Poll: American doctor who?
- Thread starter Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon
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Doctor who is a very british TV show. Making it american, might as well make a new TV show entirely aimed at americans as much as the brits.
Oh haha, They did. It was called TORCHWOOD. That was cool
Oh haha, They did. It was called TORCHWOOD. That was cool
From what I've watched, the Doctor has always been a Brit (I'm not a huge fan of the show, but I do watch it at times) so I'd be inclined to say he should stay British. On the other hand, if they could get someone that could play a good Doctor, even if they were American, then I don't see why they shouldn't go for it.
He stays the same sex BTW and if he's always been british why would he suddenly change?liveslowdiefast said:
Hehe, you are all forgetting the only decent 'americanist' version of the Doctor: the Peter Cushing version from the two sixties films (so whoever said they should have started a remake in the '60's: they did!)
They actually aren't that bad storywise but of course have an incredibly hollywood 'doctor'. His name is 'Dr. Who' (good guess whoever called that one earlier in the thread) he is a mad professor/inventor, and very much a human not a time lord. He also invented the the tardis, as opposed to stealing it from gallifrey. it is also the william hartnell (doctor #1) version but with two grandaughters instead of one. lots of changes
You could probably use this as a kick off point for the doctor as an american show, but to be fair i think 'Being Erica' is about as close as you will get to it.
(if you haven't seen it do, think doctor who crossed with quantum leap!)
They actually aren't that bad storywise but of course have an incredibly hollywood 'doctor'. His name is 'Dr. Who' (good guess whoever called that one earlier in the thread) he is a mad professor/inventor, and very much a human not a time lord. He also invented the the tardis, as opposed to stealing it from gallifrey. it is also the william hartnell (doctor #1) version but with two grandaughters instead of one. lots of changes
You could probably use this as a kick off point for the doctor as an american show, but to be fair i think 'Being Erica' is about as close as you will get to it.
(if you haven't seen it do, think doctor who crossed with quantum leap!)
We can try.
I mean, we ended up improving "The Office" and "Whose Line?"
But I doubt Doctor Who would be improved. Or even be good at all.
I mean, we ended up improving "The Office" and "Whose Line?"
But I doubt Doctor Who would be improved. Or even be good at all.
Ughh... patronise much?Sougo said:
I know what you mean in the context of DW though, America could no more make Doctor Who than Britain could make Firefly.
But you wouldn't be viewing DW fresh and from the start, you'd be viewing something completely different fresh and from the start.Vohn_exel said:
Root is British.Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon said:
I think we have some pretty good damn reasons.hcig said:
The American Office was not better. It basically ended up being an absolutely different show which is just as terrible as the original.Onyx Oblivion said:
But I didn't even realise Whose Line? was British. I'll give you that one. The US version is 10x better.
Doctor Who should stay British though. Not that it should not be American, but the Doctor is so British it's painful. I disagree with the cinematography argument. The Shield was terrible for it's deliberate portrayal of an amateur 'on the wall' style even if it was an awesome show. But the quaintness, the humour and everything is what makes the BBC so brilliant/terrible.
Captain Jack was an 'American' character in the show and I think his portrayal as a character goes to show how camp and awful an American version would be. American heroes are macho, good looking and lucky. The past ten years of Hollywood, HBO and FOX etc. have shown us that. Forgive me for being possibly short sighted, but I can't think of any.
I don't think there's room in the US for a show where the hero is off peak, pastey, skinny but highly intelligent and can think more than four moves in advance. Like most British people in US shows, that sounds like a villain to me.
The Office: Complain to Gervais. How do you think America got the rights to do it? (Oh, and there's a FRENCH, GERMAN, and even BRAZILIAN version of the show, so let's not just focus on America because ours was successful.)
Whose Line: Yeah, and weren't the best two players on that show (the two most commonly called on to do anything) CANADIAN? And all of the best guest stars were Canadian or American.... so, maybe they decided it would be better to just move it across the pond, where most of the talent LIVED?
See, a lot of the stuff you blame on "Americans" is actually perpetrated by CANADIANS, who live and talk like us "stupid Americans." Which ones? If you don't know, how could I--one of those culturally shut-off American blokes--dare to attempt to show you?
Seriously, when people use piddly shit like this to try to say Americans are closed off to other cultures, it's ridiculous. How many different nationalities of people live on YOUR street? For me? SEVEN. And it's a tiny cul de sac.
We don't "steal." We incorporate things from as wide a variety of cultures as possible. In the end, each is less "pure" and "true to its original," but that's how we keep our bank on influences from growing as stale as some other nations (who foolishly believe that the exact same jokes the exact same way over and over is "tradition" instead of "stagnation.")
