Like many others in the class, watching the two episodes of Doctor Who on Wednesday was basically my first encounter with British television (other than the one episode from Professor Holland’s class). I too was very impressed with the show as a whole—not only was it very entertaining and pleasing to watch, but it was also well-made and put together. As Neil and Maija have commented, there is the question as to why Doctor Who does not have an American appeal, with the consensus being that it would receive a negative reception from the public.
After considering this, I can absolutely understand the argument from a critical perspective. Due to the general American disapproval of foreign entertainment, it is more than likely that in order to air Doctor Who here there would need to be an American version with American actors. Shows which have attempted this transition in the past—namely, The Office and Coupling—have usually been met with very poor critical reviews at first (in fact, Coupling did not even make it through the first season).
Thus, I think that the primary reason that there is no Doctor Who in America is related to the high-risk nature of converting a foreign program into an American one. However, this is not to say that I believe that the show could not be very successful among the masses, if given a chance. If there is one thing that I have learned as a film major, it’s that there often times is a huge disconnect between the critics and the general public in regards to the “success” or “quality” of a particular film (I mean, there’s a Ghost Rider sequel).
In this sense, I think there is a viable argument that Doctor Who could be successful, if given the chance to be. As stated, The Office, which is another light-hearted British TV convert, was originally met with a good amount of scrutiny and negative critical attention, but obviously became one of the most popular shows on American television. In fact, although shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men are dark in nature and do receive the greatest critical acclaim, they have proven to be no more popular in recent years than comedies such as Two and Half Men.
In the end, I believe that the “uniqueness” of Doctor Who, which can be viewed as its Achilles Heel in regards to its American appeal, could be its greatest asset. The fact is that there is a void for a show that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family and that is serious and educational while also being extremely funny and goofy. Although I am doubtful that Doctor Who will ever be given the chance to succeed in the United States, I do contest that it could be surprisingly popular amongst the masses.
Would you also feel that part of the reason it hasn’t had cross-over appeal is the basis of its content? I feel Americans don’t particularly enjoy science fiction shows. Now, I’m far from an expert on that topic (most of what I watch is sports, low-brow comedies like The Office, 30 Rock, and Blue Mountain State, or Mad Men) it seems since Star Trek went off the air there hasn’t be a widely popular sci-fi show. There has been shows such as Firefly that have a very strong, niche audience, but wasn’t widely popular.
Obviously, I don’t know the rules and regulations that come with airing a foreign program in another country, the genre of Doctor Who makes me believe that it is not only a factor, but a driving force in keeping it out of the States.
I tend to think an American remake of Doctor Who would flop for a few reasons. The doctor isn’t a part of our culture as he is in England–the original series started in 1963, and with only 3 channels on British television at the time, it became a show EVERYone knew and loved. I think Brits would be up in arms about a remake, especially if it went the way of Coupling, Spaced, or Skins. Another factor is romance. American audiences tend to need to be shippers for some couple or another, and with the constant changing of the doctor’s companion, which is crucial to the structure of the show and chacter facets of the doctor. Also, stretching Doctor Who to an American broadcast season length of about 22 episodes could leave us diluted overarching season-long plots and a general loss of quality in individual episodes due to time and creativity constraints.