Alongside a new budget and a tighter storyline, Children Of Earth smashed Torchwood's previous successes with an average of 6 million people tuning into the series. With a new schedule and a new feel, Torchwood was on top of its game, with critics acclaiming it as a "true treasure" and not a "mindless sci-fi action-fest."
But then the came the announcement that Torchwood was moving to America.
Arguably, one of things which made Torchwood so unique and successful was its fixed British-ness. The Welsh surroundings, the locality, the settings and who were affected all remained grounded, becoming a pivotal part of the show and creating a strong connection between the viewer and the story. Even Children of Earth focused strongly on this, despite bringing the whole world into danger.
But has Torchwood's trip to America taken this away? The whole world is affected, again, but we don't see Wales any more. Instead, Miracle Day is littered with shots and scenes which look like haphazard cuttings from various American thrillers. Leaving Gwen as the only real connector between Miracle Day and Torchwood's previous series has made her seem isolated in this new setting, perhaps underlining what many viewers back home also feel.
Even though the ratings are dropping in the UK, they seem to be hesitantly rising in the US. It must be noted that Torchwood is, ironically, alien in America and this new format is their first encounter of it. But this begs the question - is Torchwood trying too hard to get into America's good books? That is a possibility; but Torchwood was picked up by Starz which helped produce it, so the American-ness was inevitable. Further, cracking the American market is gradually becoming easier and more frequent for homegrown UK shows (Sherlock, Doctor Who) so there is more to gain from it.
Let's say Torchwood stuck to the UK and did not budge. It is possible that Russell and his team would have eventually run out of ideas and hopelessly given up. The tight boundaries which Torchwood rigged itself with in the first two series could have led to its downfall. It can also be argued that the next step was to take Torchwood across the Atlantic - after all, it would be awkward to reduce it to its roots after Children of Earth. One reason why Torchwood is being received less enthusiastically in the UK could be due to its drastic change of setting: maybe the British audience wasn't ready for it yet.
So America for Torchwood may not have been a bad idea after all. But with ratings dropping in the UK, Russell and Co might have to think hard about the next series.
What do you think?
