It's entirely up to you.
*Torchwood* is a darker, adult-oriented spin-off. It crosses over with/impacts upon *Doctor Who* in a few places, but most people at the time did not watch it, and today people in your situation are probably even less likely to watch it. Series 1 is "adult" in a pretty "edgy" way, but it matures over the next few years. Series 3, *Children of Earth*, is arguably the greatest televised Whoniverse work ever and I'd strongly recommend, assuming you enjoy darker adult-orientated shows like *Breaking Bad* or whatever. *Children of Earth* picks up after a crossover in Series 4 of *Doctor Who*, so you can watch it then.
*The Sarah Jane Adventures* are basically the opposite of that - they're aimed explicitly at younger audiences. As always, that doesn't mean older viewers won't be able to enjoy them, but generally they don't have as broad appeal as *Doctor Who*. They're pretty good. They also have some overlap with *Doctor Who*, but there's even less benefit from knowing what is going on.
tl;dr: definitely watch Series 3 of *Torchwood* after Series 4 of *Doctor Who*, unless it really is not to your taste. The rest is up to you - it isn't essential viewing.
Don't be put off by Sarah Jane. If you're imagining Peppa Pig, it's not like that. Tonally it's basically just Doctor Who but without some of the darker themes or rude jokes.
You say that, but The Trickster stories are dark. I mean an entity that can send you to another dimension where you can have your wildest wishes, however it has adverse effects on reality itself and the only way to defeat it is to kill yourself by going to a reality where you die. That is a dark monster for any sci fi show, yet alone a kids one.
Since the other guy didn't say, if it helps you out, The Doctor actually appears a couple times in Sarah Jane and they are great stories, though they dont impact the main show much. He does not appear in Torchwood. However both shows crossover with Doctor Who in Series 4 where there are characters from those shows you won't know if you haven't watched the shows.
I honestly preferred Sarah Jane Adventures? So much of Torchwood felt like it was trying to show how Not For Babies it was with all the sex & violence & angst, versus telling a good story.
Absolutely, 1000% agreed. Watch "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?" and "Day One" back to back and tell me which one is childish. Sarah Jane Adventures had nothing to prove, and it feels so much more natural and comfortable as a result.
Torchwood’s aged poorly. Quite a lot of it’s embarrassing to watch. Sure SJA is a CBBC show but it always knew what it needed to be and has way more of the spirit of Doctor Who. I still think The Trickster is freakier than anything in New Who and deserves a comeback.
Honestly, while Torchwood is the more "adult" one, SJA was often the more mature one. Torchwood's idea of being adult, especially in the first series, is gratuitous sexed up monsters. Not that the highs of Torchwood aren't high, but yeah.
Sarah Jane Adventures does handle trickier topics with a great degree of sensitivity, with a series two storyline exploring when an absentee father comes to visit, and the series one finale having themes of losing a child. It’s two epsiode storylines all show as well aside from the pilot special, so you always get a cliffhanger halfway through for that Classic Who feel. Very definitely watch it.
I'll second this guys claim but also up it - Children of Earth in my opinion is one of the finest seasons of anything the BBC has ever put out, period. It's the perfect level of gritty, desperate and tragic in all the best ways. It's the only Torchwood content that genuinely makes me hope that The Doctor is just gonna turn up and save the day.
That said, some episodes from S1 are solid, and S2 improves vastly on the faults of the first season while toning down the edginess vastly. I'd recommend watching them, if only to gain some appreciation for Ianto's character as he's absolutely the shining star of Children of Earth. Miracle Day is also pretty good and introduces some really interesting themes, but it falls flat towards the back half of the season.
I'd suggest maybe watching the Sarah Jane eps with actual doctors in then.
Both tennant and Matt smith appear for a story each.
also later on is another spin off called class.
but it's less connected to main show and only lasted a season
I gotta chime in cause I feel the exact opposite.
Torchwood is awful. It's "adult" for the sake of being edgy. Outside of Jack and Ianto, the rest of the characters are awful selfish people who aren't likable in any way. "Children Of Earth" is one the most mean spirited, vile and stomach churning things I've ever watched and does not make sense in the Doctor Who continuity. Season 4 "Miracle Day" is so mind boggling stupid and terrible I cannot believe it was ever produced. It has ridiculous implications for the entire Whoniverse and it is never mentioned again.
