Torchwood is a series which is acclaimed for constantly going the extra mile and since its inception in 2006 as an undiscovered gem in BBC Three's late night schedule, it continued to outdo itself by returning bigger and better than the series that succeeded it. This is no truer than with its smash hit third series, Children of Earth, which premiered on BBC One to critical acclaim and proved that Torchwood had now earned the prestige of being regarded as a fully blown franchise in its own right. So, by the time the series returned to our screens for its ill fated fourth series in 2011 under a new co-parternship deal between BBC and US network Starz, it it was pretty much unrecognisable - and not in a good way. The basic premise was still there, of course (well, perhaps if you were to study it under a microscope), but everything fans had held in such high regard about their once favourite series had been ripped from its seams. Its unique and beloved Welsh surroundings were replaced by the all too familiar backdrop of the US, a new composer had been brought into the mix which drastically impacted the general 'vibe' of the series and that wasn't to mention the fact that 3 of its principal cast members had been tragically killed off to be replaced by a new ensemble of American cast members who would have been better suited to a stint in the new season of CSI. Yes, the Torchwood that its legion of fans had known and loved was all but gone, and Miracle Day ultimately proved to be as damaging to the show's image as its initially promising premise was to the human race. But where did something that should have been so right go so wrong? Here are four suggestions as to why Miracle Day took the series to the point of no return, but every cloud has a silver lining so there's also 4 reasons it had a positive effect on the franchise, too. Too much negativity is bad for the brain, after all. The 21st century is when everything changed, and Torchwood wasn't ready. Let's begin.
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
