Here is the trailer for Torchwood: Children of Earth, the third season of the Doctor Who spinoff. Torchwood: Children of Earth is a miniseries that will air on five consecutive nights on BBC One in the UK in late spring or early summer, and will air on the exact same days in the US on BBC America, so there will only be a lag time of a few hours for US fans this season instead of the usual weeks or months.

The two hour pilot of Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel, will be released first on DVD on April 21st, with the series proper to debut on the Sci Fi Channel in 2010. Caprica is set fifty-one years before BSG, focusing on the rivalry between the Adama and the Graystone families as well as the creation of the Cylons. The showrunner is former 24 writer/producer Remi Aubuchon.

It looks like the next DC Comics superhero to hit the big screen will be Green Lantern. Warner Bros. has a script by Eli Stone creators Greg Berlanti & Marc Guggenheim and former Smallville and Heroes writer Michael Green, and the studio is in final negotiations with Casino Royale director Martin Campbell to direct. No casting yet, but the film will feature the Hal Jordan incarnation of the character.

Just eight days until the premiere of Joss Whedon's new show, Dollhouse. Some reviews have suggested the first episode is a little uneven, but that's to be expected. All of Whedon's previous shows took a little time to find their voice, too. I just hope the FOX network shows some patience, unlike with Firefly.

According to online reports, Doctor Who spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures, which wraps up its second season in the next two weeks, has been renewed for a third and final season to air next year.

The other Who spinoff, Torchwood, will broadcast its third season next spring, and has been renewed for a fourth and final season to air in early 2010.

It seems the BBC wants to give new Who showrunner Steven Moffat a clean slate without continuity-linked spinoffs, so both The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood will come to an end before the 2010 season of Who. This makes me sad.

Review: Torchwood: Lost Souls

BBC Radio 4 celebrated the switching on of CERN's Large Hadron Collider with what it dubbed the Big Bang Day. One of the elements of this was a 44-minute Torchwood audio play featuring the television show's regular cast (John Barrowman as Captain Jack, Eve Myles as Gwen, and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto) and special guest star Freema Agyeman (reprising her Doctor Who-originated role of Dr. Martha Jones).

Writer Joseph Lidster, who scripted one of the stronger episodes of the second season ("A Day in the Death") and is also a veteran author of Doctor Who audio plays, delivers a solid story set sometime after the second season finale, with Team Torchwood still dealing with the tragedy that befell them. When Dr. Martha Jones from UNIT calls them to Switzerland to help her investigate a mystery, can Team Torchwood save the day once again?

Lost Souls is a satisfying entry in the Torchwood mythos. The voice cast is in good form as their familiar characters (successfully making the transition from television), there are chills to be had for the listeners, and it provides some needed closure after the second season finale.

Torchwood: Lost Souls is available as a free mp3 download until September 17th from here.

The third season of Torchwood just began production in Cardiff. As previously announced, instead of a thirteen episode season it'll consist of five episodes aired on consecutive nights as a BBC One miniseries in Spring 2009. The title of the miniseries is Torchwood: Children of Earth.

Creator Russell T Davies returns to serve as showrunner in place of Chris Chibnall, who left after two seasons to become the showrunner of the upcoming Law & Order: London. Davies is writing two of the episodes, with former Coronation Street staff writer John Fay writing two more and James Moran (writer of last season's "Sleeper") writing the remaining one. Euros Lyn, director of nine episodes and two mini-episodes of Doctor Who (including "The Unquiet Dead" and "The Girl in the Fireplace"), will direct all five episodes.

The principal cast consists of John Barrowman as Captain Jack, Eve Myles as Gwen, and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto. Previous rumors of Doctor Who's Freema Agyeman (Martha) and Noel Clarke (Mickey) joining the cast have been proven untrue. Supporting cast members Kai Owen and Tom Price will also return as Gwen's husband Rhys and PC Andy respectively. Peter Capaldi, Paul Copely, and Liz May Brice are the major guest stars.

