Could Doctor Who be "retooled" into an American show ?

[ctc]

>have you never seen star trek or star wars unrealistic and illogical rule the universe in those shows betweeen contradictory stories and histories,

Yeah; but that's a time thing. (Since both have been around more than 30 years.) I'm referring to stuff like Daleks being giant salt shakers, or building a TARDIS locator out of two forks and a potato. Or for Star Trek; space Nazis, or ancient Greek gods.... Stuff that's not "realistic" and doesn't conform to any known science. American shows seem to work hard to EXCLUDE that sort of thing. So you end up with a lot of the same old same old, 'cos that's the "right" way to do spaceships, or aliens, or whatever. Dt Who; especially the old one didn't care about any of that. Mostly 'cos they had no budget and had to make monsters out of whatever they had on hand. Then they'd come up with some sort of pseudoscientific explanation for them. (Or in Who's case.... just roll with it.) And that contirbuted a great deal to the feel and uniqueness of the show. (BOTH of 'em, actually.) THAT'S what I don't think would fly nowadays. Luckily the new Dr Who didn't change the basic concepts too much. (Except the Macra being retrograde animals now....) The Daleks look armoured, but they're still salt shakers.

It's also why I don't usually dig remakes; the time and circumstances of a show's creation have a huge effect on the final product, and I don't think too may creative types realize that. Hence all the remakes that are the current standard with an old name slapped on. The people doing the new versions don't realize that THEY'RE a part of the current era, and that their conception of "right" is heavily influenced by that. (Kinda what I was getting at on another post about Miller's Spirit movie....)

Don C.

[AUSSIE-Rebooted-AMM]

If made as an Amercan show. . . . . it would run 2 or 3 years before, some exec would decide to axe it, on a whim, and never give a chance to wind it up nicely. . . . .then 10 years later they would reboot it and do the same thing.

The BBC is a long term runner, compared to American TV producers. . . .wanting a Bang for NOW. . . . it must be FRESH and NOW. . . . .no loyalty to the viewers, no sense of continuity.

UNLESS. . . . they make it into a soap opera. . . .then it could run forever. . . ."Days of Our Tardis", or maybe "The Daring and the Dangerous (and the Deleks)".

Perhaps a light hearted family comedy. . . ."My 3 daleks" or "2 and a Half Cybermen."

[jwyblejr]

The sad thing is,somewhere along the ling they'll turn him into a schizo. All of those personalities he's had through the years,they'd make sure it would catch up to him.

[Gorn Captain]

Desperate Daleks. The story of four over-the-hill Daleks, desperately trying to find a girlfriend (they keep exterminating them on the first date)...

Doc's Anatomy. A man is brought in with two hearts. How can that be?

Tardisfornication. The Doctor and Rose reunite, and frankly, they never leave the Tardis during the first weekend....

Sex and the Sontarans. These short bad guys suddenly find out that there's more to life than cloning.

[jds1911a1]

[QUOTE=AUSSIE-Rebooted-AMM;392160]If made as an Amercan show. . . . . it would run 2 or 3 years before, some exec would decide to axe it, on a whim, and never give a chance to wind it up nicely. . . . .then 10 years later they would reboot it and do the same thing.

The BBC is a long term runner, compared to American TV producers. . . .wanting a Bang for NOW. . . . it must be FRESH and NOW. . . . .no loyalty to the viewers, no sense of continuity.

QUOTE]

I don't know if that's a fair statement many shows have extended runs here too (law an order has been on for like 16 years). Ultimately TV execs are in the business to make money and if people aren't watching they try something else. one advantage any show today has is the proliferation of channels. in the "old days" say pre 85 a network show in the US had to draw over 25% to be looked at as viable now if they get 6% it is a success. I know lots of people like Lost but 20 years ago the execs wouldn't have stuck with it long enough to be the cult show it became

[johnmiic]

It could be turned into an American series but the format runs counter to the style of American TV. Doctor Who can go on forever because any actor can be cast as the Doctor. His companions can be anyone and the production staff can have lots'a turnover usually insuring fresh story ideas. Many villains are monsters, robots, cyborgs and aliens. very few of these are tied to a particular actor. They can always come back as the familiar baddie regardless of who plays the part. Doctor Who's closest American TV relative, as far as format and longevity, is Saturday Night Live because its cast and everyone involved in it always changes, except for the producer,( Lorne Michaels who has sort of become our John Nathan Turner).

