I think it is worth pointing out how much BBC America is
promoting the US premiere of Torchwood -- and the start of the first David Tennant series on the channel as well.
I've definitely felt that
Doctor Who's profile in the US has gone up over the last year -- there are people that have become new fans, as opposed to those of us that have been
Doctor Who fans for decades.
The thing is,
Doctor Who is massive now in the UK -- and it's certainly not as massive here in the US that it is there. But Who is by far one of the biggest continuing series that is imported into the US, and I think BBC America has high expectations for
Torchwood in raising the profile of their network.
My impression is that it's some of the old-school Doctor Who fans that like
Torchwood the least -- but at the same time, many people that have come into
Doctor Who since 2005 -- and even some that didn't like
Who in any format -- seem to really like
Torchwood