I’ve been watching BBC America for years and I can’t remember a time when they rolled out so much original material in the span of a week. There is a method to their madness. The brand spanking new BBC America HD channel launched on Monday, coinciding with the premiere of Torchwood: Children of Earth. Further proof of how much cable has changed the television landscape. Back when Networks ruled the roost, July was a dead zone for fresh programming. Nowadays the cable outlets shrewdly utilize the summer months to unveil their top shows. USA Network, TNT and A&E have all successfully employed this strategy.
Here’s a quick look at what’s on tap for America’s BBC this week.
Torchwood: Children of Earth – We are smack dab in the middle of this buzz worthy miniseries. It started a bit slow for my tastes on Monday, but last night’s installment shifted things into high gear. The plot has a Village of the Damned feel to it what with all the alien-like kids threatening to take over the world. There’s also some solid character development with Captain Jack, Ianto and Gwen. For more, check out CliqueClack’s own Jason Hughes’ excellent take on the series.
Being Human – I’ve been waiting for this one. It sounds like a freakish version of Three’s Company. A vampire, werewolf and ghost all take up residence in a Bristol flat. High jinks ensue. To be honest, I’ve purposely avoided potential spoilers so as not to ruin it for me. I did take a peek at some creature effects and came away impressed. At any rate, the series debuts Saturday night at 9pm here in the states.
Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead – I touched on the newest Doctor Who special a couple weeks back in this column. There’s only a few more of these featuring David Tennant as top doc. This time around, the good doctor is trapped on a desert planet with no TARDIS. Uh oh! In addition, something terrifying lurks below the sand. Not good. Will he be able to get back to Earth before being consumed by this hidden evil? I’ll have to tune in Sunday at 8pm to find out.
Whew. That’s what I call action packed. If not for other viewing obligations, I’d leave my DirecTV tuner set to BBC America until next Monday morning. If you’re an Anglophile like me, you should have little trouble finding stuff to watch. Grab a pint and some chips for a jolly good week.
Clacked by Scott Tunstall 
on Jul 22, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