Also I read in the DW Book, Regeneration, the making of the 1996 tv movie, that American TV is very much concerned with the re-uniting of the father and son. I didn't really think this was true but it does pop up in prime time series here in the US and I have noticed this sub-text in shows like Seaquest, Voyagers, Heroes, GAH, Battlestar Galactica, WINGS, Scrubs, Lost in Space, Psych, and Spielberg's War of the Worlds remake. The author of Regeneration seemed to think if Doctor Who became an American TV show it would be more about the Doctor finding his father.

TV shows usually don't become sucessful in the USA until the actor becomes synonomous w/the character. Zack Braff on Scrubs, Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepard on Moonlighting, Scott Bakula on Quantum Leap, etc. Once that happens a show takes off and audiences like the show to stay that way. Any change in cast is usually death for an American show because it upsets the chemistry. John Travolta and Gabe Kaplan leaving Welcome Back Kotter, Linda Hamilton leaving Beauty and the Beast, ( if only they had thought to re-cast using the younger actress Beth Toussaint who looked a lot like Linda Hamilton they might've gone one for a long and sucessful run), Gates McFadden leaving St-TNG for one season.

American audiences can't always make the transition that DW audiences make. Remember Rebecca replacing Dianne on Cheers? That was a risky move but it paid off. Or when Suzanne Sommers left three's Company? The second actor to play Darren on Bewitched, ( I forget his name). Sometimes it works but it's the exception.

If they did Doctor Who here they could not start out like they did with William Hartnell. They would have to start out maybe where they had John Pertwee and have the other Doctors make guest appearances in current stories to explain the whole thing. The opposite of what the British show does.

As far as casting I could've seen Ray Walston as Doctor #1 in America, maybe Richard Mulligan of Empty Nest as or Donald Moffatt of Logan's Run as Doctor #3, ( tho they would likely have had to be less physical than John Pertwee was). Gene Wilder as Doctor #4, ( his Willy Wonka preformance is practically Doctor Who #4, Tom Baker, personified). Night Court's Harry Anderson perhaps as Doctor #5, not as young as Peter Davison but very much like him. John Larouquette as Doctor #6?

[UnderdogDJLSW]

Hey! Here's an American thought. William Shatner as the Doctor!

[Timothy2251]

THE SCENE: a boardroom for a major US network. Several important junior executives are sitting at a long table. At it's head, the Chairman.

"Gentlemen. Tell me about our version of 'Dr. Who', and how we're gonna do a better job than the Brits. Wilson?"

"Well sir, we've got Casting looking for the right man to play 'The Doctor'."
"Uh, does he HAVE to be a Doctor? We have enough doctors on TV already. 'House' for example, and I heard the guy playing him is really... BRITISH!"
"Hmmm. That could cause some confusion."
"Well, audiences do like crime dramas. Instead of a doctor, we can make him a lawyer."
"Oooh! Let's get both markets! Audiences who like doctors AND like lawyers! Make him a Doctor-Lawyer! It's never been done before!!!"
"Excellent idea, Jones! 'Doctor-Lawyer Who!" I LIKE IT! Now, back to casting. Any leads?"
"Well the first doctor..."
"What do you mean First Doctor? I thought there's only one."
"That's the beauty of the property; when an actor tires of the role, they replace him, but still have the new actor play the old character! They call it a regeneration!"
"Hmmm. Interesting. A show like that could go on for years. Who would've thought the Brits could be clever like that? Anyway, casting..."
"Well the first doctor was an old man, and each successive doctor was usually younger than the previous one."
"Too confusing. We should start young."
"Agreed. Talk to Disney, see if we can get a Jonas brother, so we can get the tween market onboard."
"OK. Now the Doctor-Lawyer has a time-machine doohickey that he travels around in. In England, he uses a Police Box."
"The heck's a Police Box? Ahhh, make it a '68 Buick, all cherry and stuff. I had a '68 Buick once. Miss that car."
"OK, and Doctor-Lawyer needs bad guys to fight. The Brits use aliens and robots and stuff."
"Like X-Files?"
"Nah, more like 'Star Trek' "
"Right. Anyway, his biggest enemies are called 'Daleks', and they look like, well, these domed tank like things with guns up font."
"Oooh, I smell FX budget problems."
"Well, we COULD take a page from that 'Flash Gordon' show on SciFi... make his enemies guys in Pierre Cardin suits."
"Uh, it's SyFy, now."
"What is?"
"Sci-Fi. They call it SyFy now. 'Cause all the tweeners do shorthand and stuff on their Twitters and stuff."
"My God. That's BRILLIANT. Such marketing. We need shorthand on this project PRONTO."
"We could change the title. Doctor-Lawyer Who is kind of long."
"D-L Who?"
"I LOVE IT! Reminds me of that D.L. Hughley fella. Hey! Let's cast him as the lead! The audience loves comedians, and he's a comedian, right?"
ALL: "Brilliant, sir!"

