As a loyal ‘Torchwood’ fan from day one, I found myself apprehensive about the transition to STARZ from BBC. After watching the first several minutes of the premiere, ‘Torchwood: Miracle Day’, I found myself inadvertently comparing the old familiar ‘Torchwood’ with the Welsh roots and the slick, big budget American version.

At quick glance, it would seem the one major difference was less of the Welsh accents. As an American myself, I thrive on diverse culture. All a lovely lass has to do is speak in that lush, enticing accent and my black heart melts!

I digress, however, and bring us back to my original premise here, the difference between the original ‘Torchwood’, and the STARZ ‘Torchwood’.

Original: Cardiff. Plain and simple, it’s the beautiful landscapes and bustling old streets. From an American’s point of view, it’s strikingly different than we are normally accustomed to.

It’s all about the close knit team; a small group of stalwart adventurers battling the unknown and the extraterrestrial. The original Torchwood is also about the relationships; we grew to love each member of ‘Torchwood’. When we’re offered a glimpse into their souls, we saw there, ourselves, and in doing so we we’re able to relate and empathize with them. This is one of the reasons Ianto Jones, played by Gareth David Lloyd, grew so vigorously as a fan favorite. His death in ‘Torchwood: Children of Earth’ hit very hard in the hearts of fans. Even now, fans are fighting to get him resurrected from Sci-Fi death.

STARZ: Grand scale is the theme; big production, larger landscapes and slicker production value, which is a point of contention among many original alumni. The old ‘Torchwood’, while dealing with the alien threat,  had the action still take place close to home, and home was Cardiff.

There are crowds of people in ‘Miracle Day,’ from all walks of life, scurrying about trying their best to get our attention. Granted, it is a bit early to speculate, but it seems there is so much going on in the background that there is very little time to get to know anyone. As many of us know, it is very difficult to “break in” new characters and have them curl up in a warm and fuzzy place in our hearts. It takes time, it always does. It may be somewhat early to do such a comparison, with only one episode under the proverbial belt, so let’s give Russel T. Davies and company a chance to stir the magic cauldron. I have a strong feeling many of us are going to be pleasantly surprised!

All in all, my friends, being an open minded and loyal fan myself, I can see very little detrimental changes in this season. We still have Russel T. Davies, John Barrowman and Eve Myles, what could be better?

OK, I know what you’re going to say… Ianto Jones again. Fine, now granted if those behind Miracle Day can bestow immortality on the whole of the human race, take away Jack’s, it might create a microscopic loophole for Ianto to squeeze through. Will it happen? Guess we shall have to tune in and see for ourselves! Having spoken to Jane Espenson, the likelihood of this happening is, well, zero. For whatever reason, Ianto is effectively… DEAD. For those voracious fans who simply cannot let go, I have good news! The BBC is producing a series of ‘Torchwood’ radio shows, in which the voice of Ianto Jones will be gracing our speakers!

Now, faithful followers, we want to hear your opinions. If you see more dramatic differences that may determine your decision to tune in further, by all means, let us know!