Americans, how popular is Doctor Who in America?

[Sci]

And can you imagine J.J. Abrams getting hold of the TARDIS? It'll come out the size of a double-wide mobile-home and the light on top will blind onlookers.

I think that's highly improbable. The TARDIS isn't supposed to look awe-inspiring like the Enterprise is.

* * *

I agree that if Doctor Who were to become too popular, someone would try to Americanize it. And that'd be a shame -- it's a British icon and it should stay so.

 

[Gepard]

I'd say that Doctor Who is fairly popular in the American geek community, but that it's not very well known at all outside of the Not We. For the mainstream audience, it's a fairly obscure show on basic cable.

I'd agree. I don't hear it talked about at all in "regular" day-to-day events, but it seems to be really popular in the Los Angeles visual effects community, if the water cooler talk at work is any indication.

 

[Unionized Elf]

And can you imagine J.J. Abrams getting hold of the TARDIS? It'll come out the size of a double-wide mobile-home and the light on top will blind onlookers.

The Daleks would have lens flares shooting out of their domes as the spoke.

Anyway, in regards to how popular Doctor Who is in Amierca, consider this. Simpsons has done at least four Doctor Who jokes, and Family Guy two.

 

[clint g]

Doctor what?





Yeah, its not popular here. I never even heard of it until I joined TBBS

 

[Neroon]

Anyway, in regards to how popular Doctor Who is in Amierca, consider this. Simpsons has done at least four Doctor Who jokes, and Family Guy two.

I was just about to mention those very two examples.

It's been my experience that DW has yet to really make its presence felt in pop culture. Then again, there have not been very many sci-fi shows which have, outside of Star Wars and Star Trek. However, in the geek community it's become hugely successful. Costumes and panels at several of the conventions I've attended fill the halls and rooms.

 

[Chaos Descending]

From what I have seen, virtually everyone has heard of Doctor Who, but virtually no one knows anything about it or actually watches it.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Then, there's my brood. The American kids raised on PBS Who, but who then went out and researched, read, and watched everything they could get their hands on concerning the franchise and concept...

I would be in this group, though I didn't do too much collecting.

Technically, Canadians are Americans.

But in my experience, they don't like you saying that.

Get technical like that with me again my friend and... I'll kick your Limey arse, eh!

" Canada...America's northernmost suburb...come and see us, eh? "

 

[Sci]

From what I have seen, virtually everyone has heard of Doctor Who, but virtually no one knows anything about it or actually watches it.

Yep. My suspicion is that if you ask them, most everyone who's heard of it probably associates it with the image of Tom Baker's scarf, though I have no way of backing that suspicion up.

 

[Jack Bauer]

It's not. I heard it mentioned on an episode of NCIS once... that's the only pop culture nod and I watch WAY too much television.

It was also mentioned once on CSI: New York a few years ago. It may have been mentioned on the original CSI to I'm not sure on that.

 

[auntiehill]

I live in Texas (if you can call that living), and very few people have even heard of Doctor Who. Only our circle of hard-core geek/nerd friends know about it, and only some of us actually watch it.

But those of us who do watch it are devoted to it.

 

[The Lensman]

I live in Texas (if you can call that living), and very few people have even heard of Doctor Who. Only our circle of hard-core geek/nerd friends know about it, and only some of us actually watch it.

But those of us who do watch it are devoted to it.

Well I call it living cuz I live there too My closest friends all remember watching it the 70's primarily on PBS. Although there was a time when it would air every saturday afternoon on "Science Fiction Theatre"...they'd run about 3 episodes or so.

As such, they've really enjoyed nuWho. One of my old friends was actually from Britain and I was able to learn a little about Pertwee from him.

So far everyone I've showed Who to has really enjoyed it. I call it "science fiction for people who hate science fiction" and that usually get's em interested.

 

[Starkers]

And can you imagine J.J. Abrams getting hold of the TARDIS? It'll come out the size of a double-wide mobile-home and the light on top will blind onlookers.

I think that's highly improbable. The TARDIS isn't supposed to look awe-inspiring like the Enterprise is.

* * *

JJ's Enterprise was supposed to look awe inspiring? Sorry, love the film but the new look Enterprise was just...wrong.

 

[CmdrAJD]

I have one coworker who is a fan and several others who are vaguely aware of it...mostly because of me.

My 10-year-old son loves the show and has been trying for a couple of years now to get his friends to give it a chance. So far he hasn't had much luck.

 

[The]

Americans are predispositioned, simply by our culture and history, to think of "heroes" or "action stars" as "the good guys holding guns". That primarily comes from the taste left in our mouths from one-hundred-years of cowboy flicks. Sure, Doctor Who is a scifi show. But, it's also an action show. And either way, Americans see a twenty-something kid in a bowtie, with a Brit accent, a phallic-shaped tube-like wand he waves around, and no guns on him? It's too weird and off-putting for them. It's nearly impossible to market anything on charm alone over here. Not saying it couldn't happen. But, even the most charming episode of Doctor Who...the most thrilling...the best written...they're all also very, very British. And if there's one thing the American populace has been brainwashed into ignoring over the past century, it's the culture of other countries.

That is my take as to why Doctor Who has never gained a wider appreciation. It's British. It doesn't speak to Americans, and they don't see themselves as citizens of the world. Thus, it's of no interest to them.

Keep in mind, I am not bashing America. I'm American, and I think it's one of the best empires to have existed on the planet. But, we could do with some broadening minds over here...

 

[flux_29]

Found this on thesun.co.uk

AMERICAN Doctor Who fans are campaigning for the Timelord to appear in an episode of cartoon classic The Simpsons. ​

They have mocked up these great 'toon versions of Who actor Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, who plays his sidekick Amy Pond.

They also produced a Tardis, Dalek and a Weeping Angel from the last series of the BBC sci-fi hit.​

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...r-the-Timelord-to-appear-on-The-Simpsons.html

 

[DimesDan]

Found this on thesun.co.uk

AMERICAN Doctor Who fans are campaigning for the Timelord to appear in an episode of cartoon classic The Simpsons. ​

They have mocked up these great 'toon versions of Who actor Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, who plays his sidekick Amy Pond.

They also produced a Tardis, Dalek and a Weeping Angel from the last series of the BBC sci-fi hit.​

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...r-the-Timelord-to-appear-on-The-Simpsons.html

And here's the thread with this already being discussed, The Sun link is new information though

 

[Tulin]

but I'm the only person in real life that I know that likes it.

I don't know why but this line just makes me laugh.

Perhaps it's the demarcationo or "real life" and his online life.

It's kinda as if RoJoHen is in some kind of Truman Show or something where everybody around him is a Stepford robot or something.

Thanks for the giggle on a cold wintery Saturday morning!

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I think every parody and reference I've ever seen has been to Tom Baker. Except maybe Dr. Lazer Rage but that's from a quite obscure show in its own right.

Torchwood is bigger here in the US than Who and gets more writeups and mentions in the media. New Doctor Who has only been on Syfy and BBC America so the audiences of those channels in their entirety is kind of niche just to begin with. I'm sure genre fans know of it at least but I don't think it has much mainstream penetration.

Thanks for the giggle on a cold wintery Saturday morning!

That's so bizarre that it's winter down there! It's one of those concepts I grasp but it's still hard to really fathom. And Xmas in the middle of summer!

 

[The]

105-degrees here today, and he speaks of winter?!

 

[Alidar Jarok]

In my experience, people know of it, but that's just about it. The show has been around enough that older people know of the older show, while newer people know of the newer version. But, outside of sci fi circles, they probably wouldn't even recognize it if they saw it. They just know it as a name.