As for Law & Order: London, with former Torchwood showrunner Chibnall and producer Richard Stokes moving over to take on the same roles here, as well as Who's Agyeman as a prosecutor and Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber as a police officer, I'm interested in seeing it.

A new version of the cult television show The Prisoner is being produced as a miniseries with Jim Caviezel as Number Six and Ian McKellen as Number Two. It's a co-production by America's AMC network and the UK's ITV network, set to air in 2009. The showrunner is Bill Gallagher, creator of the BBC's 2004 miniseries Conviction.

Actor Don S. Davis passed away yesterday. He was best known as Major Briggs on Twin Peaks, Scully's father on The X-Files, and General Hammond on Stargate SG-1. R.I.P.

I was watching the new episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent last night and I thought guest star Indira Varma looked familiar before the credits listed her name, then I realized she was Suzie from Torchwood.

It's been confirmed that the third season of Torchwood will consist of only five episodes, at least one of which will be written by creator Russell T Davies. The episodes will form one big story arc. They're expected to air on consecutive nights in early 2009 on BBC One (the first two seasons were aired on BBC Two and BBC Three). John Barrowman is the only cast member confirmed to be returning, although season two guest star James Marsters has said he'll also return.

Along with Doctor Who only airing four specials in 2009 instead of a full season, sibling show Torchwood will only have five episodes in its third season, also set to air in 2009. They'll be broadcast on consecutive nights in the UK, making it more of a miniseries. It'll be interesting to see what direction the show goes in now that showrunner Chris Chibnall has moved on to the same position for the upcoming Law & Order: London. He was Torchwood's best writer last season, so his absence will be felt.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.13, "Exit Wounds"

With a script by showrunner Chris Chibnall, who impressively outwrote Cath Tregenna and Peter J. Hammond this season, and the well-publicized return of James Marsters as rogue Time Agent Captain John Hart, it promised to be an explosive second season finale, and, oh, it was, both literally and emotionally.

I think it's the best episode of the second season, and also worthy of being ranked with the first season episodes by Tregenna and Hammond.

It's so good that I'm glad there are such shows on television. Let me put it this way: if it wasn't for a show called Battlestar Galactica, Torchwood would be the best genre show currently on television.

Warning: spoilers below, please highlight the white space with your mouse to read them.

Chibnall lead us to expect Captain John to be the Big Bad of the finale, only to cleverly reveal that Captain Jack's long lost brother Gray was the real Big Bad. Well played, sir!

I already knew Toshiko and Owen would die, but their death scenes were very well written and acted. They were two of my favorite characters, and I miss them already.

Their deaths clear the way for Martha to return as a full-time member of Team Torchwood next season. Some rumors have suggested Mickey from Doctor Who as the second new member, but what about PC Andy or even Rhys? Marsters recently hinted that his character will also return next season.

I loved the references to two Doctor Who episodes, "Aliens of London" and "Love and Monsters".

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.12, "Fragments"

The penultimate episode of the second season features another strong story written by showrunner Chris Chibnall. It begins and ends on notes of high suspense for Team Torwchwood, and everything in-between is something fans have been clamoring for, setting up what promises to be an amazing season finale. As good as the first season was, the second has been even better, and I don't expect the finale to disappoint.

Warning: spoilers below, please highlight the white space with your mouse to read them.

It's fascinating to learn how each team member became a part of Torchwood, including Captain Jack's initial encounter with the Victorian-era organization. Some old school Doctor Who fans are already complaining about the portrayal of UNIT in Tosh's backstory, but I can easily square it away as a post-Lethbridge-Stewart UNIT that may play by different rules. And, yay, we get the secret origin of Myfanwy, too! The return of James Marsters as Captain John with who he claims is Jack's missing brother Gray is a great way to end the episode but it doesn't bode well for the team in the season finale.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.10, "From Out of the Rain"

Peter J. Hammond, writer of the first season's outstanding "Small Worlds", returns with another creepy story. It may not be as good or as disturbing as its predecessor (I wanted to see an ending with a little more emotional impact), but it's still effective and we learn just a tiny bit more about Captain Jack's past along the way. Director Jonathan Fox Bassett gets the most out of the story's creepy vibe.

