June 7, 2011 | Arts / Entertainment

'Torchwood' to stay gay?

With just one month left before Torchwood's new season starts, sci-fi fans are wondering if the show - this year set in the US instead of Wales - will maintain the bisexuality of lead character Captain Jack Harkness (played by openly gay actor John Barrowman).

Part of the move to America is based upon the show's new co-producer, Starz. The fear: that Starz will insist on downplaying the queer content so as not to alienate US fans.

Barrowman, however, insisted that people have nothing to worry about. "I knew they would be true to the show and not change drastically. If it was watered down, I wouldn’t have done it," he told Entertainment Weekly. "For those people who are our staunch fans, it’s going to have the heart and soul of Torchwood which we’ve always had, plus the energy and excitement of a show that’s bigger and better."

In fact, says showrunner and creator Russell T. Davies, the US is light years ahead of the United Kingdom when it comes to gays on TV.  "The portrayal of gay, bisexual, and lesbian characters [in the USA] is currently way ahead of Britain," he said. "The kids on Glee, the beauty and detail of that couple of Modern Family. We’ve got nothing like that."

We'll just have to wait and see. Until then, check out a trailer for the new season after the jump.