Torchwood, Anyone?

Does anybody around here watch Torchwood on BBC America? I've been intrigued by the show for a while and have watched parts of several episodes, and am sure that I'd love it if I stuck with it, but haven't so far, not quite. If you're like me, you probably have shows that you're pretty certain that you would like, or are inclined to like merely from the description, but maybe haven't gotten around to yet. Torchwood is one of those for me.

It's from the folks who bring you Doctor Who, and I'd also put the new DW into the "intend to watch but haven't quite gotten there yet" category, too. I've watched several of the recent episodes and have liked them a lot, but haven't quite gotten into the groove of watching regularly. This obviously says more about my intermittent viewing patterns than anything about the show, which has received uniformly positive feedback and deservedly so.

I used to watch a great deal more BBC America than I do these days. There's so much more reality programming than there used to be, which for me is not a positive. BBCA used to program a LOT more British comedy, and that's a real loss for us. They still show Coupling, which is an entertaining show, especially the seasons with Richard Coyne as Jeff. When an episode revolved around him, the show was golden -- insanely hilarious. BBCA still runs Little Britain, thank goodness, and the original The Office, but we're not seeing a lot of the great stuff we used to see. Where's The Mighty Boosh anymore, or Red Dwarf, or other old favorites or especially new cutting edge programs that we're missing over here? My gosh, the channel used to play fascinating stuff like the Dennis Pennis series (savage celebrity punking), Black Books, and other wonderful comedies. I really miss them.

No doubt they're playing it safe by taking the easy way out with middle-of-the-road crowd pleasers like cooking shows, antique shows, home makeover and personal makeover shows -- just like a lot of other cable networks. At least the personalities are Brits, which gives them a leg up in my book, but it's more of the same, isn't it? And also no doubt probably the ratings are up for the network. Any of us who know how TV works understand what you've got to do to attract viewers, but as viewers, some of us long for something a little different, and we're not quite getting it anymore from BBC America, not like we used to.

Am I an old crab? I'm grumbling too much, aren't I? Sorry about that....