Why is Torchwood more popular in America than in Britan? Why is it more popular than Dr Who?

Question

I watch BBC America at times and see that its number 1 show is Torchwood in america. Now in britan its like a ok show but rating arent as high as its parent show Doctor WHO. Her ein america it sthe opposite . DOCTOR WHO isnt that well loved but Torchwood is WHY IS THAT?

Answer 1

Dr Who has always been seen as a kid's tv show here in the UK - ok,. so it has the rabid adult 'cult status' following, but basically, it was so the family could all gather round and watch tv together and hide behind the sofa cushions...

Torchwood is much more adult in theme (take the first couple of episodes) and despite warnings, that caught a lot of family viewers out - and put them off watching.  Or, the adults who don't watch Dr Who didn't find the concept of Torchwood appealing - so never tried it.

Actually, though I have loved the first three 'new' series of Dr Who, I would count myself as a bigger Torchwood fan - I watch the first with my kids, and then Captain Jack is just for me....

Answer 2

I dunno. I live in Canada, and I love both, but Doctor Who is my favorite no question. Maybe it's because Torchwood is more raunchy...It appeals to more adults I suppose.

Answer 3

It is interesting, isn't it? But remember, Torchwood is the #1 rated show *on BBC America*, which isn't like being the #1 show on, say, NBC. So there is that. But even putting that aside, Doctor Who in the UK has a long and storied history. It's part of the culture there in a way that it never was in the US. I mean, in the UK at Christmas, everyone stops and watches the Christmas episode - it's a really big deal there in a way that it isn't in the US.

In fact, the US never even got most of the Doctor Who series; and those that were shown were on PBS, not on a major network, which is what the BBC is in the UK.

So when Torchwood came out in the UK, it had the Doctor Who phenomenon to go up against, and a huge amount of expectations on the part of UK viewers. None of that existed in the US. In the US, people just watched the show for what it was, and they liked it.

Perhaps without having this huge Doctor Who thing going on in the US, US viewers were simply able to enjoy the show.