HHGG/X-Files/Angel/Mission:Impossible?

So I just watched the first episode of Torchwood. Interesting. Very interesting. I'm not sure it's the greatest show ever, but it kept me fairly entertained. There was one thing that truly disturbed me though. John Barrowman is Scottish. And yet, on the show he plays American. That's all fine except for the fact that when he's speaking English with an American accent, HE SOUNDS JUST LIKE TOM CRUISE! It is insanely creepy. What's even worse, though, is he seems to do the weird Tom Cruise pseudo-maniac laugh. Actually, a lot of his mannerisms, phrasing, everything, was pretty Tom Cruise-ish. Like he realized Capt. Jack Harkness (btw, awesome name!) was supposed to be American and smarmy and just kind of a dick and thought to himself "I'll pick someone that fits that bill and perfectly mimic him. I've got it! Tom Cruise!" And I can't decide if I find that really annoying or really amusing.

Other than that, I liked the show. It's British, obviously, which is a whole other vibe that I'm not totally used to. They have that thing, I'm not sure if it's because it's digital or what, where everything kind of looks like it's shot with a video camera. And there's kind of a lower...or just cheaper...production value. It's just not quite a pretty and glossy as American TV shows. But there is certainly nothing wrong with that. It's just a different look that requires some adjusting to. And you've got to love the length of each series. 13 episodes in series 1.

Anyway, so this show is a little bit Hitchhikers Guide what with the Perception Block thing essentially being a SEP (Someone Else's Problem) and the jumping around in space and time. And it's a little bit Angel with the mysterious and jaded leader in a trench coat and his team of devoted helper people. And it's X-Files-y what with the aliens. It does feel a little bit like it's cobbled together from a bunch of other shows. But it is the good parts of those other shows, and not so much of the bad parts.