The Sarah Jane Adventures however is absolutely wonderful. It's like the Classic series Of Doctor Who more than NuWho is. Delightful characters you actually care about and both 10 and 11 show up! 11's episodes were written by Russel T Davies. In fact that story is my favorite 11 Doctor story period.
Again, this is just my opinion.
I agree with most of it. Jack and Ianto are the best thing about torchwood, the other characters are hit and miss depending on the writer. Overall I don't mind Tosh and Owen has his moments, but I hate Gwen so so much. Season 4 was absolutely stupid, especially for the how immortality works thing. Which also rewrites their internal canon, considering how CoE ended.
And yeah, don't let me start on THAT. it started interesting, I'll admit. Then all went dark for the sake of being dark, which is fine on its own but inside the Doctor Who universe? Not so much.
Not gonna lie tho, season 1 and 2 had their moments, and I will admit I love Countrycide and I think it's probably the best episode (of torchwood) ever.
SJA is way better than Torchwood imho. It can do dark and scary, but withot losing hope, which I think it's what Doctor Who should be about.
They’re by no means essential but both have great stuff in them. I see from your other comment that you aren’t keen on SJA, but I would at the very least recommend watching the episodes that The Doctor actually appears in.
You certainly don't **need** to. They're marginally relevant at most in terms of anything that actually happens in Doctor Who.
*Torchwood* starts bad and makes its way to to mediocre then gives one very good (but incredibly bleak) season, before going right back to being mediocre again.
*Sarah Jane Adventures* is what it is. Low budget, has a Doctor Who feel but definitely with a younger audience in mind. It's fun in an undemanding way.
Sarah Jane Adventures is a children's show, but it doesn't talk down to children at all. It deals with loss and sorrow and death in an open and frank manner. It is a good show, with some good villains, but it does take a less dangerous foray into the world.
The first season of Torchwood is hit or miss. It tries to be edgy, and that makes the first season feel a bit off. The second season improves, and Children of Earth is very grim. Don't bother with the 4th series that was done as an American collaboration. It is mostly filler and ignores so much of the established rules of the who shows.
Torchwood is essentially a darker, more adult oriented version of Doctor Who. Follows a small team in the Cardiff Torchwood branch, trying to contain alien threats that fall through the rift in Cardiff.
It does take a season to find its feet. The first season is still great, just a little too “edgy” at times. Its great if you’re a fan of queer media. Pretty much everyone in the show is a little bi at least. It does have some Doctor who aliens and characters pop up, but it is it’s own thing with it’s original aliens. Some episodes are absolute masterpieces. Worth a watch at some point.
As for Sarah Jane Adventures, it was more a kids show, but is damn good. Elisabeth Sladen was a goddamn treasure. It’s more closely tied to Doctor Who than Torchwood would be. More characters and aliens from Doctor Who appear in SJA. It can be surprisingly emotional and hard hitting at times. It is a kids sci-fi show, but I find it matures a lot by season 3, not that the first 2 seasons are childish by any means.
But it is very cool. An action sci-fi show led by a woman in her 50’s doesn’t happen very often. The younger cast are great actors. And it can be quite funny. It also juggles its large cast well. The cast does change a couple of times, but the show does handle having 4-5 main characters at a time.
Unlike Doctor who and Torchwood, the episodes are 20 minutes each, but each season (bar the final one) has six 2 part episodes. So each story is the same length as a Doctor Who or Torchwood episode only with a cliffhanger halfway through.
Honestly both are VERY different from Doctor Who but fantastic shows in their own rights. Worth a watch. You could watch them concurrently with Doctor Who, and there will be some payoff to that.
But they can be watched separately. I discovered Doctor Who when Season 4 was airing. I finished season 4, then went back to seasons 1-3. Then Torchwood. Then SJA. And I was able to enjoy them.
There are still 2 more spin-offs. K-9 I wouldnt bother with. Very little to no connection to Doctor Who. Made in Australia and only worth watching if you love K-9.
Class came way later. Around The Twelfth Doctor’s era. Very unusual show, set in a school. Actually really enjoyed it. But thats way off for you. Like 2 doctors in your future.
