What if Doctor Who had been created by Americans?

[Splitzi]

Eventual romantic payoff doesn't always mean it's who you think, though. I'm a fan of HIMYM, and even though the show did spoil Ted and Robin not getting together in the first freaking episode, I still hoped/thought that they might somehow make it happen later. Instead, we get a completely new character introduced in the last season who has played no role through the first quarter or so of the season.

I understand that, but I was thinking more along the lines of a crime solving show where the partners almost always end up together. You can't tell me that Americans wouldn't put a dashing young Doctor together with his lovely companions now would yah.

 

[SD-Fiend]

It is possible it would be an American made show that is put in a British setting.Basically the same Except the British stereotypes would be turned up to 11.

 

[RaikuFA]

I was looking for that Community clip where they show an American version of Inspector Spacetime and say "that". But I cannot find it.

 

[ZZoMBiE13]

1960's American Doctor would have been a dapper fellow with a walking stick and a cigarette habit (endorsed by Camel)
1970's American Doctor would have been a John Travolta knock-off with a huge popped collar
1980's American Doctor would have been a Stallone stock character and probably looked like Demolition Man
1990's American Doctor would have looked like the character "David" from the Rosanne series (i.e. stock "grunge" character)
and
2000's American Doctor would have also been Christopher Ecleston in an odd merging of worlds.

 

[Josh123914]

There would've been more wisecracks and shooting, and less jelly babies and running.

And the Daleks would've been right out. I mean, honestly, who could take a salt shaker with a plunger stuck on seriously?

Actually, I remember watching a documentary about the BBC (don't judge me, not much on on a Tuesday night) and apparently the only reason Daleks even got to screen was because they were the only option.

Y'see, initially, Doctor who was meant to be a sort of education show, where him, his granddaughter and her 2 teachers would travel to different times and places to show what those times were like.
In the early 60's you still saw vestiges of that in stories like 'The Aztecs'

But anyway, the show was strapped for time and they NEEDED a script, if they didn't get one, then God knows what would happen, but the only finished script they had before the deadline was 'The Daleks'.

Whoever was producing it was vehemently opposed to the story, and stated that literally the only reason that it hadn't been binned was because if the show didn't make an story, it'd probably be cancelled.

So Doctor Who's first story included Daleks, and was more Sci-fi than historical.
Surprisingly, the episodes were very popular, and that was what changed Doctor Who from some Education-Documentary thing into the sci-fi show we know today.

TL;DR: Just read the damn post.....

 

[CriticalMiss]

- The Doctor would be called 'The Patriot'
- The Patriot would use an arsenal of guns to get the job done, goodbye sonic screwdriver
- Product placement in every episode
- Daleks would have Russian accents, but would have a radical makeover it later seasons to give them Arabic accents
- The Patriot would have a busty assistant who wears low-cut tops and makes passionate love to The Patriot at the end of every episode
- The TARDIS would be a Hummer unless someone offered the production company more money to use their car/jet fighter instead.
- The TARDIS would still be blue...and red and white. With a general 'stars and stripes' motif
- More product placement
- All episodes would take place in 'Murica, specifically LA or New York. The only two places in fictional USA
- The Master would be called 'The Terrorist'

 

[Sean951]

Eventual romantic payoff doesn't always mean it's who you think, though. I'm a fan of HIMYM, and even though the show did spoil Ted and Robin not getting together in the first freaking episode, I still hoped/thought that they might somehow make it happen later. Instead, we get a completely new character introduced in the last season who has played no role through the first quarter or so of the season.

I understand that, but I was thinking more along the lines of a crime solving show where the partners almost always end up together. You can't tell me that Americans wouldn't put a dashing young Doctor together with his lovely companions now would yah.

Well, Law and Order: SVU managed to go quite a while and I don't recall the 2 main characters ever getting together, though I thought they certainly had screen chemistry and some occasional tension. Nothing like the Doc and his companions, I suppose, but it was still there. Audiences would obviously WANT the two to hook up, but they do that anyways.

 

[Frezzato]

I believe that if Doctor Who were an American invention, it would have been:

Spoiler

cancelled.

