to get even closer during these next episodes.

"It was nice to film those elements of the series," said David-Lloyd. "As it panned out across previous series, the relationship between Jack and Ianto has been quite organic. So it was nice that we get to the stage in Series Three where they are going through all the usual couple difficulties. I think the way it’s been done is extremely real."

Still, said Davies, the romance between Barrowman's Captain Jack and David-Lloyd's Ianto wasn't planned from the start.

"Not planning, as such, it just grew naturally out of the scripts and performances from John and Gareth," said Davies. "And it’s such a rich area - the sheer will-they-or-won’t-they tension of two men getting closer. But again, you can come to Torchwood as a new viewer and follow their relationship from the start, you won’t get lost. And it’s honestly a pleasure to write for two such fine actors, they make the whole process a delight."

Of course, that relationship will be further complicated by the potential world-ending events of Torchwood: Children of Earth.

“I think every character goes through the process of thinking about giving up," mused David-Lloyd. "We’re lucky they don’t all think about giving up at the same time. The good thing about the team is that they’ve got each other to pull them out of the darkness.”

That darkness seems to be at the very heart of Torchwood: Children of Earth. While it's effectively an epic sci-fi story about survival, it was also an opportunity for Davies to tackle some other issues.

"It was a story I’d had in mind for ages - I’m just glad the BBC gave me a canvas big enough to tell the tale!" said Davies. "But underneath the sci-fi and the aliens, there’s something very relevant to the world, I hope. The way we sit in the west, and watch footage of atrocities in different countries, and imagine it’s all so far away, and so impossible here. Which is a nice, comfy lie we tell ourselves. That was the heart of it. I wanted to tell a story in which civilization snaps, in which we turn on ourselves, in which nothing is safe. Plenty of people live like that, on this planet. In this story, it’s Britain’s turn."

"I loved [writing] it, because it was a huge challenge," said Davies. "Lots of thrillers are written by just one writer, but we had three, across five episodes. Which meant a lot of emailing and late-night phone calls. But we really worked as a team, all locked in one room to thrash out the storyline and create the characters, and that’s my favorite way of working. We also had the producer and director inside the writers' room, right from the very start, which is a very unusual way of working in this country, but with huge results - it meant we were all focused, we all knew the tone and the ambition of the piece, and we all aimed in the same direction."

"They just touch a nerve," said Davies of the series' use of Earth's children. "A threat to our children gets a primal reaction out of all of us. But beyond that, I think we can be scared of our kids, too. That they can seem unknowable, unreachable - that’s why a gang of young hoodies can seem more unnerving than an adult gang of thugs."

So just what are the story's villains then?

"The size of this story, and the scale of it - spread across more than 40 years of history - means that we needed something bigger, a threat with real intelligence, a race with different protocols and standards," Davies explained. "Some of my favorite material comes from Episode Three, where we have to see the government engage in genuine diplomatic relations with an alien species. You watch those scenes thinking, 'That’s what it would really be like.'"

And keep your eyes peeled for a slew of British Who's Who among actors with the amazing cast that Davies and executive producer Julie Gardner assembled for Torchwood: Children of Earth.

"Just pure class!" said Davies of working with Children of Earth's vast cast of characters. "It’s a joy, an absolute joy, to work with actors of this caliber. Writing’s easy, compared to the task of standing there, saying this stuff, in a whacking great close up. But we’ve got great new talent, like Cush Jumbo as Lois - the innocent secretary who discovers state secrets on her computer - and wonderful stars such as Peter Capaldi, who makes his character of John Frobisher so detailed and so nuanced, and so heartbreaking in the end. Add to that, Susan Brown as Bridget Spears - keep an eye on her, she’s a slow burn - and Nicholas Farrell as the most clever and manipulative Prime Minister you could imagine. And then Liz May Brice as a truly ruthless assassin! We’ve also got Paul Copley as Clem, a character holding so many secrets from the past - Paul’s simply astonishing to work with. And then the greatest enigma of the whole series is Lucy Cohu, playing Alice, who’s no less than Captain Jack’s daughter... What a mix! Best cast I could have imagined!"

Torchwood: Children of Earth launches Monday, July 20th at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

"We Are Coming": Cast and Crew of BBC America's "Torchwood" Talk "Children of Earth"

With just over a month to go until the Season Three launch of Torchwood, a five-night event entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth, now's a good time to get the inside scoop.

