Abstract

Created in 2006 as a spinoff of Doctor Who, the internationally popular BBC television series "Torchwood" is a unique blend of science fiction and fantasy, with much more of an adult flavor than its progenitor. The series' 'omnisexual' protagonist, maverick 51st-century time agent Captain Jack Harkness, leads a team of operatives from the present-day Torchwood Institute, a secret organization dedicated to battling supernatural and extraterrestrial criminals. With its archetypal characters, adult language, subversive humor and openly homosexual and bisexual storylines, "Torchwood" provides a wealth of material for scholarly analysis and debate. Using "Torchwood" as its focal point, this timely collection of essays by a range of experts and enthusiasts provides an interpretive framework for understanding the continually developing forms and genres of contemporary television drama.