Must-see TV shows are futuristic classics that shouldn’t be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That’s why we’ve rated them 1-5 on the patented “crunchy goodness” scale.
Title: Torchwood
Date: 2006-present
Vitals: A secret organization in the Doctor Who universe hoards alien artifacts and uses them to “arm the human race against the future.” Mostly, though, they shag each other and then argue about it.
Famous names: John Barrowman, Russell T. Davies, Eve Myles, Burn Gorman
Crunchy goodness: 2
Sights you’ll never unsee: Carolyn Chikezie as the “cyberwoman,” stalking around in a discofied half-naked version of a Cyberman costume from Doctor Who before getting killed. Runner-up: the scene where Ianto, the cyberwoman’s bereaved boyfriend, seduces her murderer Captain Jack, using only a stopwatch and some very odd innuendo.
Life lesson: It’s okay to shoot your boss and unleash a time-storm on the human race, if there’s even a remote chance of bringing back your long-lost girlfriend.
Most painfully dated moment: The swooping cityscape views and hero-on-rooftop shots looked awesome… on Angel. In general, the show often seems to be straining mightily to drag British science fiction into the 1990s… only seven years too late.