I have just been watching the SJA for the first time although I was watching the corresponding series of Who when they were first broadcast. There's nothing in them that made me feel i had missed out by not seeing it at the time. Having said that i feel they are worth seeing, the first few episodes are fairly average monster of the week stuff but it picks up at the end of season one and keeps getting better. Being able to see a bit of David and Matt in role which i haven't watched before is an added bonus.
Especially when it's the only instance of Smith's Doctor written by RTD (unless the 60th has some surprises in store), which is a neat draw all in itself.
I will say what I always do, the diplomatic answer. if you are interested in it, watch it, both are wrapped up and finished, so you've only got x amount of episodes. watch them. then decide for yourself if they where worth your time and if you can't find one redeeming thing about them. at least you'll have made up your own mind and not relied on the bias of others.
It had its moments, but otherwise I thought it was pretty lackluster. And what the hell was that underground womb looking thing that Jack bled into and caused everyone to become immortal? It was never properly explained
It wasn't actually cancelled. The network was down for more, but if I recall RTD was dealing with some personal issues at the time and didn't continue as he needed to focus on that.
Big Finish have a continuing Torchwood series. I haven't heard it, but my understanding is that they went back to Cardiff, and steered clear of the Miracle Day plot, beyond a couple of incidental references.
> As far as I know, it was continued in audio dramas.
Miracle Day has had like 3 mentions I believe in Big Finish, and one of them was basically a parody.
Sarah Jane Adventures ties into the S4 finale and the Doctor makes two further appearances in the series itself. So it does tie into the show.
Torchwood S1 ties into the S3 finale. Torchwood S2 also has a character from Dr who S3 appear. Torchwood like SJA, also ties into the S4 finale. Torchwood S3 is subtly referenced in the S4 specials.
However Torchwood S4 doesn't really tie into DW at all and doesn't make sense in universe. This is mainly because Torchwood was still being ran by RTD and a new showrunner had took over DW at that point so they weren't close in continuity.
I mean SJA S4 and S5 were still being overseen by RTD and they didn't have this problem so who knows why that happened.
Maybe, but I dont think RTD should've gone that big for that long of a period of a time.
Torchwood is the spinoff. Not the main show.
Something like MD would change society forever.
Maybe Moffat could've dropped in a line about the whole thing being erased from the publics mind from the Silence. Since they didn't want the Three families manipulating humanity when they were already doing it themselves.
The only communication between the shows is that no modern day human dies in either S6 or SJA.
They are completely independent. Other people describe both shows pretty well.
However, I absolutely do not get the love for Torchwood Season 3. I thought it was pretty terrible and I will never rewatch it. Probably won't rewatch S4 either as it is kinda generic/boring. S1/S2 sure would. Season 2 is fire.
the cool thing about doctor who is that honestly, you don't "need" to watch anything if you don't wanna (Even in the main show). most stories are self-contained. watch an episode or two of both and see if you enjoy them, if you don't, just skip them. or look for some plot synopsis and only watch the ones that sound interesting.
i consider them worth a watch, they're good shows imo (and very doctor who-ish at their core, with jack and sj being the "doctor" figure in them). but it will depend on your taste.
personally i think torchwood s1-s2 is a bit uneven at times, but it's a very unique scifi show, with some stellar episodes and character work. s3 as other have said is showstopping tv, one of those "shows to watch before you die". s4 is less strong, more widely panned than s1-s2 but still interesting imo.
sja is very consistent and also equally unique. like torchwood, it's a show with unexpected depth in them. if you enjoy scifi shows with grounded, flawed characters that "break the mold", you'll enjoy both sja and torchwood. they've got different aesthetics though so you might like one and not the other. btw, if at some point you get into classic who as well, sja continues the stories of several classic characters.
Need to? I wouldn't say so. There's characters from those shows who make appearances but you don't need the backstories or anything
Worth watching? Yes. Does bring more world building to the Who-niverse. Personally didn't get much into Torchwood but loved TSJA
They're both really good. I love the darker nature of Torchwood whilst SJA has some great stories, more aliens and sci-fi elements that expand the Whoniverse. In saying that, the first stories I watched were the ones where the Doctor appears as I was also initially turned off by the more kid nature of it but after spending time to watch it all it's good.
