Fired Up For 'Torchwood'

Ever since "Doctor Who" spinoff "Torchwood" debuted on the BBC last year, sci-fi fans have been eagerly anticipating seeing it across the pond.

The wait is over. "Torchwood" (BBC America, Sat., 9 p.m.) kicks off Saturday night.

The show is built around two storylines from "Doctor Who" - Torchwood is a super-secret British government agency established by Queen Victoria in the 1880s to combat alien menaces, and the project is currently being led by Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a time traveler last scene being killed by the Daleks thousands of years in the future only to be revived by the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler.

"Torchwood" (an anagram of Doctor Who, by the way) is described as having a more-adult tone than its predecessor, especially since Capt. Jack seems to find himself attracted to pretty much anyone - woman, man or alien.

What "Torchwood" shares most with its predecessor is its sense of whimsy; neither show takes itself too seriously when telling a story, and you get a sense that the cast and crew are having a lot of fun in their work.

You also get a bonus, since BBC America is debuting the second season of "Doctor Who" the same night, beginning at 7 p.m.

CALLIES OUT: TVGuide is reporting that actress Sarah Wayne Callies, who played Michael's love interest on "Prison Break," is done with the show. Her name is no longer on the credits, and a body double is used in the one scene she does appear. Callies is pregnant, so she would have had to leave the show for a stretch, but the reports are that this is a permanent move. ....

"Bionic Woman" and producer Glen Morgan ("The X-Files") have parted ways, not a good sign for a show that basically had to re-shoot its pilot and recast certain characters. Considering that David Eick ("Battlestar Galactica") is still running things, I still have high hopes for this show, but it'd be nice to hear some positive news from the set these days. ...

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: Speaking of "Doctor Who" (Sci-Fi, 8 p.m.), the second part of a two-parter that began two weeks ago airs tonight. Probably not Sci-Fi's best move to air a break between the two parts. It's followed by new episodes of "Flash Gordon" and "Painkiller Jane."

With the U.S. Open down to its final rounds, USA's schedule returns to normal tonight with new episodes of "Monk" and "Psych" at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., respectively.

If fashion is your thing, "Fashion Rocks" (CBS, 9 p.m.) is a mix of pop music stars and the latest trends in fashion.

On Sunday, HBO is all-new with the season debuts of "Tell Me You Love Me" (HBO, 9 p.m.) and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO, 10 p.m.) I reviewed both shows earlier, giving high marks to "Curb." I was pretty disappointed with "Tell Me," but this is one of those shows you should probably watch for yourself and judge. They are followed by the documentary, "Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq" (HBO, 10:30 p.m.), a moving documentary about troops who were wounded in Iraq and what their lives have been like since returning.

"Mystery" brings back a new series of "Inspector Lynley Mysteries" (PBS, 10 p.m.), which has been one of my favorite imports from across the pond.

Curb My Enthusiasm? Heck No!

The 21 months or so it's been since the last new "Curb Your Enthusiasm" aired may have seemed interminable, but it will be worth the wait.

I watched the first three episodes of the new season (OK, more like 2 1/2 since the sound on Ep. 3 was wonky) and Larry David hasn't missed a step.

David, of course, has already given us nearly a decade of comedy gold ("It's gold, Jerry! Gold!") as co-creator of "Seinfeld." "Curb" has picked up the baton of "Seinfeld" since it started airing on HBO several years ago and has been one of the most creative sitcoms on TV.

But David's humor goes back further than "Seinfeld." You catch glimpses of everything from "Fawlty Towers" to the yesteryear of vaudeville in an episode of "Curb."

The new season kicks off with Larry and Cheryl (Cheryl Hines) taking in a family of hurricane victims. Predictably, this doesn't go smoothly as Larry continues to outsmart himself, making every wrong decision possible from trying to skip a couple of parties to not paying for flowers. And, Larry should keep a better watch on his Joe Pepitone jersey.

In the first three episodes alone, "Curb" has a great group of guest stars like Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen and Sen. Barbara Boxer portraying themselves, and Vivica A. Fox as one of the hurricane refugees.

It may have been a long wait, but "Curb" will prove worth waiting for.

24 ADDS TWO MORE: Perhaps copying the trend of large ensemble shows adding cast members at a seeming exponential rate, "24" announced it is adding John Billingslea ("The Nine") and Jeffrey Nordling ("Once and Again"), joining the likes of Janeane Garofalo and others. Which show will end up with the largest cast on TV? Cast your vote now!

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: With the holiday weekend and the U.S. Open going on, everything is pretty much repeats. Other than the Falcons' final preseason game tonight (Fox, 7:30 p.m.) against the Baltimore Ravens, my advice would be to get out and enjoy the final weekend of summer.

See you Tuesday!

HBO, Showing Me The Love

HBO is rapidly working on bumping off NBC as my favorite network publicity department, sending me a whole bunch of goodies today, including two episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." I plan on going through this as quickly as possible so I can give you an update by the end of the week.

That's about it for today; Mondays are extremely busy since I am the temporary cops reporter for The Telegraph.

MONDAY'S BEST BET: If you don't know what is new on Mondays, then you pretty much aren't watching those shows anyway, so you don't really need my updates.

I will say, though, that after a rare misstep last week, "My Boys" (TBS, 10 p.m.) comes roaring back with one of its cleverest episodes ever. "My Boys" has often been called a "Sex & The City" for men, and tonight's episode takes that to heart. Also, the subplot involving Brendan's increasing egotism and how the gang resolves it is extremely well-done.