Note: To help avoid potential confusion, the reviews from the upcoming U.S. release have been mixed with the earlier reviews for the DVDs available from the international marketplace. The reviews describing compatability issues have NOTHING to do with the U.S. release which, naturally, will be fully compliant with the appropriate technology. The reviews should NOT have been mixed, but that sometimes happens here.

For the first time, the Torchwood team (or what's left of it) head to America for this ambitious ten part series for the Starz network. In Captain Jack Harkness, creator Russell T. Davies and actor John Barrowman created a truly unique warrior for the science fiction and paranormal set. The dashing bi-sexual hero was first introduced on Davies' "Dr. Who" reinvention and quickly became a fan favorite. So, it was with some amount of excitement that I followed Barrowman to his own show expecting some variation of the "Dr. Who" narrative. But no, the show was stylized in a very different way. The "Torchwood" spin-off played like a high octane and oftentimes quite amusing cousin to the "X-files." For two seasons, the show exceeded as adult escapism at every level. The controversial miniseries "Children of Earth" redefined everything in the Torchwood universe and is alternately loved and hated by the show's most fervent fans. For my money, though, it was a dark and unforgettable experience.

"Miracle Day" arrives some time after the remaining Torchwood members have disbanded and are in seclusion. Miracle Day refers to the show's dynamic premise--one day, no one in the world dies. No matter how traumatic an injury or illness, death has simply vanished as an option. As simple as that, the entire world faces a universal dilemma about what constitutes life. The ethical, societal, political, economic, and practical ramifications of an ever expanding world population sets the entire planet into a frenzy. It seems that the occurrence might have been knowingly orchestrated by unseen entities and expected by large pharmaceutical interests. More concerning, it may have to do with Barrowman's Harkness. Previously immortal, Harkness is experiencing the opposite effect of everyone else--now he is vulnerable to injury. And he (as well as Gwen and her family) are on the firing line.

The show's concept, in this case, is the star. Complicated and truly thought provoking, the idea behind Miracle Day raises so many intriguing questions. More akin to "Children of Earth" than to the original show, if you disliked that miniseries--you will no doubt be disappointed in this as well. And while I don't think that this incarnation has the operatic grandeur of "Children of Earth," it still works on its own terms. It doesn't, however, feel particularly like the Torchwood you've come to know--this is an entirely different beast. With only a couple of the original cast members left, the program relies on many new faces. Mekhi Phifer is a new lead, filled with bluster and bravado, and is not someone I particularly connected with. More successful is Bill Pullman as a messianic death row inmate who survived his execution, Arlene Tur as a doctor caught up in the unraveling the medical conspiracy, Lauren Ambrose as an unscrupulous public relations agent, and Alexa Havins as a CIA analyst who finds herself in the field.

Again, it is the plot that is the most intriguing aspect of "Miracle Day." With so many new characters and such a broad international narrative, I sometimes felt Barrowman was sidelined. I always want more Jack! But the intricate mythology and the unraveling conspiracies compensate for this disappointment. As the days progress, the world plunges deeper into a ruthless government state and the fate of humanity is once again in the hands of the Torchwood team. An easy recommendation, despite some minor reservations. KGHarris, 8/11.

For the first time, the Torchwood team (or what's left of it) head to America for this ambitious ten part series for the Starz network. In Captain Jack Harkness, creator Russell T. Davies and actor John Barrowman created a truly unique warrior for the science fiction and paranormal set. The dashing bi-sexual hero was first introduced on Davies' "Dr. Who" reinvention and quickly became a fan favorite. So, it was with some amount of excitement that I followed Barrowman to his own show expecting some variation of the "Dr. Who" narrative. But no, the show was stylized in a very different way. The "Torchwood" spin-off played like a high octane and oftentimes quite amusing cousin to the "X-files." For two seasons, the show exceeded as adult escapism at every level. The controversial miniseries "Children of Earth" redefined everything in the Torchwood universe and is alternately loved and hated by the show's most fervent fans. For my money, though, it was a dark and unforgettable experience.

