After Russell T. Davies' inspired reinvention of "Doctor Who" - apocalyptic fun aimed at everyone - and his randier, more adult "Torchwood" comes a new, kid-friendly spinoff, "The Sarah Jane Adventures." It concerns a former acolyte of the Doctor who's now saving the world from alien marauders with some neighborhood kids.

Elizabeth Sladen stars as Sarah Jane Smith, whose brief tenure with the Doctor has nonetheless empowered her to battle interplanetary evil. She reluctantly teams up with Maria (Yasmin Paige), who has recently moved in across the street with her newly divorced dad (her mother being a complete and utter drama queen) and stumbles upon Sarah's secret.

On one show, they battle the malevolent manufacturers of Bubble Shock, a hot new drink with "bane," which just happens to be the essence of an alien life form (ads tout, "It's organic!" - neglecting to mention that that's not necessarily a good thing). Together, they rescue Luke (Thomas Knight), a human teen created at the bottling factory; like ABC Family's "Kyle XY," Luke has no belly button, though that gimmick is quickly downplayed.

"The Sarah Jane Adventures" delights in prodding its young viewers toward skepticism - tonight, they're warned of the cynicism behind mindlessly exuberant advertising. Alas, the Sci Fi Channel is padding this episode - 59 minutes long in its British version - into a 90-minute time slot, which means the 30-some minutes of commercials will surely dilute that anti-marketing subtext.

Next week, Sarah Jane, Maria and Luke are joined by Clyde (Daniel Anthony) as they battle a sinister plot hatched by flatulent aliens in cheesy green fat-suits posing as a principal, a teacher and a brainiac student within their own high school. (Those younger viewers likely don't need to be convinced to be wary of these characters.)

As "Sarah Jane" is geared for kids, performances and dialogue aren't as nuanced as in "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood," but they're still far cleverer than most shows aimed at this particular demographic. I would've loved this show when I was in eighth grade. I liked a lot of it even now.

David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com

www.insidesocal.com/tv/