In the new video, just released today, the cast and crew of the Doctor Who spin-off, including John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Kai Owen, Gareth David-Lloyd, and executive producers Julie Gardner and Russell T. Davies.

"I'm as proud of this as anything in my career," said Davies about Torchwood: Children of Earth, while the cast teases cliffhangers with every installment and the sort of high-stakes save-the-world drama we've come to expect from Torchwood.

You can watch the entire video and the trailer for Torchwood: Children of Earth below.





Five-episode event Torchwood: Children of Earth launches Monday, July 20th and will air five nights that week at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.

BBC America Brings David Tennant, Russell T. Davies, "Doctor Who," "Mighty Boosh," "Torchwood," "Being Human" to Comic-Con

Holy TARDIS!

BBC America just shocked the hell out of me by announcing that they will be bringing Doctor Who's David Tennant--yes, the Doctor himself--and writer/executive producer Russell T. Davies, director Euros Lyn, and executive producer Julie Gardner to Comic-Con San Diego next month.

The quartet will be participating in a panel for Doctor Who, shortly after Tennant has completed his legendary run on the British sci-fi series, that is scheduled for Sunday morning at 10 am PT.

And if that weren't enough to get you salivating, BBC America also had me jumping for joy by announcing that Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher, and Dave Brown--the stars of the surreal and hysterical comedy series The Mighty Boosh--will also be dropping by Comic-Con this year with a panel slated to run on Friday afternoon at 3:30 pm PT.

The digital cabler also announced panels for such series as Torchwood and Being Human on Sunday.

I don't know about you but I am just shaking with excitement, not to mention absolute glee. Just... wow.

The full press release from BBC America announcing their Comic-Con 2009 panels, can be found below.

DAVID TENNANT AND RUSSELL T DAVIES ATTENDING COMIC-CON 2009

- BBC hosts Doctor Who talent for their first ever appearance at Comic-Con -

New York, NY – June 17, 2009 – In support of BBC AMERICA’s U.S. premiere of four Doctor Who Specials, the Doctor himself, David Tennant, will appear alongside writer/executive producer Russell T Davies at this year’s Comic-Con in San Diego. They will take part in a Doctor Who panel along with executive producer Julie Gardner and director Euros Lyn, Sunday July 26, 10:00-11:00am PT.

David will travel to Comic-Con, fresh from the Doctor Who set, having shot his final scenes as the tenth Time Lord. He and fellow panelists will discuss the latest incarnation of television’s longest running science fiction series and take questions from the floor. There will also be exclusive sneak peeks from the upcoming specials.

Fans can visit the BBC AMERICA booth (#3629) to capture their own photograph alongside part of the Doctor Who set - as well as purchase exclusive merchandise including David Tennant figures.

Fans of BBC AMERICA’s highest rated show ever, Torchwood, which will have just completed the five-part special, Children of Earth, will get to chat with the stars and makers of the show first-hand. Just 48 hours after the last episode, the show makes a return visit to Comic-Con with a panel featuring star John Barrowman, writer/executive producer Russell T Davies, executive producer Julie Gardner and director Euros Lyn, Sunday July 26, 2:15-3:45pm PT.

As part of the same panel, Sunday July 26, 2:15-3:45pm PT, catch the talent from BBC AMERICA’s most buzzed about new sci fi drama, Being Human. Creator and writer, Toby Whithouse, plus lead actors Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow and Aidan Turner, talk about the inspiration for the show and what it’s like to play three twenty-somethings with secret double-lives – as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost. All four panelists will be signing exclusively at the BBC AMERICA booth, Saturday July 25, 3:00-4:00pm PT.

Cult comedy favorite and BAFTA-nominated, The Mighty Boosh, comes to Comic-Con for the first time to celebrate the airing of all three seasons on Adult Swim, and the BBC’s DVD release, just two days before the convention begins. Inspired by the Perrier Comedy Award-winning live comedy show, creators-stars Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, along with actors Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher and Dave Brown, will be on stage to discuss the magical, bizarre and exciting world of The Boosh, Friday, July 24, 4:45-5:45pm. The hit UK comedy series follows crazy zookeepers Howard Moon and Vince Noir and was described by The San Jose Mercury News as “an acid-trip fantasy-comedy [that] is seriously deranged and seriously funny.”

Fans can also catch exclusive BBC AMERICA screenings during the convention with back to back episodes of Doctor Who and Torchwood. Key talent from both shows introduce the last episode of the five part series Torchwood: Children of Earth and a U.S. premiere viewing of Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead, the first of four specials starring David Tennant.