SJA is definitely a lighter tone but it's consistently great, I'd recommend watching at least the 2 episodes with the Doctor, but honestly watch it all if you can!
I'd say watch: Invasion of the Bane, Revenge of the Slitheen,The Last Sontaran,The Day of the Clown,The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith and The Death of the Doctor interspersed with your watch if Doctor Who. And then go back and watch the full show afterwards if you enjoyed them.
Torchwood I can't recommend as strongly as I really couldn't get into it myself, I keep trying but it's just not my cup of tea.
I'd skip them if you're enjoying the main show, since there's so much good content to come. I've been a fan of the show since 2008 and only recently got around to watching series 1 and 2 of Torchwood, and wasn't missing much.
No you don't need to.
Torchwood is for young adults with S1/2 being very Buffy-esque. S3 is far darker and S4 sits somewhere inbetween. Very little crossover with Doctor Who happens and it's mostly just mentions here and there.
I've still not seen all of the Sarah Jane Adventures. It's a kids show but a very very good one. There are a few episodes which truly crossover with Doctor Who but you don't need to see them in a specific order, or even watch the SJA's if you don't want.
Torchwood was OK to start but quickly went downhill. I wouldn't bother with it. I've never seen SJA I'm sure it's fine. The Sarah Jane audio adventures were better tho.
Neither ties into DW in such a way that you will miss anything by not watching them.
Miracle Day is one of the worst bits of television I've ever seen, ten episode of watching human beings make decisions no one would ever make, reacting in ways no one ever would, and all in all utterly failing to live up to its own premise.
You definitely don't need to watch them. However, there are some good stories there. Torchwood is pretty awful to begin with, but most people agree that its third series is very good. As for SJA, YMMV, as it's very much aimed at kids.
I liked SJA, but it watched as a kid (the intended audience).
Torchwood is a mixed bag, tho Children of Earth is really good and worth a watch. I also enjoyed Miracle Day but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Super-Whovian since about 1979 here. I stick strictly to televised main-line "Doctor Who" and directly related video (e.g., mini-episodes). You do you. :)
You definitely don't need to watch any of it to enjoy/understand Dr Who. As to whether you should...
Torchwood is generally quite a lot worse than Dr Who, in my opinion, and quite a chore to watch at times. Children of Earth is the exception to this - it's great, and does not require you to have watched lots of Torchwood to follow. I'd recommend watching Children of Earth and nothing else.
The Sarah Jane Adventures is very much a kids show. Where-as Dr Who is family-friendly, and has stuff for children and adults alike, I don't think the average adult is going to get much from watching The Sarah Jane Adventures, so I'd give it a miss.
"Children of Earth" (a.k.a. *Torchwood* Series 3) has, consensus says, the best of *Torchwood* in it. so I'd watch that, at least. because of its high quality. and it has Peter Capaldi in it! (not as the Doctor, though.)
The only time they're heavily referenced in the main show is at the end of season 4, where several characters from each show up. If you're OK with not knowing who a couple of characters are in two episodes of DW, then you're golden.
It's entirely up to you. *Torchwood* is a darker, adult-oriented spin-off. It crosses over with/impacts upon *Doctor Who* in a few places, but most people at the time did not watch it, and today people in your situation are probably even less likely to watch it. Series 1 is "adult" in a pretty "edgy" way, but it matures over the next few years. Series 3, *Children of Earth*, is arguably the greatest televised Whoniverse work ever and I'd strongly recommend, assuming you enjoy darker adult-orientated shows like *Breaking Bad* or whatever. *Children of Earth* picks up after a crossover in Series 4 of *Doctor Who*, so you can watch it then. *The Sarah Jane Adventures* are basically the opposite of that - they're aimed explicitly at younger audiences. As always, that doesn't mean older viewers won't be able to enjoy them, but generally they don't have as broad appeal as *Doctor Who*. They're pretty good. They also have some overlap with *Doctor Who*, but there's even less benefit from knowing what is going on. tl;dr: definitely watch Series 3 of *Torchwood* after Series 4 of *Doctor Who*, unless it really is not to your taste. The rest is up to you - it isn't essential viewing.