"Miracle Day" arrives some time after the remaining Torchwood members have disbanded and are in seclusion. Miracle Day refers to the show's dynamic premise--one day, no one in the world dies. No matter how traumatic an injury or illness, death has simply vanished as an option. As simple as that, the entire world faces a universal dilemma about what constitutes life. The ethical, societal, political, economic, and practical ramifications of an ever expanding world population sets the entire planet into a frenzy. It seems that the occurrence might have been knowingly orchestrated by unseen entities and expected by large pharmaceutical interests. More concerning, it may have to do with Barrowman's Harkness. Previously immortal, Harkness is experiencing the opposite effect of everyone else--now he is vulnerable to injury. And he (as well as Gwen and her family) are on the firing line.

The show's concept, in this case, is the star. Complicated and truly thought provoking, the idea behind Miracle Day raises so many intriguing questions. More akin to "Children of Earth" than to the original show, if you disliked that miniseries--you will no doubt be disappointed in this as well. And while I don't think that this incarnation has the operatic grandeur of "Children of Earth," it still works on its own terms. It doesn't, however, feel particularly like the Torchwood you've come to know--this is an entirely different beast. With only a couple of the original cast members left, the program relies on many new faces. Mekhi Phifer is a new lead, filled with bluster and bravado, and is not someone I particularly connected with. More successful is Bill Pullman as a messianic death row inmate who survived his execution, Arlene Tur as a doctor caught up in the unraveling the medical conspiracy, Lauren Ambrose as an unscrupulous public relations agent, and Alexa Havins as a CIA analyst who finds herself in the field.

Again, it is the plot that is the most intriguing aspect of "Miracle Day." With so many new characters and such a broad international narrative, I sometimes felt Barrowman was sidelined. I always want more Jack! But the intricate mythology and the unraveling conspiracies compensate for this disappointment. As the days progress, the world plunges deeper into a ruthless government state and the fate of humanity is once again in the hands of the Torchwood team. An easy recommendation, despite some minor reservations. KGHarris, 8/11.

Miracle Day had its moments (mostly when Jack, who was sorely underutilized, was on screen), but if you're a fan of the original series then you probably shouldn't waste your time or your money. It feels nothing at all like the first three seasons, which are what made me fall in love with Torchwood in the first place. The format of the show has changed, the new characters are highly unlikeable, and I found the episodes slow-moving and not very well-written (with few exceptions). And ten episodes was FAR too long for the plot they had.

It's like an AU (that's alternate universe, in case you aren't familiar with the term) version of Torchwood. And honestly, since Jack and Gwen were practically background characters, it shouldn't even be called Torchwood, because it just felt like any other bad American action show that just happened to have Gwen, Jack, and Rhys involved.

Torchwood should have ended after Children of Earth - which was a well-written, tight, dramatic miniseries that I actually got involved in. Children of Earth actually felt like an ending - Gwen was left to start her beautiful family with Rhys, and Jack was freed from earth when he had nothing (Ianto) to make him stay. It wouldn't have been a happy ending, but it would have been an ending and as far as I'm concerned, it was the end of Torchwood.

Miracle Day was just flat, apart from a handful of scenes. But in my opinion, they killed the show when they killed Ianto - it doesn't feel like Torchwood without him. I didn't care about the new characters, Jack was barely in the show, and there was too little Wales.

I did like episode seven, though I felt the chemistry between Jack and Angelo fell a little flat, and that Angelo was a fairly unlikeable character. The roadtrip scenes in that episode with Jack and Gwen were stellar, though - glad to see that it illustrated that their priority is no longer each other. It made their dynamic even more interesting. I'd actually love to see them turn on each other if they (god forbid) did another series. THAT would be fascinating.

I am also glad they knocked off the forced romantic tension between Jack and Gwen from the first one and a half series that frankly, in my opinion, hampered their characters. I love Gwen and Rhys's relationship - it's nice to have that normalcy and love to "even out" all the action. Which is also the reason why I miss Ianto - his absence was very painfully felt through the entire run of Miracle Day. He was a nice bit of humor, and he brought out a side of Jack that no one else has. It was very telling every time Jack mentioned Ianto in Miracle Day that he is not over what happened on Day Four of COE. He may put on a brave face, but he's broken now and I don't think he'll get past it in a very long time. Big misstep in getting rid of Gareth - he's a fantastic actor and the show isn't the same without him.

If you want to see a great show, just watch the original U.K. series. THAT is what Torchwood is all about. If they can't bring back the original cast and feel of the show, I don't know how interested I would be in watching another series.