Torchwood: Miracle Day Premieres July 8!

Since the moment Torchwood: Children of Earth ended its five episode run on BBC America in 2009, I have looked forward to the return of no British series–not even Doctor Who–more than that of Torchwood. And what an excruciatingly long wait it has been. Thankfully, the wait is almost over! Today, Starz announced that the new season, Torchwood: Miracle Day, will premiere on July 8.

Unfortunately, and contrary to what my Pop Confidential co-hosts might lead you to believe, I do not actually have access to my own Tardis. Otherwise, you could bet your last dollar that I’d be hopping a fast ride into the future, so that I could be watching the season premiere “today.”

If you’ve never watched Torchwood, its arrival on Starz offers plenty of reason to check it out. All My Children grad Alexa Havins is set to portray Esther Drummond, “a deskbound CIA employee who dreams of active duty and who suddenly finds herself running alongside Jack (John Barrowman), Gwen (Eve Myles) and Rex.” Former ER star Mekhi Phifer is set to play the aforementioned Rex Matheson, a C.I.A. agent investigating a global conspiracy. Bill Pullman–whose speech rallying humanity against the alien invasion as President Thomas J. Whitmore in Independence Day is one of my all-time favorite speeches in film–plays Oswald Danes, “a former school teacher and convicted child killer.”

As part of their announcement, Starz teases Torchwood: Miracle Day’s plot, which sounds just as potentially spine chilling as Torchwood: Children of Earth was.

Torchwood begins with a day when nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging, they get hurt and sick, but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four month's time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event – someone’s got to be behind it.

If you have never watched Torchwood, I would highly encourage you to check out all three seasons on Netflix. The first two seasons featured a “monster of the week” format, more in line with the Doctor Who franchise, but the third season Torchwood: Children of Earth transitioned to a self contained miniseries format similar to the upcoming Torchwood: Miracle Day. While I hope you watch all three seasons, I know not everyone has the time to dedicate to three seasons. In that case, watch Torchwood: Children of Earth and then, if you like it, I promise you’ll find the time to watch the first two seasons.

Photo Credit: Starz and BBC America