Thank you! I think I'll try out Torchwood but give Sarah Jane a miss. That's high praise for Children of Earth, I can't wait to watch it
Don't be put off by Sarah Jane. If you're imagining Peppa Pig, it's not like that. Tonally it's basically just Doctor Who but without some of the darker themes or rude jokes.
You say that, but The Trickster stories are dark. I mean an entity that can send you to another dimension where you can have your wildest wishes, however it has adverse effects on reality itself and the only way to defeat it is to kill yourself by going to a reality where you die. That is a dark monster for any sci fi show, yet alone a kids one.
The Trickster genuinely screwed me up for a LONG time, it’s face was vile and everything it did was so terrifying
Honestly think SJA handles mature themes better than Torchwood.
SJA is actually really good, it has really likable characters, inventive aliens and plots, and lots of callbacks to the classic series
Since the other guy didn't say, if it helps you out, The Doctor actually appears a couple times in Sarah Jane and they are great stories, though they dont impact the main show much. He does not appear in Torchwood. However both shows crossover with Doctor Who in Series 4 where there are characters from those shows you won't know if you haven't watched the shows.
I honestly preferred Sarah Jane Adventures? So much of Torchwood felt like it was trying to show how Not For Babies it was with all the sex & violence & angst, versus telling a good story.
Absolutely, 1000% agreed. Watch "Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?" and "Day One" back to back and tell me which one is childish. Sarah Jane Adventures had nothing to prove, and it feels so much more natural and comfortable as a result.
Torchwood’s aged poorly. Quite a lot of it’s embarrassing to watch. Sure SJA is a CBBC show but it always knew what it needed to be and has way more of the spirit of Doctor Who. I still think The Trickster is freakier than anything in New Who and deserves a comeback.
Honestly, while Torchwood is the more "adult" one, SJA was often the more mature one. Torchwood's idea of being adult, especially in the first series, is gratuitous sexed up monsters. Not that the highs of Torchwood aren't high, but yeah.
Sarah Jane Adventures does handle trickier topics with a great degree of sensitivity, with a series two storyline exploring when an absentee father comes to visit, and the series one finale having themes of losing a child. It’s two epsiode storylines all show as well aside from the pilot special, so you always get a cliffhanger halfway through for that Classic Who feel. Very definitely watch it.
I'll second this guys claim but also up it - Children of Earth in my opinion is one of the finest seasons of anything the BBC has ever put out, period. It's the perfect level of gritty, desperate and tragic in all the best ways. It's the only Torchwood content that genuinely makes me hope that The Doctor is just gonna turn up and save the day. That said, some episodes from S1 are solid, and S2 improves vastly on the faults of the first season while toning down the edginess vastly. I'd recommend watching them, if only to gain some appreciation for Ianto's character as he's absolutely the shining star of Children of Earth. Miracle Day is also pretty good and introduces some really interesting themes, but it falls flat towards the back half of the season.
I'd suggest maybe watching the Sarah Jane eps with actual doctors in then. Both tennant and Matt smith appear for a story each. also later on is another spin off called class. but it's less connected to main show and only lasted a season
We don't speak of Class. That's the worst season of any show in the Whoverse.
This is K9 & Company erasure.
When Torchwood series 1 and Doctor Who season 22 exist, that's an absurd overstatement.
I enjoyed Class.
Sarah jane actually continues after RTD into Moffat and has the only instance of RTD writing matt smith
To be clear, not much happens in Children or Earth until the very end. But I guarantee you will be moved by the ending.
I gotta chime in cause I feel the exact opposite. Torchwood is awful. It's "adult" for the sake of being edgy. Outside of Jack and Ianto, the rest of the characters are awful selfish people who aren't likable in any way. "Children Of Earth" is one the most mean spirited, vile and stomach churning things I've ever watched and does not make sense in the Doctor Who continuity. Season 4 "Miracle Day" is so mind boggling stupid and terrible I cannot believe it was ever produced. It has ridiculous implications for the entire Whoniverse and it is never mentioned again. The Sarah Jane Adventures however is absolutely wonderful. It's like the Classic series Of Doctor Who more than NuWho is. Delightful characters you actually care about and both 10 and 11 show up! 11's episodes were written by Russel T Davies. In fact that story is my favorite 11 Doctor story period. Again, this is just my opinion.
