In spite of the excessive damage done to the show's lead character, apparently the BBC feels that there's at least one more season in the show. It will be in various locations, and both BBC and Starz are involved.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchwood/torchwood_new_series/

Considering the ratings and reviews for the miniseries last year, I'm not surprised. I do hope Chibnall is more heavily involved (the showrunner of seasons 1 and 2) though... (last year I know he was a writer on Law and Order UK, oddly...) But I'll be glad to have it back. (and yeah, Carl, I know we disagree here ) Still the fact RTDavies only wrote the PILOT of the first two seasons, and reportedly wasn't further directly involved, before writing the controversial among fans miniseries has me concerned...

Interesting they're pairing upwith Starz. The only original programming I know from them are Party Down and Spartacus--I guess they really wanna get in the cable tv game.

Edited June 8, 201015 yr by EricMontreal22

I guess Chibnall is staying with Law and Order UK. How boring. Anyway, from ew.com

Captain Jack is back — and Starz has him!

The cable net has acquired U.S. television rights to the next installment of Torchwood. The 10-episode cycle is slated to air in summer 2011 on both Starz (in the U.S.) and BBC One (in the UK).

Several new characters are expected to come on board, joining franchise vets John Barrowman and Eve Myles. Russell T. Davies, meanwhile, will be back as showrunner.

The new episodes will take on more of an “international scope,” says Starz, adding, “The new series will allow Davies and his writing team to tell a more explosive and global story, one that takes advantage of the unlimited narrative opportunities of a premium television service like Starz.”

The news comes several weeks after Fox passed on a U.S. version of Torchwood.

You knew Chibnall wrote two episodes of Doctor Who this season? They aired a few weeks ago.

They were about the return of the Silariuans.

They got a very mixed reaction, at best, although I put that more on spotty direction and not so great casting; the scripts themselves had a lot of interesting ideas.

I guess Starz is a good home for what RTD seems to see Torchwood as being -- a lot of death in pretty locations. I just wish they could replace Jack. I know they will never go without Gwen, as Davies seems to love her character, but Jack has been permanently compromised, not helped by some wooden work from John Barrowman in what were supposed to be key emotional moments of Children of Earth.

Edited June 8, 201015 yr by CarlD2

I don't think any horrific damage was done to Jack. Torchwood is a dark show, the characters sometimes have to make unthinkable choices, and Children of Earth was by far the best series it ever had. It leaves the first two in the dust, despite some appealing characters - I mean, I only bothered watching those first two years for the cast, because the stories never really did it until the third year. They can only keep going forward after that triumph, and I hope they do dump Chibnall and most of the other prior writers who just couldn't do the job. I'll miss Ianto, but life goes on. And I love both Barrowman and Eve Myles.

Edited June 8, 201015 yr by Vee

I wouldn't have minded the unthinkable choices part but I thought it was more like unthinkable stupidity. Jack is supposed to be the leader with centuries of experience, yet he and Ianto go to confront aliens they know are very dangerous and deadly, with their only backup being handguns. Then, what do you know, these aliens respond to their silly gun-waving by killing them both. Even when Jack's bad decisions cost Ianto his life, Jack could barely say a comforting word to the man as he's there dying. Yet the whole thing was basically forgotten by the next episode anyway, because Jack then had to kill a grandson who was known to viewers for about an hour.

I think the idea of difficult decisions and fatal consequences is potentially brilliant but I thought CoE just threw these deaths together without any real foundation because they knew it was an easy way to get a reaction out of viewers.

I don't think it was forgotten at all, though. And unfortunately, Jack is such a damaged, closed-off person given his immortality that it took him too late to begin to come to terms with what Ianto really meant to him. That was a huge subtext in COE and at the end all he could mutter was "don't." But I think we knew what he meant.

And yes, Jack's grandson's death did really jolt me.

I guess I'm not sure whether Ianto was supposed to have meant that much to him -- Jack has had so many lovers over the years, and they had him getting over the whole thing by the time of David Tennant's regeneration episodes. I think he did care for Ianto but I think that was something which some fans made into more of a relationship than RTD might have seen as one, based on some of RTD's interviews after CoE.

I did think the casting for most of the guest stars in CoE was brilliant and I thought they gave some phenomenal performances, especially Frobisher and the woman who engineered a government coup at the end. If they can cast that level of quality in their guest stars again then the new season will be in good shape.

Vee, I agree with you as well though Carl and I have argued about this already probably as much as we can.

Carl, just cuz Jack had had so many lovers over the years doesn't mean Ianto wasn't one of the more important to him--I think there was a reason they didn't instantly jump in the sack like Jack does with most of his lovers, only a select few seem to have been genuinely involved relationships, and there's no doubt that Ianto was one, IMHO. Didn't RTD say the reason they killed Ianto was precisely because it was at the time the most serious relationship between any two of the leads? I dunno, I still found them killing off Toshiko as worse, and I think people claiming they were trying to de-gay the show is ludicruous though I do agree they fed off of the fandem for the gay characters, knowing that would make the biggest impact on audiences, good and bad.

I still think Chibnall, especially in his Season 2 eps was the best writer for the show though

I thank God every day Chibnall is gone. He simply couldn't've pulled off COE.

You didn't enjoy anything about the second season of Torchwood at all then?

I do think Davies strength is in tight, short intense seasons like COE

Former AMC star Alexa Havins has been cast in the female lead role!

Captain Jack is putting the finishing touches on his new Torchwood team.

Sources confirm to me exclusively that All My Children starlet (and upcoming Grey’s Anatomy guest star) Alexa Havins has joined the upcoming fourth season of the cult smash as a series regular. Read more...

She joins recently added guest star Dichen Lachman (of Dollhouse fame) and previous announced series reg. stars Mekhi Phifer, Bill Pullman and Arlene Tur (also guest starring).

Well that's random. Eve Myles has been the Mary Sue of Torchwood for years. Alexa Havens was the Mary Sue of AMC for years. I guess now it will be a fight to see which one will play the most sainted role.

VERY random--as is the cast in general. I'm willing to give it a chance though.

Eve Myles is the heroine of the show. I've never had a problem with her. And I think AH will do okay when she's not being written by Megan McTavish.

Edited January 6, 201114 yr by Vee