It's a British Invasion this week, with two classic Brit TV series getting remastered and reissued, as well as a U.S. series starring a British actress playing an American, back when that wasn't an everyday occurrence. But there are a slew of very American TV shows to counter them, including one starring a famous American road. Yes, the show's star is a strip of asphalt.

With the notable exceptions of The Office and American Idol, American translations of British TV shows do not have the best luck. U.S. remakes of Coupling and Life on Mars didn't last long on the air, and it seems like many attempts at do-overs don't even make it past the pilot stage. Still, NBC has announced that they will remake the British series Prime Suspect, a crime drama about a female police detective played by Academy Award-winner Helen Mirren. Now, it may turn out to be really good, but we don't have high hopes because, without the talented Mirren (who earned two Emmys for the role), it'll just be another murder investigation series, of which there are plenty on American TV already. No, we think it's time the networks followed NBC's lead with Merlin and started broadcasting all of the British series that they're so excited to remake -- after all, most of the lead actors on TV this fall are British, faking American accents, so why not show them in their natural habitats? We've got a list of British shows that deserve wider American viewership, whether it's on the networks or just from the DVDs. It's a small fraction of what's out there, but it's what we like right now. (Disclaimer: Some of these have aired on U.S. cable networks in the past, but hey, so was Prime Suspect, on PBS's Mystery and Masterpiece Theatre.)

If you didn't watch the Torchwood: Children of Earth miniseries, you are seriously missing out. You should also not read this very spoiler-filled review that is below. Just know that the DVD is in stores now, and even if you aren't a fan of the show you should go buy it right this very minute, because this is one of the best things I've personally seen on television in a while. And it's an easy series to jump into for newcomers. It's just a show about three cops working at a very underground agency called Torchwood, specializing in alien crimes. Do yourself a favor. Buy it. Now. Trust me.

Last night, I fell in love... with a TV show. Given my job you'd think this happens constantly, but it's actually a rather rare occurrence. There are shows I like, shows that I'm obligated to watch and shows I just watch by rote. But truly love? There are only a few a season. But summertime is when I go through the random things that I've asked my DVR to record and actually decide whether to watch them, delete them, or just wait for them to be on DVD. Given that Beautiful People's (not to be confused with that ABC Family series) season finale is set to air next week on LOGO, it was make it or break it time. So I watched one episode and then immediately watched the other four in my hard drive. It was a wonderful way to spend about two hours. Much more fulfilling than the time that I wasted watching Jillian act like an idiot on The Bachelorette.

Good evening, and welcome to TWOP News. Unfortunately, our TWOPcopter has crashed out by the interstate, so we won't be able to bring you a traffic report, but please do your best to content yourselves with the following bits of television news. Today's top stories: Snoop Dogg takes the stage, Mark Valley takes center stage and Jack Harkness sings showtunes onstage. Score!

Disgust. This was my reaction to news that Fox was mounting a remake of the cult Brit comedy Absolutely Fabulous starring Kristen Johnston and quite possibly Kathryn Hahn. Yes, what a perfectly wonderful idea: take a show beloved by audiences and endlessly imitated but never improved upon, and tart it up Fox-style with a couple of B-list American actors, some rejiggered plot-points and a misogynist marketing campaign. Because the Telefile is not equipped with emoticons or audio function (and because my editor made me), I'm not able to impart my visceral response to this development, which is probably for the best. Swearing is also discouraged. So I'm trying to sublimate my violent rage a bit with a methodical, rational list of the reasons why this is the worst idea in the history of the world. Or, you know, whatever.

This UK import is more outrageous than Gossip Girl and more dramatic than Degrassi, and has way more nudity and foul language than anything you are likely to see on any form of basic cable in the United States. Kids, don't watch this one with your parents. Parents, hide this DVD from your teens and then find a nice convent to send them to, because if their lives are anything like this show, you are in for a whole world of hurt. This deliciously sinful show airs on BBC America, but the first season has just arrived stateside, so you can watch it over and over again. If any series deserved the "OMFG" tagline, it is this one.

Since Saturday I've been thinking about the announcement that Matt Smith was going to fill David Tennant's shoes. I've gone back and forth on how I feel about them casting a 26-year-old relative unknown in this major geek role. My first reaction (mostly based on the age) was "Gah, this is going to be just as bad as Twilight." Actually my first reaction was "Who the hell is that?," but the young guy with nice hair thing came in a close second. But I've finally decided that I'm OK with it. I mean, I still haven't come to terms with the fact that David Tennant is leaving, and there were a host of other choices on the teaser lists that sort of tickled my fancy, but I've decided that I trust in Stephen Moffat and I'm willing to go along with this wild ride. And below are my reasons why.

I'm still upset about David Tennant leaving Doctor Who. I'm not going to lie. It's been about two months since the official announcement and I'm still mostly in denial about it. Especially since I just got cute little Doctor Who toys for the holiday, and him with the Adipose? Adorable. Anyway, making the whole situation slightly less sucky is news that David Tennant and Russell T. Davies want to go out with a bang... and maybe a little song too. Doctor Who... the musical? It's like a dream come true.

I was so excited to watch Summer Heights High, the new HBO series that debuts this weekend. The press release had me at "Mr. G, a self-important, high-strung drama teacher." And it had a lot of other checks in the pro column: It's an Australian import. It's a mockumentary. It involves a production of Anything Goes. It has one guy playing multiple roles. All things I typically enjoy. And to be fair, there were some moments of genius, but mostly I was just bored by the first episode. Maybe it gets funnier as it goes along? Fingers crossed.