The final three episodes of the season are all from head writer Chris Chibnall, and some of them promise to reveal even more about the back-stories of Team Torchwood. Should be good.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.11, "Adrift"

Showrunner Chris Chibnall wrote this episode, and while its tone feels more like an episode from the first season, it also reveals how much he's developed as a writer since last season. It's not the cracky fun of Chibnall's season opener, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang". Instead it's in the serious vein of a Cath Tregenna-penned story, with an emotional ending that really grips your heart. However one cares to describe it, it works very well. Horrible sound mix, though. The music and background sound effects frequently drown out the dialog.

Warning: spoilers below, please highlight the white space with your mouse to read them.

It's nice to see a Gwen-centric episode. She's seemed to be too much in the background at times this season. And, yay, PC Andy returns--and is jealous of Rhys!

This is pretty cool, a fanvid that imagines what Torchwood's opening credits would be like if they were done in the style of Angel's opening credits (complete with that show's theme).

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.9, "Something Borrowed"

This episode is certified to be made of win. Writer Phil Ford, whose past credits include episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures and popular British soap Coronation Street, blends the influences of science fiction and soap opera into a story that's funny, fast-paced, absurd, and even romantic at times as...

Warning: spoilers below, please highlight the white space with your mouse to read them.

...Gwen tries to survive both her wedding and an alien-induced pregnancy.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.8, "A Day in the Death"

After the disappointment of the previous episode, the show bounces back with a fine tale that begins in a place of darkness and finds its way to the light by the end. The script by Joseph Lidster, best known for his Doctor Who audio plays, puts the focus on...

Warning: spoilers below, please highlight the white space with your mouse to read them.

...Owen's response to his demise and return as a reanimated corpse. As one can imagine, Owen is emotionally traumatized and how he ultimately deals with that reveals a lot about who he is. Rather than pull a deus ex machina out of the hat that sees Owen returned to life (although it won't surprise me if something like that happens later this season or next season), the episode instead finds Owen coming to terms with what happened and finding a good reason to go on. On another note, I miss Martha already.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.7, "Dead Man Walking"

Writer Matt Jones, who began his career as a columnist for Doctor Who Magazine and was a script editor for Torchwood creator Russell T Davies' Queer as Folk, brings some interesting ideas to the table here but just isn't able to fully realize them. The episode is a bit disappointing and simply not on the same level as its predecessors this season. For one thing, Jones isn't able to bring the emotional resonance to the story needed to develop its themes and serve as a follow-up to the events of the previous episode.

Things that didn't work:

Warning: spoilers below, please highlight the white space with your mouse to read them.

1. The child tarot reader revealing the location of the second resurrection glove is a poorly conceived deus ex machina. It would have been simpler and more interesting had Jack known its location all along.

2. The Grim Reaper. Are we supposed to believe it really is Death and killing thirteen people will allow it continued freedom? If it's the thing lurking in the darkness that Suzie referred to last season, it's not very impressive.

3. The Weevils are used as red herrings.

4. Not enough Martha!

That said, the CGI effects are great and it's good to see that Owen is still alive, at least in some fashion.

Reviews: Torchwood & Jericho

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.5, "Adam"

Cath Tregenna, you are not the weakest link. Her background as a playwright makes her an ideal writer of character-driven stories that further develop who those characters are. She succeeds once again, but this time she tears the scabs off of old emotional wounds and pours salt into them, forcing Captain Jack to give up something very precious to save the day. As promised, we learn more about Jack's past, but we also learn more about each team member and the emotional scars they hide. Tregenna's emotionally gripping script is matched by the quality of the acting. This may be her finest work on the show yet.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.6, "Reset"

J.C. Wilsher, best known as the creator of the police drama Between the Lines, serves up a fun but suspenseful story where investigation and undercover work are key ingredients. Compared to the darkness of "Adam", "Reset" is much lighter in tone. At least until the final scene, which ends the episode like a punch to the gut. Also, a certain character appears in the episode, namely...

