waking dreams

... no, really, it is.

See, I've been reading random stuff on tvtropes.org. I found the Five Man Band page.

Basically, a Five Man Band consists of (naturally) five main characters:

1. The Hero
2. The Lancer
3. The Smart Guy.
4. The Big Guy/Genius Bruiser.
5. The Chick.

Now, looking at it, Torchwood Three (strictly PRE-Exit Wounds, thank you very much) fits that pretty well.

The Hero - Jack, obviously.
The Lancer - Owen.
The Smart Guy - gotta be Tosh.
The Big Guy/Genius Bruiser - sorta fits Ianto, but for this I'm substituting The Quiet One for Ianto.
The Chick - Gwen. This is also an obvious one.

Some of the supplementary roles are filled too...

Team Pet - Myfanwy. Or Janet, maybe.
Sixth Ranger - Martha has aspects of this role, but it fits Captain John like a glove.
Tagalong Kid - this doesn't fit too well, but Rhys can be included in this role.
Mentor - and this fits even less well... despite never actually being in Torchwood, one could argue for the Doctor as Team Mentor, by virtue of his being Jack's Mentor.

The same can also be applied to Angel.

1. The Hero - Angel. Of course.
2. The Lancer - either Doyle, in S1, or Spike, in S5.
3. The Smart Guy - Wesley.
4. The Big Guy/Genius Bruiser - Gunn
5. The Chick - depending on the series, Cordelia or Fred.