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.

'Tell Me You Love Me'; Um, Not So Much

I remember when "NYPD Blue" came out in the early '90s, the show immediately drew a lot of buzz because it was going to air nudity and strong language on a network.

The buzz drew a lot of people in, and "NYPD Blue" became one of the most successful cop dramas of all time.

I'm not sure if the frank level of sex is a way of attracting viewers to the upcoming HBO series "Tell Me You Love Me," but I can almost guarantee viewers won't be sticking with it, even though the depictions of sex are so graphic, it makes something like "NYPD Blue" look like "Mr. Rogers."

I mean, there's literally nothing you don't see the characters doing. The problem is, once you get past the shock value of the sex, there's really nothing to draw you to the show.

The characters tend to whine a lot, but never develop. The show follows three couples — a 40-something couple (Ally Walker, Tim DeKay) who have an idyllic life but no sex life; 30-somethings (Sonya Walger, Adam Scott) who are having trouble conceiving a baby; and 20-somethings (Michelle Borth, Luke Farrell Kirby) who are engaged but can't seem to fully commit. They all end up going to the same therapist (Jane Alexander).

But all the characters seem to do is talk, grumble, have sex, whine some, have some more sex, talk, then grumble. There's no character development here. And despite the shock value of the sex, it doesn't help that director Patricia Rozema swings the camera all over the place.

I commend HBO for trying to do different things than what is the norm for TV, and the network has produced great series over the years. But the creative slump that led to fiascos like "John From Cincinnati" continues with "Tell Me."

If you want your sex fix from HBO, stick with the "Real Sex" documentaries. They are a lot more fun than this. But if you are caught up in the buzz, "Tell Me" debuts Sept. 9.

FNL NOT SO ROSIE: Proving once again there really is a God, TVGuide.com's Michael Ausiello reports that Rosie O'Donnell will not be portraying the school soccer coach on "Friday Night Lights." Though the stunt casting might have given the show a shot in the ratings, I'd prefer it maintain the high standards it has set for itself.

BYE-BYE, ANCHORWOMAN: For anyone who caught the premiere of Fox's "Anchorwoman" last week, both of you will be disappointed to learn it's been yanked after one episode. Chalk this one up to one of the biggest disasters for Fox reality guru Mike Darnell, but I'm sure he's already got six equally mortifying ideas on the drawing board.

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: Mea culpa on listing a new "Damages" last night. I had no idea FX was going to torture its viewers for four hours with "The Aviator."

I have double-checked my FX schedule tonight, and "Rescue Me" (FX, 10 p.m.) is all-new. After an extended slump for the first part of the season, the show has hit all the right notes the past two weeks, and with the return of guest star Amy Sedaris tonight, I'm expecting more great things.

I don't often promote reruns here, but tonight's "Bones" (Fox, 9 p.m.) repeat features the first appearance of Stephen Fry as Booth's shrink while Bones gets a new partner that marked a major story arc for the season.