'Torchwood' And 'Curb': Two Summer TV Treats

This month, while the broadcast networks are taking it easy, some competitors are serving up a lot of excellent, unusual television. The action starts this weekend with a new version of the British sci-fi series Torchwood and the Larry David comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Torchwood is a show that may not even be on many people's radar. It's a British show, which ran for three seasons and was imported and shown here by BBC America. It's a sci-fi show about a sort of overseas X-Files unit, run by a cocky hero who is not only irreverent, and American, but immortal. And a time traveler. And bisexual.(torchwood)

It's a spinoff character, and series, from Doctor Who, the long-running British fantasy show that is still around — and has been around so long, it launched the year John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It started as a kids show, but in the hands of writer-producer Russell T. Davies, Doctor Who became more for adults — and Davies also is the man behind Torchwood.

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