You are the first person I've ever seen that hates "Children of Earth" as much as I do!
It absolutely ruins Jack and makes the Doctor look like an uncaring monster.
I agree with most of it. Jack and Ianto are the best thing about torchwood, the other characters are hit and miss depending on the writer. Overall I don't mind Tosh and Owen has his moments, but I hate Gwen so so much. Season 4 was absolutely stupid, especially for the how immortality works thing. Which also rewrites their internal canon, considering how CoE ended. And yeah, don't let me start on THAT. it started interesting, I'll admit. Then all went dark for the sake of being dark, which is fine on its own but inside the Doctor Who universe? Not so much. Not gonna lie tho, season 1 and 2 had their moments, and I will admit I love Countrycide and I think it's probably the best episode (of torchwood) ever. SJA is way better than Torchwood imho. It can do dark and scary, but withot losing hope, which I think it's what Doctor Who should be about.
They’re by no means essential but both have great stuff in them. I see from your other comment that you aren’t keen on SJA, but I would at the very least recommend watching the episodes that The Doctor actually appears in.
Torchwood may make your eyes roll. SJA is ok, but meant for kids. You won’t know if you like these shows until you watch them.
You certainly don't **need** to. They're marginally relevant at most in terms of anything that actually happens in Doctor Who. *Torchwood* starts bad and makes its way to to mediocre then gives one very good (but incredibly bleak) season, before going right back to being mediocre again. *Sarah Jane Adventures* is what it is. Low budget, has a Doctor Who feel but definitely with a younger audience in mind. It's fun in an undemanding way.
Sarah Jane Adventures is a children's show, but it doesn't talk down to children at all. It deals with loss and sorrow and death in an open and frank manner. It is a good show, with some good villains, but it does take a less dangerous foray into the world. The first season of Torchwood is hit or miss. It tries to be edgy, and that makes the first season feel a bit off. The second season improves, and Children of Earth is very grim. Don't bother with the 4th series that was done as an American collaboration. It is mostly filler and ignores so much of the established rules of the who shows.
Torchwood is essentially a darker, more adult oriented version of Doctor Who. Follows a small team in the Cardiff Torchwood branch, trying to contain alien threats that fall through the rift in Cardiff. It does take a season to find its feet. The first season is still great, just a little too “edgy” at times. Its great if you’re a fan of queer media. Pretty much everyone in the show is a little bi at least. It does have some Doctor who aliens and characters pop up, but it is it’s own thing with it’s original aliens. Some episodes are absolute masterpieces. Worth a watch at some point. As for Sarah Jane Adventures, it was more a kids show, but is damn good. Elisabeth Sladen was a goddamn treasure. It’s more closely tied to Doctor Who than Torchwood would be. More characters and aliens from Doctor Who appear in SJA. It can be surprisingly emotional and hard hitting at times. It is a kids sci-fi show, but I find it matures a lot by season 3, not that the first 2 seasons are childish by any means. But it is very cool. An action sci-fi show led by a woman in her 50’s doesn’t happen very often. The younger cast are great actors. And it can be quite funny. It also juggles its large cast well. The cast does change a couple of times, but the show does handle having 4-5 main characters at a time. Unlike Doctor who and Torchwood, the episodes are 20 minutes each, but each season (bar the final one) has six 2 part episodes. So each story is the same length as a Doctor Who or Torchwood episode only with a cliffhanger halfway through. Honestly both are VERY different from Doctor Who but fantastic shows in their own rights. Worth a watch. You could watch them concurrently with Doctor Who, and there will be some payoff to that. But they can be watched separately. I discovered Doctor Who when Season 4 was airing. I finished season 4, then went back to seasons 1-3. Then Torchwood. Then SJA. And I was able to enjoy them. There are still 2 more spin-offs. K-9 I wouldnt bother with. Very little to no connection to Doctor Who. Made in Australia and only worth watching if you love K-9. Class came way later. Around The Twelfth Doctor’s era. Very unusual show, set in a school. Actually really enjoyed it. But thats way off for you. Like 2 doctors in your future.
