Here is an anti-complaint. I didn't think much to the first season, liked the second one enough to watch all the episodes eventually, and thought CoE was incomparably better. Enough better that I wound up sitting through the last three hours back to back in the end. Quatermass IV blended with Spooks, as described above, is a good description; it's simply a much better show that happens to have the surviving members of the Torchwood cast in it. I think you should give it a chance.

Also I agree with the praise for Peter Capaldi above. Excellent. I was amazed by the range he can get out of (un)civil servant, when I got round to remembering Malcolm Tucker, but that took a long time, because there is nothing in the performance apart from Capaldi's features to remind you.