No you haven’t hit a time warp. Doctor Who’s old (circa 1973) traveling companion Sarah Jane is saving the Earth from aliens again but this time she’s all on her own. At least she was until a nosy neighbor moves next door. Next thing she knows, Sarah is inundated with pint-sized sidekicks.
If Torchwood is the adult version of Doctor Who, then The Sarah Jane Adventures is the kiddie version. That’s not to say it’s bad, just wholesome.On the other hand, the series is very derivative. The characters are virtually interchangeable with those of Doctor Who’s 1st season (2005). Maria the young inquisitive neighbor = Rose Tyler. Clyde the down-to-Earth friend = Mickey Smith. There’s even a top heavy nagging mother that if it weren’t for her red hair would be indistinguishable from Rose’s mother. And Sarah Jane is as close as you can get to a female Doctor, she even has her own sonic screwdriver lipstick. The similarities don’t end at gadgets. Like the Doctor, Sarah Jane insists on giving the murderous aliens a chance to surrender and abhors killing.
It’s a short series: one 90 min (with commercials) special and ten 30 min (which are all 2-parters) episodes. The Sarah Jane Adventures is currently airing Friday nights on the SciFi Network.
