Spun off the Dr Who-verse Torchwood is the name for an elite independent alien fighting force that works alongside but not always with her majestys government. Led by the seemingly immortal Captain Jack Harkness the team neutralizes threats, uncovers conspiracies and fights maintain contact with the people they love.

The Dr Who connection might make potential viewers think that this is going to be a predominantly tongue-in-cheek affair but Torchwood is more like a mix of X Files and Quatermass. For every cheesy moment there are many moments of real suspense, intense action and a lot of character development. No show like this completely escapes getting the monster of the week creak in it's bones. That sort of narrative arthritis is built into the premise. But Torchwood is cleverly written and awfully fun to watch even when its effects don't match up to its ambitions. Occasionally it's even pretty unsettling. Take this miniseries as an example.

On an otherwise normal day every-single child on earth simultaneously freezes and begins to repeat the phrase "We are coming." As governments around the world begin a frantic effort to uncover the meaning of the phrase Torchwood launches its independent investigation into the incident only to find itself under attack from mysterious forces that date back to dark events occurring in 1965. Soon Captain Jack, Gwen and Ianto are forced to call the very existence of Torchwood into question as the fate of world hangs in the balance.

This two disc DVD set includes a featurette; Torchwood Children of Earth Declassified. Seasons one and two of this are already out on DVD and Bluray and season three is expected soon. My advice is if you're nervous try Children of Earth on for size. I'm betting you'll check out season one soon after.