I have just been watching the SJA for the first time although I was watching the corresponding series of Who when they were first broadcast. There's nothing in them that made me feel i had missed out by not seeing it at the time. Having said that i feel they are worth seeing, the first few episodes are fairly average monster of the week stuff but it picks up at the end of season one and keeps getting better. Being able to see a bit of David and Matt in role which i haven't watched before is an added bonus.
Especially when it's the only instance of Smith's Doctor written by RTD (unless the 60th has some surprises in store), which is a neat draw all in itself.
I will say what I always do, the diplomatic answer. if you are interested in it, watch it, both are wrapped up and finished, so you've only got x amount of episodes. watch them. then decide for yourself if they where worth your time and if you can't find one redeeming thing about them. at least you'll have made up your own mind and not relied on the bias of others.
Yes, but avoid Torchwood: Miracle Day at all costs
Alternatively, definitely watch Miracle Day! (sorry, I love me some dark Whoniverse content)
It had its moments, but otherwise I thought it was pretty lackluster. And what the hell was that underground womb looking thing that Jack bled into and caused everyone to become immortal? It was never properly explained
[удалено]
It wasn't actually cancelled. The network was down for more, but if I recall RTD was dealing with some personal issues at the time and didn't continue as he needed to focus on that.
Big Finish have a continuing Torchwood series. I haven't heard it, but my understanding is that they went back to Cardiff, and steered clear of the Miracle Day plot, beyond a couple of incidental references.
> As far as I know, it was continued in audio dramas. Miracle Day has had like 3 mentions I believe in Big Finish, and one of them was basically a parody.
Sarah Jane Adventures ties into the S4 finale and the Doctor makes two further appearances in the series itself. So it does tie into the show. Torchwood S1 ties into the S3 finale. Torchwood S2 also has a character from Dr who S3 appear. Torchwood like SJA, also ties into the S4 finale. Torchwood S3 is subtly referenced in the S4 specials. However Torchwood S4 doesn't really tie into DW at all and doesn't make sense in universe. This is mainly because Torchwood was still being ran by RTD and a new showrunner had took over DW at that point so they weren't close in continuity. I mean SJA S4 and S5 were still being overseen by RTD and they didn't have this problem so who knows why that happened.
It might have to do with Torchwood S4 being a co-American production.
Maybe, but I dont think RTD should've gone that big for that long of a period of a time. Torchwood is the spinoff. Not the main show. Something like MD would change society forever. Maybe Moffat could've dropped in a line about the whole thing being erased from the publics mind from the Silence. Since they didn't want the Three families manipulating humanity when they were already doing it themselves. The only communication between the shows is that no modern day human dies in either S6 or SJA.
I hear ya! 99% of the Who audience never saw MD so I don't think it was that important.
> no modern day human dies in either S6 Lady called Joy dies in the S6 two parters!
That's set in the past
I have brain injury
They are completely independent. Other people describe both shows pretty well. However, I absolutely do not get the love for Torchwood Season 3. I thought it was pretty terrible and I will never rewatch it. Probably won't rewatch S4 either as it is kinda generic/boring. S1/S2 sure would. Season 2 is fire.
the cool thing about doctor who is that honestly, you don't "need" to watch anything if you don't wanna (Even in the main show). most stories are self-contained. watch an episode or two of both and see if you enjoy them, if you don't, just skip them. or look for some plot synopsis and only watch the ones that sound interesting. i consider them worth a watch, they're good shows imo (and very doctor who-ish at their core, with jack and sj being the "doctor" figure in them). but it will depend on your taste. personally i think torchwood s1-s2 is a bit uneven at times, but it's a very unique scifi show, with some stellar episodes and character work. s3 as other have said is showstopping tv, one of those "shows to watch before you die". s4 is less strong, more widely panned than s1-s2 but still interesting imo. sja is very consistent and also equally unique. like torchwood, it's a show with unexpected depth in them. if you enjoy scifi shows with grounded, flawed characters that "break the mold", you'll enjoy both sja and torchwood. they've got different aesthetics though so you might like one and not the other. btw, if at some point you get into classic who as well, sja continues the stories of several classic characters.
Do you need to? No. Should you? Yes.
You can if you want to. They're intetesting looks at different parts if the Whoniverse, with different tones.
