As a “Torchwood” fan from the beginning, I’m excited that Starz has joined forces with BBC Worldwide to bring us a fourth season of the popular “Doctor Who” spinoff.

As a “Torchwood” fan from the beginning, I’m excited that Starz has joined forces with BBC Worldwide to bring us a fourth season of the popular “Doctor Who” spinoff.

There’s Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and a host of new and fascinating characters, all trying to figure out what exactly “Miracle Day” is.

And if you’re brand new to the world of “Torchwood,” the season premiere (which airs July 8 on Starz) is definitely set to impress. But if you used “Children of Earth” as a guide — then you’ll quickly feel that something’s missing.

I just can’t quite put my finger on it. But something really is missing from the new series.

I’ve only watched the first episode, so maybe it’s a missing piece we’ll discover in later episodes. But where “Children of Earth” had me at the edge of my seat waiting for the next stone to drop, “Miracle Day” had me turn off the first episode at the end, and continue on my day like nothing really happened.

Sadly, this is not what we expect from Russell T. Davies, or the great writers from across the pond who like to give us a big surprise at the beginning of each season.

You, too, will turn off the first episode, feeling satisfied that you were taken on a great ride. But you won’t exactly be motivated to see more. And to me, that’s what has made good British shows, well, good … and what has made other shows sputter at the gate.

Without revealing any actual spoilers, “Torchwood” sneaks back in after a two-year absence on two continents — Europe and North America. Gwen is the only Torchwood member left “on Earth,” and for whatever reasons, she is in deep hiding with Rhys (Kai Owen) and their young baby. It’s not quite clear who exactly she is hiding from, or why, but it’s a life of paranoia for Gwen who picks a house on what you think is a deserted beach, but is actually quite visible from a major highway.

Because “Torchwood” is looking for a new audience, we have to go through a lot of the steps to explain what “Torchwood” is — which, of course, is cumbersome to long-time viewers, and what slows this episode down. I don’t blame Davies and his crew for explaining it, because it really does need explaining. But the slowness from my perspective could be simply this, in all fairness.

Torchwood more or less comes back together because everyone on the planet stops dying. That sounds like a great thing to happen, until you realize that babies are still being born — and the planet will be rendered overpopulated and uninhabitable in a matter of months.

Yet, that threat doesn’t seem to really be all that compelling, at least compared to “Children of Earth,” which gave us frightening images of children stopping in their tracks, and then making blood-curdling screams. I still can’t get that out of my head.

But that’s the ultimate problem with “Miracle Day.” While it might introduce itself to a new audience, I think it’s going to be hard to sell this to the existing audience. Not because the story is poor, or the acting is poor, or the characters aren’t interesting. It’s just that fans want one season to blow the last one away, and one episode in, “Miracle Day” is failing to do that.

Is it fair for me to compare this to “Children of Earth”? Certainly not. But I know fans will be doing that, and so I need to do that as well.

But it doesn’t mean this isn’t worth watching. It is. First, because this is “Torchwood” and we need to be watching it. Second, I have to admit, Bill Pullman’s child-raping Oswald Danes is disgusting, creepy and intriguing all at the same time. In fandom, we always think of Pullman in “Independence Day” or even worse, “Spaceballs,” but this guy really knows how to create characters that we are totally engrossed by. We have been given hints about the future of Oswald Danes this season, but still, the premiere doesn’t leave us with enough to beg for more.

I want “Torchwood” to be watched and adored by millions. And maybe the next nine episodes will do that. So, at the very least, watch the premiere this week, and tune back in for the second episode where we don’t have to spend so much time explaining Torchwood. Only then do I expect a strong momentum increase.

If not, then this could be the beginning of the end.

“Torchwood: Miracle Day” stars John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Mekhi Phifer, Bill Pullman, Lauren Ambrose, Kai Owen, Alexa Havins and Arlene Tur.

“The New World,” the fourth season premiere, was written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Bharat Nalluri.

“Torchwood: Miracle Day” premieres July 8 at 10 p.m. ET on Starz.