• by Ed Martin , July 8, 2011

Two significant series -- one with a giant following among science-fiction fans, the other a multiple Emmy Award winner -- transition to new networks this month, providing industry observers of every stripe with interesting opportunities to discover if greater creative freedom and fewer content restrictions do indeed make scripted drama more compelling, especially for adult viewers.

"Torchwood," the sci-fi show, is an outstanding British import first seen in this country in edited form on BBC America, which begins its fourth season tonight on Starz. "Damages," the Emmy winner, is a sophisticated legal thriller starring Glenn Close that ran for three seasons on FX and will begin its fourth July 13 on DirecTV.

Both shows already had an adult edge when they were telecast on their original, advertiser-supported networks. To judge from early episodes and previews of what's to come, they're both going to take advantage of the envelope-pushing that comes with transitioning from broadcast and basic cable to pay cable and other less restrictive platforms.

Ever since the arrivals of game-changers "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos" on HBO and "Queer as Folk" on Showtime, there has been endless conversation among television executives, critics, advertisers and others about how important adult language, nudity, graphic depictions of sexual behavior and sequences of brutal violence are to certain series -- and, by extension, to their viewers.

The only real test of such shows has been and continues to be their off-pay afterlife, when they are repeated in edited form. Anyone who has watched "Sex and the City" on TBS or E, or "The Sopranos" on A&E, or "Queer as Folk" on Logo, or "Entourage" in broadcast syndication, will have to admit that while many episodes of these shows play just fine without curse words and bare breasts and behinds, they lack the overall power (dramatic or comedic) they had in their unedited form. (Some of that also has to do with the frequent and frequently overloaded commercial breaks those shows suffer in their new environments.)

Starting tonight, however, we'll be able to see just how different two shows may become while still in first-run status simply because they change home networks. In the episodes of both that I have already seen, "Torchwood" (known this season as "Torchwood: Miracle Day") seems the least different, except for very infrequent cursing and graphic-by-this-franchise's-standards sex scenes, one featuring bisexual hero Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman).

"Damages," on the other hand, suddenly lets the F-bombs fly in its new home on DirecTV. (FX allows almost every other curse word in its shows, but not the Big F.) Interestingly, this harsh language seems to flow very naturally from the cutthroat characters on the canvas -- and, for better or worse, enhances the realism of the show's gritty storytelling.

Given the ultra-graphic nature of other series programming on Starz -- especially the sensational "Spartacus" franchise -- it would seem that "Torchwood" creator Russell T. Davies can do whatever he wants in terms of boundary pushing, with no questions asked.

But the work that creators and executive producers Todd A. Kessler, Daniel Zelman and Glenn Kessler are now able to do on "Damages" may be another matter. Apparently DirecTV is loosening up as far as its original content is concerned. When it picked up an additional season of "Passions" following that far-out soap's cancellation by NBC, I expected more adult language, sex and skin than had been allowed on broadcast. That didn't happen.

I also thought there might be more of the same on "Friday Night Lights" when DirecTV partnered with NBC to produce an additional three seasons of what was then a two year old show - perhaps a safe-for-broadcast NBC version and a slightly more risqué version for DirecTV. That didn't happen, either. (Note: I'm not saying "FNL" needed such changes. It will always be one of the best series in the history of television just as it was. But curse words and some nudity would not necessarily have felt out of place in a show that focused largely on high school football players and their girlfriends.)

Regardless of content limitations, there is no reason why "Torchwood" and "Damages" shouldn't survive and thrive in their new homes. Each is in its own right one of the best series anywhere on television, with or without off-color language or naughty bits.