Doctor Who: 4 Reasons Why Aborted American Remake Would Have Been Terrible - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 04-25-2013, 03:24 AM

http://whatculture.com/tv/doctor-who...n-terrible.php

Quote:

I’ve previously written about why an American remake of Doctor Who would be terrible but what a lot of Whovians may not realise is how close one actually came to existing in the early 1990s. A few years before the TV Movie starring Paul McGann was released, the wheels were in a motion for a complete reboot made by Steven Spielberg’s company Amblin Entertainment to potentially be broadcast on CBS.

Thankfully the entire thing was scrapped very early into its production process and as part four of my monthly countdown to Doctor Who’s Fiftieth Anniversary, here’s why it would have been absolutely terrible…

Read more at http://whatculture.com/tv/doctor-who...ZPhFA2KB34x.99

robyrob · 04-25-2013, 07:31 AM

it definitely would not have worked; Dr Who may not be everyone's thing, but that is part of what makes it great.

TMC · 05-26-2013, 09:25 PM

Doctor Who: 10 Ways An American Reboot Could Work

robyrob · 05-26-2013, 11:36 PM

the Dr Who episodes with Matt Smith and the gang set in America last season were great, but I still don't think an American Dr Who remake would work; his British-ness is so essential to the character.

their reasons:

10. The Time Is Right - i don't think so, timing isn't the issue, it is the audience and the nature of the material; the people that would like it like it because of what it is, and would probably NOT like a tamed-down Hollywood-ized version of it.

9. A Clean Slate - OK so they would have to find a way to ease new fans into the story and yet still have the essential components of Dr Who; a good Dr Who story should be similar to a good episode of the Twilight Zone, self-contained and self-explanatory. I really started to get into Dr Who with Series 5 and that first episode with Amy Pond was an excellent introduction to the series and I would dare anyone to watch that and not get hooked. If they somehow decide to turn the Tardis into a floating McDonalds sign i would not be happy.

8. Which Actor Is Who? - I can't picture any of the actors they suggested as Dr Who: Johnny Lee Miller, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Laurence Fishburne, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Hugh Laurie, Hugh Grant. Some of them are great actors, but they don't really seem right for it. There is something about Matt Smith that is so perfect for the role; he is fun and whimsical and weird and he is the kind of guy that you could honestly see yourself actually agreeing to jump into a time machine and explore the unknown with.

7. A Galaxy Of Guest Stars - ugh. please no - I don't want to see Johnny Depp or Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt in anything related to Dr Who.

6. The Write Stuff - OK, it is pretty obvious that the story is the star in Dr Who, but that would be the same in any version and they seem to have no trouble getting very talented people to write for them.

5. Money’s Not Too Tight To Mention - i don't know about this; Dr Who has some special effects, but it is no Avatar or Transformers and that is the type of movie that Hollywood seems to think is the only thing audiences want. Maybe it is, how would i know - but that is not Dr Who.

5. Second Chances - why do they have two #5's in this? Anyways, sure they could just remake a classic episode, or recycle a couple of different stories, but why? this would kind of be a rip-off to the fans of the show that would want to see something grand and new. Again, it should have a great self-contained story that would work on its own without Dr Who.

4. Too Long A Season - WTF ? their "seasons" are usually about 14 episodes, and they have had story arcs over numerous episodes or revisited different recurring stories, this claim is ridiculous.

3. A Different Zeitgeist - umm, sure there are some similarities to some of the better versions of Star Trek, but I would compare it more to a sci-fi version of The Twilight Zone. Pretty much everything in Hollywood "borrows" from stuff that was successful in the past, and if Dr Who has been guilty of doing this, then they certainly have been doing it more successfully than Hollywood has done so recently.

2. Reboot Or No Reboot – It’s Your Call! - I don't like the idea of a "reboot" - we don't need an origin story, just something that is self-explanatory. And I wouldn't be opposed to them changing the canon or making changes, as long as it wouldn't contradict or affect the current British version. Of course, any changes they make would have some inherent risks.