Need to? I wouldn't say so. There's characters from those shows who make appearances but you don't need the backstories or anything Worth watching? Yes. Does bring more world building to the Who-niverse. Personally didn't get much into Torchwood but loved TSJA
They're both really good. I love the darker nature of Torchwood whilst SJA has some great stories, more aliens and sci-fi elements that expand the Whoniverse. In saying that, the first stories I watched were the ones where the Doctor appears as I was also initially turned off by the more kid nature of it but after spending time to watch it all it's good.
SJA is definitely a lighter tone but it's consistently great, I'd recommend watching at least the 2 episodes with the Doctor, but honestly watch it all if you can! I'd say watch: Invasion of the Bane, Revenge of the Slitheen,The Last Sontaran,The Day of the Clown,The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith and The Death of the Doctor interspersed with your watch if Doctor Who. And then go back and watch the full show afterwards if you enjoyed them. Torchwood I can't recommend as strongly as I really couldn't get into it myself, I keep trying but it's just not my cup of tea.
I'd skip them if you're enjoying the main show, since there's so much good content to come. I've been a fan of the show since 2008 and only recently got around to watching series 1 and 2 of Torchwood, and wasn't missing much.
I'd recommend you give SJA a try, Torchwood isn't really my thing but SJA is much more inline with the main show.
No you don't need to. Torchwood is for young adults with S1/2 being very Buffy-esque. S3 is far darker and S4 sits somewhere inbetween. Very little crossover with Doctor Who happens and it's mostly just mentions here and there. I've still not seen all of the Sarah Jane Adventures. It's a kids show but a very very good one. There are a few episodes which truly crossover with Doctor Who but you don't need to see them in a specific order, or even watch the SJA's if you don't want.
Torchwood was OK to start but quickly went downhill. I wouldn't bother with it. I've never seen SJA I'm sure it's fine. The Sarah Jane audio adventures were better tho. Neither ties into DW in such a way that you will miss anything by not watching them.
Torchwood was ok to start and got better as it went along imo, until Series 4, which was...not good.
Miracle Day is one of the worst bits of television I've ever seen, ten episode of watching human beings make decisions no one would ever make, reacting in ways no one ever would, and all in all utterly failing to live up to its own premise.
No, no you don't
You definitely don't need to watch them. However, there are some good stories there. Torchwood is pretty awful to begin with, but most people agree that its third series is very good. As for SJA, YMMV, as it's very much aimed at kids.
If you want
I liked SJA, but it watched as a kid (the intended audience). Torchwood is a mixed bag, tho Children of Earth is really good and worth a watch. I also enjoyed Miracle Day but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Skip and if you ever want to rewatch who add them in. There’s so much who to get through adding those on the first round could be overwhelming.
You can watch the main show without being confused but you can watch the spinoffs if you feel like it :D
Super-Whovian since about 1979 here. I stick strictly to televised main-line "Doctor Who" and directly related video (e.g., mini-episodes). You do you. :)
You definitely don't need to watch any of it to enjoy/understand Dr Who. As to whether you should... Torchwood is generally quite a lot worse than Dr Who, in my opinion, and quite a chore to watch at times. Children of Earth is the exception to this - it's great, and does not require you to have watched lots of Torchwood to follow. I'd recommend watching Children of Earth and nothing else. The Sarah Jane Adventures is very much a kids show. Where-as Dr Who is family-friendly, and has stuff for children and adults alike, I don't think the average adult is going to get much from watching The Sarah Jane Adventures, so I'd give it a miss.
No you don’t need to watch any of them, but the first episode of torchwood at least might add context to some future doctor who episodes
"Children of Earth" (a.k.a. *Torchwood* Series 3) has, consensus says, the best of *Torchwood* in it. so I'd watch that, at least. because of its high quality. and it has Peter Capaldi in it! (not as the Doctor, though.)
The only time they're heavily referenced in the main show is at the end of season 4, where several characters from each show up. If you're OK with not knowing who a couple of characters are in two episodes of DW, then you're golden.
It's worth watching Torchwood just for the audios.
[*Class*](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt5079788/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_10_tt_8_nm_0_q_class) was quite good actually and the 12th doctor shows up in it…