Memo to Sci-Fi, BBC America, PBS, TNT, or Any Respectable US Broadcaster (G4, Spike TV, and Fox need not apply)
Please bring the 2005 Doctor Who to the United States.
Begging for a US broadcast of a British series is hardly the way I wanted to begin 2006, but you know, it's something that's been on my mind for a while now. I know that the first season of the totally updated revamp of the classic BBC series (I remember watching the episodes of Doctor Who with the Fourth Doctor, and subconsciously, I based my Sage The Warpmaster character after this incarnation of the Doctor [currently, in the second season of the series, which just premiere a couple of weeks ago, the Tenth Doctor has emerged]) is coming to DVD in North America next month, but that shouldn't be an excuse not to air the series on US television at all. Neither should the (by American standards) short first season. From what I've seen of clips from the new show, it completely rocks and is becoming one of the finest science-fiction series made in the 21st century. From read and heard, my eyes were not deceiving me. Great writing, killer graphics, and fantastic characters (pun intended for those familiar with the new show), these's one thing I'd like to know.
Why in the heck isn't this show on in the US?
Canada's CBC got this show shortly after it premiered in the UK, and they rarely ever air programming made outside of Canada (of course, they're a co-producer along with BBC Wales, so Doctor Who could get away with being a Canadian production). So, why hasn't the series premiered Stateside? It's strange considering the fact that the series still has a huge fanbase here. Honestly, the '96 movie wasn't that bad, despite its few flaws from the original premise. Plus, this show is lightyears ahead of the originals and is a true science-fiction drama.
Places I'd like to see the new Doctor:
- Sci-Fi: A no-brainer considering this is a sci-fi series. However, maybe NBC Universal would rather spend the money used to acquire an outside series on original productions. I'd like them to spend funds on a new season of Firefly, but that's a whole other conversation.
- BBC America: Another no-brainer considering this is a major BBC franchise. However, BBC America is currently operated by Discovery Communications, not the BBC, and they'd rather air lifestyle shows like Changing Rooms (which became TLC's Trading Spaces), What Not To Wear (which became TLC's What Not To Wear), and Ground Force, auction shows like Cash in the Attic (which became HGTV's Cash in the Attic) and Bargain Hunt, comedies like Monty Python's Flying Circus, Coupling, The Office (both of which became NBC series), Little Britain, Keeping Up Appearances, Manchild, and Father Ted, and dramas like Monarch of the Glen, Eastenders, Wire in the Blood, Waking The Dead, and At Home with the Braithwaites, among others. Certainly they could bring the good Doctor back to the states, even airing it on Saturday nights at 7 PM, just like on BBC One.
- PBS: My original local PBS affiliate isn't that hip (they just got Coupling and Eastenders last year), but perhaps people would like to see Doctor Who on the network where a lot of Americans were first introduced to the franchise. Support your local PBS affiliates. I got two of them, so I got a lot of supporting to do.
- TNT: A surprising choice, yes, but perhaps the drama-themed network could get a boost from a sci-fi series of this magnitude. Of course, the memory of how TNT treated Crusade and Witchblade are still fresh in the minds of genre fans, including yours truly.
Where I don't want the new Doctor Who:
- Fox: One word: Firefly. Two words: John Doe. Two more words: Dark Angel. Three words: The Lone Gunmen. And four more words: Space: Above and Beyond. Science-fiction and Fox don't mix, and considering the fact that Fox could have had a Doctor Who series back in '96 but didn't want it, they don't deserve this new version at all.
- G4: Sucks. It is a poorly-run cable network and has no idea what it wants to be. Sadly, Doctor Who might just end up on G4 to get people to watch the crappy network that used to be about tech (at least in its TechTV persona) and games (in its original G4 persona).
- Spike TV: See G4. They're pretty much competing with each other now and want to be complere mirror images of each other. So far, so good. They both suck now.