REGARDING DOCTOR WHO:
It's called localization, folks. One of the things that makes Doctor Who so cool to the BBC's loyal viewers is the, "Hey! I can relate to that!" factor. Also the "Hey! I've been to that place!" factor. People might not realize it all of the time, but it always plays a role in how easily someone relates to a show.
Would you have enjoyed Doctor Who as much if it had originally been set in Japan? Or Russia? Or India? I doubt it. The sets, regional colloquialisms, historical/pop culture references... all of that wouldn't resonate with you quite as well. And it might just be that the plot and acting ALONE aren't quite enough to hook a massive audience on shows like that--there needs to be a relatable "hook" somewhere.
So, maybe the folks behind Doctor Who want to expand the audience a bit. Set up franchises, so to speak. Let them. Let some good American writers try a more America-localized version (not British or Canadian writers TRYING to "write American"), and see if it takes. If it does, that extra money coming in could make ALL of the shows better (which, incidentally, is why America has commercial breaks).
Whose Line: Yeah, and weren't the best two players on that show (the two most commonly called on to do anything) CANADIAN? And all of the best guest stars were Canadian or American.... so, maybe they decided it would be better to just move it across the pond, where most of the talent LIVED?
See, a lot of the stuff you blame on "Americans" is actually perpetrated by CANADIANS, who live and talk like us "stupid Americans." Which ones? If you don't know, how could I--one of those culturally shut-off American blokes--dare to attempt to show you?
Seriously, when people use piddly shit like this to try to say Americans are closed off to other cultures, it's ridiculous. How many different nationalities of people live on YOUR street? For me? SEVEN. And it's a tiny cul de sac.
We don't "steal." We incorporate things from as wide a variety of cultures as possible. In the end, each is less "pure" and "true to its original," but that's how we keep our bank on influences from growing as stale as some other nations (who foolishly believe that the exact same jokes the exact same way over and over is "tradition" instead of "stagnation.")
REGARDING DOCTOR WHO:
It's called localization, folks. One of the things that makes Doctor Who so cool to the BBC's loyal viewers is the, "Hey! I can relate to that!" factor. Also the "Hey! I've been to that place!" factor. People might not realize it all of the time, but it always plays a role in how easily someone relates to a show.
Would you have enjoyed Doctor Who as much if it had originally been set in Japan? Or Russia? Or India? I doubt it. The sets, regional colloquialisms, historical/pop culture references... all of that wouldn't resonate with you quite as well. And it might just be that the plot and acting ALONE aren't quite enough to hook a massive audience on shows like that--there needs to be a relatable "hook" somewhere.
So, maybe the folks behind Doctor Who want to expand the audience a bit. Set up franchises, so to speak. Let them. Let some good American writers try a more America-localized version (not British or Canadian writers TRYING to "write American"), and see if it takes. If it does, that extra money coming in could make ALL of the shows better (which, incidentally, is why America has commercial breaks).
Yeah sure why not. I mean, all those other American remakes of British programmes have been absolutely STELLAR, haven't they?Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon said:
In a way it's pretty British already; the advanced civilisation exploring the uncharted wilderness looking for new discoveries and treasures, meeting (and seducing) the local savages, just like your stereotypical 19th century British explorer in Africa. Just give Kirk a British accent and a tropics helmet, and there you go.Axolotl said:
Doctor Who has a certain subtly that Hollywood can't understand. British actors understand it but American ones don't. Even if they do the director won't know what the hell is going on and not like it. Doctor Who should really stay British.
That would make me want to stab babies with kittens. I can't believe that is true.Paksenarrion said:
Actually the whole localisation thing is one that always annoys me because it isn't just British shows the States makes versions of. Foreign films and kids shows being just a couple of examples. I mean talk about ignorance and intolerance and believing everything needs to be made for Americans. Fuck that! Why can't people watch shows as they were originally conceived, rather than trying to make other shows conform to THEIR standards. It smacks of unbelievale arrogance if you ask me.dastardly said:
If America want a time travelling hero, let them have one. But please make it something new entirely, rather than just altering an existing show beyond recognition just to suit them.
Don't get me wrong, us Brits do it too and it annoys me no less when we do it, it just annoys me that people don't seem to want to "get" other cultures. It may just be a personal thing however because I tend to find watching foreign films very interesting.
There is this idiotic belief in American marketing departments that Americans only like other Americans. Which is bullshit. Americans love the British, Europeans in general especially saucy Italians, Asians, Russian, Africans, etc. What Americans really hate is other American. I hate those guys.
Making British things American does nothing to enhance the appeal of a property. If anything, it ruins the appeal.
Making British things American does nothing to enhance the appeal of a property. If anything, it ruins the appeal.