Underground Toys (#3949) will be selling their entire Doctor Who and Torchwood lines of toys and novelty items. In addition, this year they will once again introduce new limited edition Comic-Con action figures that have never been seen before.

BBC AMERICA Comic-Con Panel and Signing Schedule

Friday, July 24
4:45-5:45pm The Mighty Boosh: creators-stars Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding along with actors Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher and Dave Brown will be on stage to discuss the magical, bizarre and exciting world of The Boosh, currently airing on Adult Swim and released on DVD by the BBC two days before the convention begins. The San Jose Mercury News describes the show as “an acid-trip fantasy-comedy [that] is seriously deranged and seriously funny.” Room 6A

3:30-4:30pm The Mighty Boosh signing in the Autograph Area.

Saturday, July 25
3:00-4:00pm Being Human: creator Toby Whithouse and actors Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow and Aidan Turner signing at the BBC AMERICA booth (#3629).

7:30-10:00pm Torchwood/Doctor Who: Key talent from both shows introduce the last episode of the five part series Torchwood: Children of Earth and an advance viewing of Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead, the first of four specials starring David Tennant. Room 6A

Sunday, July 26
10:00-11:00am Doctor Who: actor David Tennant, writer/executive producer Russell T Davies, director Euros Lyn and executive producer Julie Gardner discuss their creative process and experiences working on BBC AMERICA’s Doctor Who with exclusive clips and a Q&A session. Ballroom 20

2:15-3:45pm Being Human/Torchwood: Being Human creator Toby Whithouse and cast members Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow and Aidan Turner, are on stage to give an inside look at BBC AMERICA’s U.S. premiere sci-fi drama about the lives of three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives – as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost. Following that actor John Barrowman, creator/writer/executive producer Russell T Davies, executive producer Julie Gardner and director Euros Lyn talk about the making of the epic five-night television event Torchwood: Children of Earth as well as take questions from the fans. Room 6BCF

BBC America Announces Official "Torchwood: Children of Earth" Air Date, Kicks off BBC America HD

Just a few days after unveiling the world premiere of the new trailer for Torchwood: Children of the Earth, the third season of the Doctor Who spin-off series, the digital cabler has announced an official launch date for the Russell T. Davies-scripted event series.

BBC America will premiere Torchwood: Children of Earth on July 20th at 9 pm ET/PT. The third series, comprised of five serialized episodes, will air across five consecutive nights that week.

The timing of Torchwood's return to the schedule is linked to the launch of BBC America HD, a high-definition simulcast of the BBC America channel, which will also bow on July 20th to digital cabler subscribers.

"BBC AMERICA is a truly unique channel in the cable landscape," said Garth Ancier, President of BBC Worldwide America in a statement. "We bring viewers some of the best programs on television and now with the option to experience them in HD, they’re going to be even better. The launch of BBC AMERICA HD coupled with the existing VOD channel, BBC AMERICA On-Demand, expands the opportunity for viewers and distributors to access the best of British entertainment."

The week of July 20th will see not only the launch of BBC America HD but a slew of new programming intended to capitalize on the HD feed, such as the aforementioned Torchwood: Children of Earth, the latest Doctor Who special ("Planet of the Dead") starring David Tennant and Michelle Ryan, and the launch of supernatural drama series Being Human.

The full press release from BBC America announcing the launch of BBC America HD and Torchwood: Children of Earth can be found below.

BBC AMERICA HD LAUNCHES JULY 20 WITH A SPECIAL SCI-FI WEEK
- U.S. Premieres of Torchwood: Children of Earth, Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead and Being Human to Air in HD -
New York, NY - Monday, June 1, 2009 - BBC Worldwide launches BBC AMERICA HD on July 20 with the high-definition simulcast of BBC AMERICA. BBC AMERICA HD kicks off with an extraordinary week of sci-fi U.S. premieres - the return of the channel’s highest rated series, Torchwood, the latest Doctor Who special, Planet of the Dead, the BBC AMERICA co-production, Being Human and the thrilling season finale of Primeval, Season 3.

