Torchwood (BBC America)

British sci-fi series TORCHWOOD follows the adventures of a top-secret team of investigators who capture aliens and use their technology to solve crime. When her crime scene is taken over by a mysterious group, police officer Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) is suspicious. Following fragmented leads, she witnesses another violent murder before stumbling upon the headquarters of the Torchwood Institute. There she meets team lead Captain Jack Harness (John Barrowman), who explains Torchwood's purpose: to capture the hundreds of alien creatures who slip through a rift of space and time into the city and to use their scavenged technology against them. Gwen's offers to work as a liaison between the police force and Torchwood. Then, when a vacancy surfaces on the team, she joins the top-secret group in the hopes that Torchwood's resources will help solve the city's crimes.

Created by Russell T. Davies, whose credits also include the latest version of Doctor Who (from which this series was spun off), Torchwood is a suspenseful, action-packed thrill ride for sci-fi fans. The series is well cast and written and raises -- albeit on a conversational, rather than scientific, level -- the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

There's a lot to enjoy about this intense show, but there are plenty of red flags for parents, too. Violence is prevalent and often bloody, language is very strong ("f--k" is a popular choice, as are "s--t" and "hell"), and the invisible line between fantasy and reality may be difficult to decipher for youngsters.