1. Friendly Competition - could you count on one hand the number of successful adaptations of British shows? And how many of those actually inspired the British version to do better?

I have always enjoyed watching various British TV shows - and while i understand that it is not everyone's cup of tea, i don't understand why you would have to drastically change something that is so good at being what it is to somehow make it more palatable to those people that don't like it.

04-25-2013, 07:31 AM	#2
robyrob certified wackball#3 Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 03, 2003 Location: hiding under the third booth at Arnold's Posts: 58,189	it definitely would not have worked; Dr Who may not be everyone's thing, but that is part of what makes it great.
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05-26-2013, 09:25 PM	#3
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,010	Doctor Who: 10 Ways An American Reboot Could Work

05-26-2013, 11:36 PM	#4
robyrob certified wackball#3 Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 03, 2003 Location: hiding under the third booth at Arnold's Posts: 58,189	the Dr Who episodes with Matt Smith and the gang set in America last season were great, but I still don't think an American Dr Who remake would work; his British-ness is so essential to the character. their reasons: 10. The Time Is Right - i don't think so, timing isn't the issue, it is the audience and the nature of the material; the people that would like it like it because of what it is, and would probably NOT like a tamed-down Hollywood-ized version of it. 9. A Clean Slate - OK so they would have to find a way to ease new fans into the story and yet still have the essential components of Dr Who; a good Dr Who story should be similar to a good episode of the Twilight Zone, self-contained and self-explanatory. I really started to get into Dr Who with Series 5 and that first episode with Amy Pond was an excellent introduction to the series and I would dare anyone to watch that and not get hooked. If they somehow decide to turn the Tardis into a floating McDonalds sign i would not be happy. 8. Which Actor Is Who? - I can't picture any of the actors they suggested as Dr Who: Johnny Lee Miller, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Laurence Fishburne, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Hugh Laurie, Hugh Grant. Some of them are great actors, but they don't really seem right for it. There is something about Matt Smith that is so perfect for the role; he is fun and whimsical and weird and he is the kind of guy that you could honestly see yourself actually agreeing to jump into a time machine and explore the unknown with. 7. A Galaxy Of Guest Stars - ugh. please no - I don't want to see Johnny Depp or Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt in anything related to Dr Who. 6. The Write Stuff - OK, it is pretty obvious that the story is the star in Dr Who, but that would be the same in any version and they seem to have no trouble getting very talented people to write for them. 5. Money’s Not Too Tight To Mention - i don't know about this; Dr Who has some special effects, but it is no Avatar or Transformers and that is the type of movie that Hollywood seems to think is the only thing audiences want. Maybe it is, how would i know - but that is not Dr Who. 5. Second Chances - why do they have two #5's in this? Anyways, sure they could just remake a classic episode, or recycle a couple of different stories, but why? this would kind of be a rip-off to the fans of the show that would want to see something grand and new. Again, it should have a great self-contained story that would work on its own without Dr Who. 4. Too Long A Season - WTF ? their "seasons" are usually about 14 episodes, and they have had story arcs over numerous episodes or revisited different recurring stories, this claim is ridiculous. 3. A Different Zeitgeist - umm, sure there are some similarities to some of the better versions of Star Trek, but I would compare it more to a sci-fi version of The Twilight Zone. Pretty much everything in Hollywood "borrows" from stuff that was successful in the past, and if Dr Who has been guilty of doing this, then they certainly have been doing it more successfully than Hollywood has done so recently. 2. Reboot Or No Reboot – It’s Your Call! - I don't like the idea of a "reboot" - we don't need an origin story, just something that is self-explanatory. And I wouldn't be opposed to them changing the canon or making changes, as long as it wouldn't contradict or affect the current British version. Of course, any changes they make would have some inherent risks. 1. Friendly Competition - could you count on one hand the number of successful adaptations of British shows? And how many of those actually inspired the British version to do better? I have always enjoyed watching various British TV shows - and while i understand that it is not everyone's cup of tea, i don't understand why you would have to drastically change something that is so good at being what it is to somehow make it more palatable to those people that don't like it.