"Torchwood" casts its new leads

All of a sudden, I've seen a lot of news about casting for the new Starz-produced season of "Torchwood," which has been titled "Torchwood: The New World." In addition to John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, they're casting a slew of Americans. They aren't done casting parts, but the new announcements I'm aware of are:

Bill Pullman (the President from "Independence Day") playing "Oswald Jones, a dangerously clever convicted murderer who escapes his lifelong prison sentence on a technicality and quickly becomes a media sensation. Genuinely repentant yet boiling with lust and rage, Oswald gets caught up in a terrifying worldwide crisis."

Mekhi Phifer (Dr. Greg Pratt from "ER") playing "the third lead, Rex Matheson, a CIA agent, a fast-tracked high-flyer with a lethal sense of humor who starts to feel his mortality when his life is put in danger." I love this description from Wikipedia: "Initially, the character doesn't know what to make of 'Welsh women and World War 2 captains.'"

Arlene Tur (some chick from the TV show based on the movie "Crash") playing "a surgeon by the name of Vera Juarez."
First of all, I can't imagine I'm the only "Torchwood" fan who is a little ticked that Pullman's character's last name is Jones. Come on, Ianto Jones just died. I really hope they address the events in "Children of Earth" to some degree, since it ended on a decidedly depressing note. Jack left Gwen and planet Earth behind. Why is he back? How will Gwen react? Why aren't they in Cardiff anymore? Did a rift in time and space conveniently pop up in America? As long as they don't act like nothing ever happened, I'll be happy. One of the biggest reasons I didn't want an American remake of "Torchwood" is because I want continuity in my television shows. I know they will want to make it palatable for a new, American audience, but they really can't ignore the epic world-shaking events that took place in the last miniseries.

I was also irked by TV guru Michael Ausiello's recent Facebook update, "'Torchwood' scoop: Ianto fans are not going to like this. Producers are casting the role of Brad, a Washington D.C. bartender in his late 20s who hooks up with Jack for a 'mutually satisfying one-night stand.' Interested actors should be comfortable with 'intimate scenes between two men.'" Yeah, as an Ianto fan, I'm not thrilled. But Jack has always been the promiscuous type, so I'm not surprised. At least Starz is going to let Jack be Jack still. I think I'll just take that as a win and be quiet.

I'm actually getting pretty excited for this. Not just because it means more "Torchwood," but because they're casting some interesting people and they're not remaking the whole thing. Also, the name actors matched with the American production will hopefully mean more publicity in the US. I am a tad worried about Mekhi Phifer because I've only ever seen him in bland, slightly boring roles in mostly procedural shows. I rather see "Torchwood" go over-the-top and dynamic than reserved and bland. Even at its worst, and it has definitely had some lows, "Torchwood" has been a unique show that has never been ashamed of its tone and sexual audacity.

From the looks of things, the original people behind the show were closely involved in making sure the new "Torchwood" is still "Torchwood." The new season will last 10 episodes, and luckily it won't return to the monster-of-the-week format it had in its first two years. I much prefer shows that have a season-long storyline that rewards viewers who stay with it. If you dropped the show in the first two seasons, it might be time to get back into it. "Torchwood" has definitely improved itself over time and it looks like that trend is going to continue.