Warning: spoilers below, please highlight the white space with your mouse to read them.

...Martha Jones, former companion of the Tenth Doctor! Squee! Martha has earned her medical degree and now serves as a medical officer for UNIT, a position she was recommended for by the Doctor himself. I love Martha and I'm so happy to see her again, more confident than ever due to her experiences traveling in a blue police box. Many references to the Doctor are made by Martha and Jack, including an explanation to one of the others that they "served under the same Doctor."

As for the gut punch, it's seeing Owen being shot dead. I knew something bad would happen, because earlier he finally accepts Toshiko's offer of a date. However, considering revelations about Owen in last season's "Combat" and the heavy presence of weevils in the preview of next week's episode, I have a hunch that his death may not be permanent.

Review: Jericho, Episode 2.1, "Reconstruction"

As fans know, the opening titles are set to morse code that spells out a different message each week. This episode's was so appropriate for a show that was canceled only to be revived due to fan support: "We're baaack". Indeed, they are. The second season premiere hits like gangbusters, rectifying the first season's cliffhanger ending and setting up the new ground rules for the town of Jericho. I like where it's going.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.4, "Meat"

Playwright Cath Tregenna, responsible for two of last season's strongest episodes, "Out of Time" and "Captain Jack Harkness", wrote this one. It's simply not what I expected from her, but in an entirely good way. As different in tone from her previous efforts as it is, the wow factor is still just as high. It's fast paced and action packed, while being genuinely disturbing at times and having an element of tragedy to it. She also injects some of her trademark character development (Rhys suddenly becomes much more interesting) and knack for good dialog (some of which is LOL worthy, see the excerpt below). The second season of Torchwood is a successful four of four so far, and next week's episode features another Tregenna script that promises to reveal more about Captain Jack's past. I can't wait.

Warning: spoilers below, please highlight the white space with your mouse to read them.

Gwen: Have you ever eaten alien meat? Captain Jack: Yeah. Gwen: What was it like? Captain Jack: He seemed to enjoy it.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.2, "Sleeper"

Another quality episode, with a cracking good script by James Moran (co-writer of the horror film "Severance"). It's more serious than the season opener, but not lacking a sense of humor (it's also a bit gory at times). It's episodes like this where the show lives up to the concept of being a sexy British cousin of The X-Files.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.3, "To the Last Man"

To use an American sports metaphor, Torchwood steps into the batter's box for the third time in its second season and hits a third home run. As I've mentioned before, I thought the first season began a bit slowly, but I'm very impressed by the second season so far. It's like the creative staff have figured it all out and now it's just completely on target.

Without giving away any spoilers, let me just say that "To the Last Man" is similar in tone to two of the absolute best episodes from the first season, "Out of Time" and "Captain Jack Harkness" (both written by playwright Cath Tregenna). This one is from Helen Raynor, writer of last season's "Ghost Machine" as well as Doctor Who episodes "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks", and it's easily her best work to date.

The next two episodes are both written by Tregenna, so I anticipate further home runs.

Review: Torchwood, Episode 2.1, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang"

The second season premiere of Torchwood is absolutely fantastic (broadcast in the UK on BBC Two earlier today, it'll also be shown on BBC America in ten days).

The first season started off slow and finally hit a stride in its second half, but the second season looks to be strong right out of the gate with an increased sense of humor and much more action. Head writer Chris Chibnall accomplishes this in "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" without sacrificing the sexy science fiction that fans have come to love about the show.

It's great fun watching James Marsters (Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) swagger around as...

Warning: spoilers below, please highlight the white space with your mouse to read them.

...the amoral Captain John, Captain Jack's ex-partner in more ways than one. The promised kiss between Marsters and John Barrowman (Captain Jack) is smoking hot. Also, yay for Gwen and Rhys getting engaged, and Captain Jack asking Ianto out on a date!

I look forward to the rest of the season, especially the two episodes penned by Cath Tregenna, who wrote two of the best episodes of the first season ("Out of Time" and "Captain Jack Harkness").