Midweek Mancandy: John Barrowman

This weekend, "Torchwood: Miracle Day," which aired on Starz two years ago, airs on BBC America, so that seems like a totally appropriate time to feature a Pop Tarts favorite on Midweek Mancandy: "Torchwood" star John Barrowman!

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Barrowman is best known to fangirls and fanboys around the globe as Captain Jack Harkness, a rogue time-traveling agent on "Doctor Who" and its spinoff series, "Torchwood." He also appeared as Malcolm Merlyn on The CW's "Arrow," and he's done a variety of screen and stage roles, written books (with the help of his sister, Carole), delighted fans at conventions, campaigned for gay rights and just generally been completely and utterly awesome in pretty much every way.

It doesn't hurt that's he's also incredibly good-looking. *swoon*

Here at the Pop Tarts, we've been big fans of Barrowman since his first appearance on "Doctor Who," and we've followed his career with delight (and a lot of fangirl squealing). He's a great actor and has given a lot of depth to Captain Jack Harkness, who is a very complicated character, and was a delight as the evil Malcolm Merlyn, but we also love his offscreen persona. He's very accessible to fans and clearly delighted by his fame and his fans. 

If you want to get a feel for Barrowman's acting skills right now, check out BBC America's site - in anticipation of the "Miracle Day" premiere, they're streaming full episodes of the epic "Torchwood" miniseries "Children of Earth." Not only is is a fantastic story, but it also features a great performance by Peter Capaldi, who is taking over as the Twelfth Doctor on "Doctor Who."

Fall TV Preview: The CW

It's almost that time of year - time to decide which new shows you'll put into your TV-watching rotation! I'll be previewing the new shows of Fall 2013 and letting you know what I'll be watching - and what I'll be avoiding like the plague.

Tonight, let's take a look at that wonderful red-headed stepchild of network TV: The CW. There are only three new shows slated for this fall, and yet ... I am pumped, because who doesn't love The CW?

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The Originals (Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Premieres Oct. 8.) This is a spinoff of "The Vampire Diaries," which I've never watched. It follows the world's original vampires, the Mikaelson siblings, hanging out in New Orleans and wreaking vampirey havoc. As much as I like a good vampire story, especially in New Orleans, I'll probably skip this one, because I doubt it can live up to the craziness or hotness of my favorite Louisiana-set vampire drama, "True Blood." Jen's Take: Heck no, I won't watch!

The Tomorrow People (Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Premieres Oct. 9.) Based on the British series of the same name, this show follows teens/young adults who are part of the "next stage of human evolution." It seems like it will be a bit like the X-Men, but now with even more teen angst and a bad soundtrack. You know, because it's the CW. Seriously, though, it looks entertaining. I love stories about superheroes and other special people, and that's what this is basically about. Also, it stars Robbie Amell, the cousin of "Arrow" hottie Stephen Amell. (What a gene pool!) Jen's Take: I'll definitely watch.

Reign (Thursdays at 8 p.m. Premieres Oct. 17.) This series is about the early life of Mary, Queen of Scots. No, really. On the CW. My prediction is that it will be entertainingly terrible, but make me cringe because of all the historical inaccuracies. And yet, I'm intrigued. Nostradamus is a character (in fact, he's played by Donald Sutherland's son/Kiefer Sutherland's half-brother Rossif Sutherland), so there will probably be some paranormal goofiness stuck in with all the historical inaccuracies. I probably shouldn't watch, as I really don't need another CW guilty pleasure show (I already watch "Arrow," and I foolishly started watching "Supernatural" on Netflix a few weeks ago), and yet ... Jen's Take: Maybe I'll watch.

What new CW shows will you be watching this fall?