Next week, starting Monday, July 20th at 9 o'clock, BBC America will be airing the five part Torchwood miniseries entitled "Children of Earth." There are five episodes for this mini-season, one airing each day next week, and each episode lasting a little over an hour. Supposedly they are also being played in HD - a first for BBC America. I was fortunate enough to have watched all five episodes of "Children ofEarth" these last few days, and I must say that they were excellent! Fantastic! So, I thought I'd give you a little information to spark your interest and to let you in on this fantastic, little known (in the US anyway) show.

Torchwood is a science fiction/dark drama spin-off of the ever popular and always fantastic Doctor Who (someday, when I have time to gush, a Doctor Who blog will come - I LOVE it!), but you do not really need to know much about Doctor Who to appreciate Torchwood. In fact, even though these five new episodes are part of a shortened third season, you don't really need to know much about Torchwood to watch them! These five episodes stand alone in their own way, and although a little background knowledge will help you appreciate some of the emotional content and the character relationships, it is not at all needed to enjoy the show. If you've seen Torchwood in passing on BBC America or SciFi (SyFy now), or if you've never even heard of the show at all, this is a great place to start.

The basic premise of the miniseries is that aliens have come to Earth, and they are having a strange effect on the children. The question: What do these aliens want? The problem: The government is hiding a terrible secret from the past. Enter Torchwood, a secret agency formed to protect Great Britain from alien invasion and to study extraterrestrial technology. Torchwood is lead by Captain Jack Harkness (played by John Barrowman), the center figure of the show, and at the time of this series, also consists of Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones. The only other character you would need to know is Rhys Williams, Gwen's husband - the "normal" bloke, if you will. Torchwood doesn't really work for/with the government anymore, although the agency was originally much larger and much more powerful (and a bit evil, it seems). The three remaining members have a secret underground base in Cardiff filled with crazy machinery and some captured aliens. Gwen, an ex-cop, seeks to live a somewhat normal life with Rhys. She is totally kick-ass, and the gap between her front teeth becomes somehow endearing. Ianto (pronounced yawn-toe), once an errand boy and now a full-fledged member, is in love with Jack. Jack...well, I'll tell you what you need to know about Jack:

1. Jack was a Time Agent and is from a 51st century Earth-colony in outer space.

On a, I think, necessary note, Captain Jack once worked with another Time Agent named Captain John Hart. Captain John was played by James Marsters (Spike - of Buffy fame). Jack and John were also lovers - and, in season 2, there is a great scene with them both in it - and yes, they do beat each other bloody. And then make out. Sigh. Perfection.

2. Jack cannot die. It would take me too long to explain; something happened to him in a Doctor Who episode that made him immortal (a great episode). He also doesn't age.

Jack's past is mysterious, but he eventually got stuck in the 19th century and was forced to live to modern day (again). This somewhat explains his strange wardrobe that consists of a retro-military coat and some snappy suspenders.

3. Jack's omnisexual, i.e. he'll have sex with anyone - regardless of their sex or species. His current love interest is Ianto (I love Ianto - he's the best!). Jack is one sexy horn-dog, though. He's also hilarious and a little bit evil.

From tardis.wikia.com: "Once, when sentenced to death, [Captain Jack] ordered four hypervodkas as a last meal and ended up bedding both executioners (at the same time)."

The show has a lot of violence and a lot of sex. At times, it's super cheese-tastic, as any good sci-fi usually is. What sucks, of course, is that when it is aired in America it is usually cut up and censored a bit, but I think most of "Children of Earth" will make it to the air (minus Captain Jack's nakedness - sorry). The show is dark - very dark, so don't expect to finish watching with a smile. But you can expect to be enthralled by great action, fun acting, a lot of clever dialogue, good characters, and a hard-hitting, emotional impact. It left me wanting more, and I can't wait to see where Jack shows up next (in David Tennant's last show, perhaps?).

I'm telling you to watch this miniseries!! If you're already a Torchwood fan, let me know what you think of it. If you're watching it for the first time, tell me your reaction and look for the first two seasons on NetFlix or BBC America. I think you'll like it!

For further enticement, check out the trailer below!