Since its inception in 1998, BBC AMERICA has seen substantial growth, recently celebrating its highest ratings ever in total live viewers for the first quarter of 2009. The channel is responsible for bringing the BBC’s world renowned news stateside with BBC World News America as well as some of the year’s most buzzed about and critically acclaimed UK shows - from the popular Torchwood and addictive Mistresses to the provocative Skins and charming Gavin & Stacey. It has introduced American audiences to such marquee series as The Office, Top Gear and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. This unique and high quality programming has aided BBC AMERICA to see an increase in ad sales of almost 40% in the last year. It has also secured the channel two Golden Globes, six Peabody Awards and availability in over 64 million households nationwide.

Garth Ancier, President, BBC Worldwide America says, “BBC AMERICA is a truly unique channel in the cable landscape. We bring viewers some of the best programs on television and now with the option to experience them in HD, they’re going to be even better. The launch of BBC AMERICA HD coupled with the existing VOD channel, BBC AMERICA On-Demand, expands the opportunity for viewers and distributors to access the best of British entertainment.”

The highly anticipated return of Torchwood: Children of Earth will kick off the first of BBC AMERICA’s HD offerings. Told over five consecutive nights starting July 20 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, the series re-joins Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) as they are still coming to terms with the death of two of their closest friends. Yet despite their pain, they know they have a job to do. This time they are faced with their fiercest threat to date - one which throws the future of Torchwood and the entire human race spiralling into danger. Battling against the odds, do they stand a chance of saving mankind?

Also airing in HD on Sunday, July 26 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT is the U.S premiere of the first of the last four Doctor Who specials featuring David Tennant as the tenth Time Lord. In the latest special, Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead, the Doctor (David Tennant) must join forces with the mysterious Lady Christina (Michelle Ryan), when a London bus takes a detour to an alien world. But the mysterious planet holds terrifying secrets, hidden in the sand. And time is running out, as the deadly Swarm gets closer.

On Saturday July 25 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, the monster hit, Primeval concludes its third season in high-definition style. As the embattled team continues to fight against unrelenting threats and creatures, Helen (Juliet Aubry) is attempting to stop the destruction of the Earth by traveling back in time to prevent humans from evolving. The team is determined to go back to the future and stop her before she can hurt anyone else but is forced to split up when a fracture in time causes another destructive creature to appear.

The lauded BBC AMERICA co-production, Being Human premieres in HD on Saturday July 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. A witty and intriguing look into the lives of three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives – as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost - the trio do their best to live their lives as normally as possible, despite their strange and dark secrets. But with unwelcome intruders into their world, a threatened revolution from the vampire underworld and constant threats of exposure – on top of the day-to-day issues faced by young people – the only thing they may be able to rely on in their heightened world, is each other.

Trailer Park: BBC One and BBC America Unveil New Trailer for "Torchwood: Children of Earth"

"A man who can't die has got nothing to fear."

With less than two months to go until the debut of Season Three of Torchwood, BBC One and BBC America have released a world premiere of the new trailer for the third season of the Doctor Who spin-off, kicking off in July.

The five-night event series--entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth--is written by Russell T. Davies, John Fay, and James Moran and directed by the incomparable Euros Lyn.

Torchwood: Children of Earth stars John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Garth David-Lloyd, and features guest stars such as Kai Owen, Tom Price, Peter Capaldi (The Thick of It), Lucy Cohu (Meadowlands), Susan Brown (Dalziel and Pascoe), Nick Briggs (Doctor Who), and Paul Copley (The Lakes).

The full trailer for Torchwood: Children of Earth can be found below.



Torchwood: Children of Earth will air on BBC One and BBC America this July.

Channel Surfing: Starz to "Party Down" for Season Two, FOX Orders "Human Target" and "Sons of Tucson," "Torchwood" Ignites in July, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Good news: pay cabler Starz has renewed comedy series Party Down, from creators Rob Thomas, John Enbom, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd, for a second season. The entire cast of Season One of Party Down will return for a sophomore season, though Jane Lynch's commitment to FOX's upcoming series Glee could create complications for her return and the actress is the only cast member who isn't already signed on for a second season. Party Down will return to production this summer for a Season Two launch date sometime in 2010. Also returning: directors Fred Savage and Bryan Gordon, who will direct episodes of the series, along with Ken Marino, who is locked to helm an installment as well. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin, Variety)

FOX has reportedly ordered pilots Human Target, from Warner Bros Television, and comedy Sons of Tucson, from 20th Century Fox Television, to series. FOX had no comment on the news, which is hardly surprising as the network will unveil its schedule to advertisers on Monday. Human Target stars Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and Jackie Earle Haley; it revolves around a man hired to pose as people whose lives are in danger, becoming in effect a human target. (Series is based on a DC Comics/Vertigo title.) Sons of Tucson, starring Tyler Labine and Natalie Morales, follows a hustler who is hired to pose as the father of three kids whose real father is in jail for white collar crimes. Series was created by Tommy Dewey and Greg Bratman. (Variety)