Coming Fall 2010: D-L WHO, starring D.L. Hughley as D-L Who, Bob Saget as K-9 (the half-dog, half-man from Battle Creek, Missouri), Daisy from "Rock of Love" as Sarah jane Smith, and The Jonas Brothers as the suit-wearing Daleks with laser-powered staplers. Tuesdays at 9 on ABC!

[jwyblejr]

If some Hollywood suit is reading this and thinks this is a great idea,I blame you.

[Timothy2251]

If some Hollywood suit is reading this and thinks this is a great idea,I blame you.

If some Hollywood suit reads this and thinks this is a good idea, they can send me a briefcase full of cash.

[tay666]

I always thought the film was good but the first couple season of SG1 are really good (of course if you were watching on showtime before DScifi picked it op the boobs helped) but it was on WAY too long

I have to disagree.
I was heartbroken when it was canceled, and would have loved to have seen it run about 5 more seasons.
Sadly I never saw it on Showtime. I started watching it on network TV in the late 90's. They had it on late Saturday nights. I remember staying up to watch that, and PSI Factor.

[jds1911a1]

I have to disagree.
I was heartbroken when it was canceled, and would have loved to have seen it run about 5 more seasons.
Sadly I never saw it on Showtime. I started watching it on network TV in the late 90's. They had it on late Saturday nights. I remember staying up to watch that, and PSI Factor.

the syndicated run on tv in 98 or 99 started by replaying all the Showtime episodes with some content edited out for broadcast tv daytime standards (as a syndicated show it was often a mid day day show against sports)

I gave up on the show after season 9 (against the AURI) and the prior 2 seasons had been a "watch out of habit there isn't much else on". Even bringing in Corin Nemic fresh from "Parker Lewis can't lose" was lame hence Daniels return. never saw the direct to dvd movie
Most sci fi shows get stale after the 5th season the fact is stayed fresh as long as it did with a very canned plot every week (go thorugh gate meet new people, run into bad guys - start shooting, free new people, go home) is amazing (in my opinion no small part due to Richard Dean Anderson's comic delivery).

[Meule]

Frankly, I hope they never do cause Hollywood will just mess it up, like pretty much every Americanisation they've done. Best example: Godzilla... I rest my case

[tay666]

Most sci fi shows get stale after the 5th season the fact is stayed fresh as long as it did with a very canned plot every week (go thorugh gate meet new people, run into bad guys - start shooting, free new people, go home) is amazing (in my opinion no small part due to Richard Dean Anderson's comic delivery).

I agree RDA was a big part of that.
But I also think the writers deserve some credit as well. They let the characters be themselves. They kept the history between them going, and referenced it a lot. And they weren't afraid to make fun of themselves. (the 200th episode was just brilliant!).
And they used the been-there-done-that as part of the story. Even having the characters come out and say it a few times.
By not taking themselves, or the show too seriously, but still being true to the mythos they kept it fun and entertaining long past what would work for other shows.