Warning: mild spoilers.

Defying Gravity (CTV/’A’/ABC, two-hour premiere August 2, 9:00 PM ET/PT; in regular timeslot starting August 9, 10:00 PM ET/PT on CTV/ABC; premieres August 7, 8:00 PM ET on SPACE) is an anomaly in the world of prime-time Canadian content.  The creator of the show, James D. Parriott, has run or co-run shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Sons of Anarchy and Ugly Betty.  He created Misfits of Science, Voyagers! and Forever Knight, so his sci-fi credentials are solid.

Michael Edelstein, meanwhile, was one of the original Desperate Housewives executive producers.  Less excitingly, he executive-produced Hope & Faith and Threat Matrix.

On the Canadian side, Omni Film Productions has produced such shows as The Odyssey, Edgemont, Alice, I Think and Robson Arms.  Defying Gravity is not as Canadian as The Listener, but it’s not quite an American show filmed in Vancouver to save money.  On the sliding scale of CanCon, Defying Gravity floats near the middle.

Defying Gravity has been publicized by Parriott as Grey’s Anatomy in space, which has birthed a million unfunny Grey’s Astronomy jokes.  The show also takes a strip off Virtuality‘s “reality show in space” concept.  It’s an attempt to make science fiction appeal more to women, or at least that’s the excuse offered.

The excuse is insulting.  Defying Gravity tries to balance sci-fi with relationship drama.  Big deal.  Doctor Who, Being Human and Torchwood do it.  Any space opera worth shit is about compelling characters mixed with exciting action.  Sadly, Defying Gravity doesn’t hit the ground running, due to its insanely slow pace and familiar characters.

Maddux Donner (Ron Livingston) narrates the series, he of the “left crewmembers to die and needs to atone” backstory.  Zoe Barnes (Laura Harris) is carrying Donner’s baby – maybe – after a one-night stand, and could be gay.  Ted Shaw (Malik Yoba) is married to Eve Weller-Shaw (Karen LeBlanc), yet had a pre-launch affair with Jen Crane (Christina Cox).

Nadia Schilling (Florentine Lahme) is competing with Zoe for Donner’s affections.  Ajay Sharma (Zahf Paroo) goes batshit insane in the first half of the pilot despite being the most psychologically stable of the Antares crew, and so on, and so forth.

Livingston makes for an entertaining Donner, while Malik Yoba is decent as Shaw.  Dylan Taylor’s character, the geeky porn enthusiast Steve Wassenfelder, could be the dark horse of the ensemble given time.  If nothing else, the main characters are engaging in the way that The Listener‘s Craig Olejnik wasn’t.

The main problem with Defying Gravity‘s pilot is that the science fiction and soap opera elements are not blended in very well.  The crew’s backstories are a little too pat and the show is too earnest to be “sexy.”  Defying Gravity isn’t actively horrible, but it’s obviously picking and mixing genres in an attempt to chart its path.

At the same time, Defying Gravity tries for more dramatic depth than the pilot can handle.  A Ganesa figure, placed on the Antares by Sharma at the end of the pilot’s first half, is obvious symbolism.  Defying Gravity is playing the field, attempting to be plausible sci-fi while dealing in “who fucked whom” tales.

The second half of the pilot is better-handled than the first.  There is some sex, but Defying Gravity keeps the focus on non-sexual relationships between the Antares crew.  That’s what I find interesting about the series.  I don’t care about the libido-killing HALOS suits or the attempts to ape Lost.  Gimmicks like that won’t ensure the show’s success.  Well-written characters will.

As it is, Defying Gravity is ABC’s Greatest Hits in Space.  I actually think ABC is doing the right thing in giving the show an early August timeslot, as the show could blow up right as the fall season hits its stride.  Parriott has his DNA all over ABC, so the network’s going to give him some attention.

If Defying Gravity fails, big deal.  Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy are still going concerns, although Ugly Betty is on life-support at this point.  Canadian television can still pin its Yank-baiting hopes on The Bridge and Copper, since cop procedurals are as numerous as copies of Super Mario Bros. 3.  As for Edelstein…eh, maybe he’ll revive Brandy and Mr. Whiskers as a sex-filled romp.  It couldn’t be worse than Wipeout.

I go into Torchwood: Children of Earth (SPACE: July 20-24, 10:00 PM ET) not being a Torchwood fan.  This is due to the first-series episodes I watched, which I felt were terrible.  The show struck me then as trying to be Doctor Who The Alien Slayer, failing miserably in the process.  Torchwood allegedly improved in its second series, not that I watched to find out.

Torchwood: Children of Earth has done exceedingly well for BBC One.  Viewers think it’s just awesome, enough that Torchwood: Children of Earth grabbed viewing figures of almost 6 million and held on to them by week’s end.  The New York Times thinks Torchwood: Children of Earth is silly, not that the Times gives a damn about proper arts criticism.

The question remains: do I like Torchwood now, as it gains its best-ever standing?  Emphatically, yes.  This is the first episode of Torchwood I’ve seen that feels properly adult as opposed to “here’s an alien, I’m gay, you’re gay, let’s have an orgy.”

I’m not going overboard with praise for Torchwood: Children of Earth.  The children-presage-alien-invasion angle takes its cue from John Wyndham’s “The Midwich Cuckoos,” running it through a Quatermass II filter.  It’s bluntly obvious the ideas aren’t new.  Being derivative is one of Russell T. Davies’ main faults, so no big surprise there.

What makes Torchwood: Children of Earth promising is the fact that, even though it’s derivative apocalyptic storytelling, it’s damn good apocalyptic storytelling.  The alien menace, at least in the first episode, is abstract.  There is proper setup for the episodes to come.  Main protagonist Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) even keeps the man-kissing to a minimum.

While the soap opera elements aren’t removed from Torchwood, the human reaction to an alien invasion comes first.  Torchwood: Children of Earth finds the balance between science fiction and its brand of human drama, adding a layer of government conspiracy in the process.  Even the sight of children standing and screaming doesn’t hurt proceedings.

Russell T. Davies’ work on Doctor Who and Torchwood has been all over the map.  His Doctor Who specials and episodes are normally heavy on spectacle, light on coherent plot.  With Torchwood: Children of Earth, he delivers the whole package.  Perhaps it’s due to two characters dying at the end of the second series, but Torchwood: Children of Earth is not afraid to blow itself up at this point.  It’s event programming that actually delivers on its promises.

Torchwood: Children of Earth is off to a great start.  Either the show is wrapping up or rebooting itself, but Torchwood has definitely improved from its debut.  Past history be damned, Torchwood: Children of Earth is great television.

Aside: why do people refer to this series as Torchwood: Children of Men?  I’ve made mistakes like this before.  I only recently realized Martha Jones’ actor was Freema Agyeman, not Agyema Freeman.  Children of Men, though?!  I’ve seen professionals make this mistake.

Ah, well.  Stay tuned this week as I review Doctor House: Planet of the Dead.  It’ll be excoriating!