BBC America has announced that Torchwood's third season, comprised of five episodes, will air this July, following a similar air pattern as BBC One in the UK and will air day-and-date with the UK airings. (You can take a look at the trailer for season three, Torchwood: Children of Earth, here.) (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)

FOX has renewed drama Lie to Me for a second season of thirteen episodes and has hired The Shield creator Shawn Ryan to come aboard as showrunner on the 20th Century Fox Television-produced series. The hiring doesn't mean curtains for Ryan's other series, CBS' The Unit, however; should that series be picked up for another season, Ryan will juggle duties on both of the 20th-produced series. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, Hollywood Reporter)

Meanwhile, Dollhouse is said to still be alive at FOX, with Hollywood Reporter's Nellie Andreeva reporting that "cult favorite Dollhouse is still alive, with the final decision hinging on the low-rated series' economics." (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC's Scrubs is said to be inching its way to a ninth season renewal following reports that offers have gone out to the series' cast, with many of them--including Zach Braff--expected to return for a ninth season, even if only for a handful of episodes. (Variety)

The New York Post is reporting that Desperate Housewives' Lily Tomlin and Kathryn Joosten, who play Roberta and Karen McClusky on the ABC drama, are in talks to reprise their roles in an untitled spin-off focusing on their characters. (New York Post)

Showtime has confirmed that Alanis Morissette will will appear in at least seven episodes of Season Five of Weeds, which launches Monday, June 8th. Morisette will guest star in the series as no-nonsense clinic OB/GYN Dr. Audra Kitson, who treats Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) for her pregnancy. (via press release)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton will not be returning to One Tree Hill for the series' seventh season, launching on the CW this fall. Their final appearances on the series will air this Monday on the season finale. The reason behind their departure? Failed contract negotiations, according to Ausiello, who says that two new characters will be introduced next season to fill the void left behind by Murray and Burton and Austin Nichols will be bumped to series regular. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

A&E announced a slew of scripted development at their upfront yesterday, including the The Quickening from writer Jennifer Salt (Nip/Tuck) about a bi-polar LAPD cop who goes off of her medication; Night Falls, about a Manhattan cop with a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality disorder, from writer Daniel Connolly and executive producer Brian Robbins; an untitled Matthew Carnahan cop drama which splits its focus on the criminals and the FBI team assigned to track them down; and James Ellroy-scripted drama The Lead Sheet, a period drama set in the 1970s as the LAPD looks to capture the elusive Hillside Strangler. Two of those projects will get pilot greenlights in the next few weeks, joining Jerry Bruckheimer's Cooler Kings. (Variety)

Nikki Finke is reporting that ABC pilots Limelight and No Heroics are dead, while Romantically Challenged "came in better than expected but star Alysso Milano was worse than expected." At CBS, Miami Trauma and Three Rivers are both fighting for a slot on the schedule. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Universal Media Studios have signed an overall deal with former Scrubs writers Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman, who co-created comedy pilot Nobody's Watching with Bill Lawrence. Under the terms of the deal, they will come aboard upcoming NBC comedy series Community as executive producers, working alongside creator Dan Harmon on the series, and will develop new projects for the studio hopefully in the 2010-2011 season. (Hollywood Reporter)

In other deal-related news, CBS Television Studios has signed a two-year overall deal with writer Ken Sanzel, under which he will remain showrunner on CBS drama NUMB3RS, should the series be renewed for a fifth season. Failing a renewal, Sanzel will be shifted over to another CBS Television Studios series. (Variety)

Discovery has announced another HD nature documentary series entitled Wild Planet: North America, on which the cabler will team with former BBC Natural History Unit head Keith Scholey as part of the first of a batch of documentary series that will catalogue the planet's natural beauty continent by continent. (Hollywood Reporter)

ABC is developing a US adaptation of Dutch reality series Find My Family with RDF USA and executive producer Tom Forman (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) in which everyday people, desperate to track down a long-lost friend or relative, get reunited with their missing individual. Project, which just recently wrapped production on a pilot, will be hosted by Tim Green and Lisa Joyner. (Variety)

Stay tuned.