 

[Gary Thompson]

It would have been cancelled, and basically a forgotten '60s sci-fi kids show.

It would have also been very overshadowed by Star Trek, hell, Star Trek got cancelled in the '60s, Dr. Who would've had no chance in America.

 

[Frezzato]

it would probably have ran for a season or two in the 60s and then been cancelled.

when "cult" really is "cult" (ie it has low numbers) it gets cancelled in the US.

Dr Who is one of those things that probably would not be 50 years old and still going if it wasn't made by the BBC.

Ooh, you beat me to it. By a mile you beat me.

You're right though. Case in point: Star Trek.

 

[LittleWings]

I'm going to go ahead and mention the 1996 TV Movie. That is almost exactly what it would be like, except without the Brilliant Paul McGann as the Doctor.

 

[Groxnax]

The TARDIS probably would've been a tank, the Daleks probably will have more weapons and the Time Lords would be more militaristic.

Just my thought.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Actually, I remember watching a documentary about the BBC (don't judge me, not much on on a Tuesday night) and apparently the only reason Daleks even got to screen was because they were the only option.

Y'see, initially, Doctor who was meant to be a sort of education show, where him, his granddaughter and her 2 teachers would travel to different times and places to show what those times were like.
In the early 60's you still saw vestiges of that in stories like 'The Aztecs'

But anyway, the show was strapped for time and they NEEDED a script, if they didn't get one, then God knows what would happen, but the only finished script they had before the deadline was 'The Daleks'.

Whoever was producing it was vehemently opposed to the story, and stated that literally the only reason that it hadn't been binned was because if the show didn't make an story, it'd probably be cancelled.

So Doctor Who's first story included Daleks, and was more Sci-fi than historical.
Surprisingly, the episodes were very popular, and that was what changed Doctor Who from some Education-Documentary thing into the sci-fi show we know today.

TL;DR: Just read the damn post.....

Not true, or at least it contradicts everything I've heard about Doctor Who.

Doctor Who was planned to be educational, yes, but only some of it's stories were going to be historicals, there was always going to be weird space adventurery stuff going on (at least that'd been decided on when the thing went into production).

Now, Sydney Newman didn't like the Daleks, yeah, but wasn't that opposed to them. The Daleks wasn't the first story anyway, that was The Unearthly Child. However, yeah, the success of the Daleks did eventually move the story away from historicals, but they kept doing that for years anyway.

 

[Zen Bard]

He would have been a brash young maverick, initially played by William Shatner or Tom Selleck, who questions authority in an offhandely cheesy yet charming way.

The TARDIS would have been a sports-car, all the Companions would look be busty models or Playmates and the Sonic Screwdriver would have been a Sonic Colt .45.

 

[Adaephon]

It would be exactly the same except people would be posting on a thread called "What if Doctor Who had been created by the British" or something like that, and all the posts would be weirdlt derogatory things about how could anyone dare to put their beloved show in the hands of those talentless hacks who made Little Britain and Mrs. Brown's Boys and other crappy British TV shows that they don't like.

 

[Mocmocman]

It would be exactly the same except people would be posting on a thread called "What if Doctor Who had been created by the British" or something like that, and all the posts would be weirdlt derogatory things about how could anyone dare to put their beloved show in the hands of those talentless hacks who made Little Britain and Mrs. Brown's Boys and other crappy British TV shows that they don't like.

The Doctor wouldn't have a sonic screwdriver, he'd have a sonic teakettle!
Instead of "Exterminate", the Daliks would say "Righty ho, Govna!"
The Doctor would drive the Tardis on the left side of the road.
They would do everything because "God Save The Queen!"
The Tardis would be painted like the Union Jack.

 

[irok]

There was a doctor who movie that was American and painfully so, they had him running around in car chases and all sorts of nonsense , it was just weird and for the first half hour of it you could almost forget it was doctor who based on how much he was around and I never finished watching it myself because I found it just a little abhorrent.

 

[twistedmic]

An American-made 'Doctor Who' probably would have turned out more like 'Quantum Leap' (depending on when it was first started) than anything else. With the only main difference being that Sam/The Doctor would leap through time/space as himself rather than merging (for lack of a better word) with other people and fixing their lives.