Guess I'll have to wait for the February DVD release date to get my first look at Doctor Who. Or not . . . see the 1/12/06 update . . .
Begging for a US broadcast of a British series is hardly the way I wanted to begin 2006, but you know, it's something that's been on my mind for a while now. I know that the first season of the totally updated revamp of the classic BBC series (I remember watching the episodes of Doctor Who with the Fourth Doctor, and subconsciously, I based my Sage The Warpmaster character after this incarnation of the Doctor [currently, in the second season of the series, which just premiere a couple of weeks ago, the Tenth Doctor has emerged]) is coming to DVD in North America next month, but that shouldn't be an excuse not to air the series on US television at all. Neither should the (by American standards) short first season. From what I've seen of clips from the new show, it completely rocks and is becoming one of the finest science-fiction series made in the 21st century. From read and heard, my eyes were not deceiving me. Great writing, killer graphics, and fantastic characters (pun intended for those familiar with the new show), these's one thing I'd like to know.
Why in the heck isn't this show on in the US?
Canada's CBC got this show shortly after it premiered in the UK, and they rarely ever air programming made outside of Canada (of course, they're a co-producer along with BBC Wales, so Doctor Who could get away with being a Canadian production). So, why hasn't the series premiered Stateside? It's strange considering the fact that the series still has a huge fanbase here. Honestly, the '96 movie wasn't that bad, despite its few flaws from the original premise. Plus, this show is lightyears ahead of the originals and is a true science-fiction drama.
Places I'd like to see the new Doctor:
- Sci-Fi: A no-brainer considering this is a sci-fi series. However, maybe NBC Universal would rather spend the money used to acquire an outside series on original productions. I'd like them to spend funds on a new season of Firefly, but that's a whole other conversation.
- BBC America: Another no-brainer considering this is a major BBC franchise. However, BBC America is currently operated by Discovery Communications, not the BBC, and they'd rather air lifestyle shows like Changing Rooms (which became TLC's Trading Spaces), What Not To Wear (which became TLC's What Not To Wear), and Ground Force, auction shows like Cash in the Attic (which became HGTV's Cash in the Attic) and Bargain Hunt, comedies like Monty Python's Flying Circus, Coupling, The Office (both of which became NBC series), Little Britain, Keeping Up Appearances, Manchild, and Father Ted, and dramas like Monarch of the Glen, Eastenders, Wire in the Blood, Waking The Dead, and At Home with the Braithwaites, among others. Certainly they could bring the good Doctor back to the states, even airing it on Saturday nights at 7 PM, just like on BBC One.
- PBS: My original local PBS affiliate isn't that hip (they just got Coupling and Eastenders last year), but perhaps people would like to see Doctor Who on the network where a lot of Americans were first introduced to the franchise. Support your local PBS affiliates. I got two of them, so I got a lot of supporting to do.
- TNT: A surprising choice, yes, but perhaps the drama-themed network could get a boost from a sci-fi series of this magnitude. Of course, the memory of how TNT treated Crusade and Witchblade are still fresh in the minds of genre fans, including yours truly.
Where I don't want the new Doctor Who:
- Fox: One word: Firefly. Two words: John Doe. Two more words: Dark Angel. Three words: The Lone Gunmen. And four more words: Space: Above and Beyond. Science-fiction and Fox don't mix, and considering the fact that Fox could have had a Doctor Who series back in '96 but didn't want it, they don't deserve this new version at all.
- G4: Sucks. It is a poorly-run cable network and has no idea what it wants to be. Sadly, Doctor Who might just end up on G4 to get people to watch the crappy network that used to be about tech (at least in its TechTV persona) and games (in its original G4 persona).
- Spike TV: See G4. They're pretty much competing with each other now and want to be complere mirror images of each other. So far, so good. They both suck now.
Guess I'll have to wait for the February DVD release date to get my first look at Doctor Who. Or not . . . see the 1/12/06 update . . .
Comments