Torchwood lives!
And not in the Americanized form that Fox was considering, either.
The juicy scifi-sex-comedy-drama-adventure sensation is returning in its original format seen here on BBC America -- but it's moving to Starz, which is eager to make noise in premium cable.
(And doing it these days with treats like Party Down and Spartacus.)
Ambisexual immortal anti-alien team leader/hottie John Barrowman is back in action (he was involved in the busted Fox try) as square-jawed Captain Jack Harkness, along with Eve Myles' key everywoman butt-kicker Gwen Cooper.
Not much of their team is otherwise left after last year's bloody good 5-hour miniseries Torchwood: Children of Earth, which scared the bejesus out of even jaded TV critics with the tube's only viscerally terrifying portrayal of an alien invasion (without many onscreen aliens, to boot).
If you haven't seen Children of Earth, grab the DVD or Blu-ray, stream it from Netflix, download from Amazon or iTunes -- do what you must, but get ready to be riveted. This is adult drama at its finest.
(Catch other Torchwood episodes in a 6-episode mini-thon on BBC America next Monday, June 14, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.)
Starz said in Monday's press release that new Torchwood would arrive as a 10-episode weekly series next summer, when it also returns in the UK on the BBC. Back on board are series originator Russell T. Davies, who rebooted Doctor Who into the 21st century before spinning off Torchwood to address more adult themes, plus his right-hand producer Julie Gardner.
This is a smart move for Starz, coproducing an established cult fave that's got an audience rabid enough to drop the dough to subscribe to Starz for this show alone.
We'll see whether this means Torchwood will now get a premium channel budget. But the press release hints at filming in the U.S. and other locations, which seems to indicate a broader picture for the Cardiff-based series.
So we don't know if Wales film crews will get more work. But we do know we'll have more amazement to watch.
A year from now.