An American Doctor Who
An American Doctor and his Companions
The first time the Eleventh Doctor wore a cowboy hat in the Doctor Who episode "The Impossible Astronaut", an idea began percolating in many heads. That is what if the character were to be remade as being distinctly American? In other words, do a version of Doctor Who that predominantly takes place in the U.S. instead of London with an American cast--or at least actors playing Americans.
Many classic American TV shows were actually based on British ones like All In The Family and The Office, and Syfy is now airing an American version of the U.K. genre hit Being Human. So would an American Doctor Who work? Of course, the idea sounds blasphemous to many die-hard Who fans but it could be pulled off, and more importantly, would demonstrate the show's universal concept and appeal.
With that stated, what would an American Doctor Who be like? The concept would be basically the same; it would be about a slightly daffy humanoid alien who traverses time and space with Earthling Companions. It could have the same plot lines and background. The Doctor would still be near-immortal, lonely and slightly odd, only this time he would have an American accent. Plus he would also have relationship issues with his female Companions. Yes, there would be episodes that take place in England and the rest of Europe but in the same ratio as current Doctor Who episodes take place across the pond. It really doesn't matter where the show takes place since the Doctor travels anywhere in the universe.
Doctor Who – The Impossible Astronaut
Police boxes are very British so the Americanized TARDIS can't be based on that. How about a vehicle? And try something outrageous like an RV. It would fit in with the eccentric nature of the Doctor and be a tip of the hat to the Back To The Future films. Needless to say, the RV would be bigger on the inside...
As for the Doctor himself, well this Americanized Time Lord would have the basic personality traits of the Doctors seen in the BBC version. But he would have an American twist. He would be adorned with clothing from various eras in U.S. history. Just look at the current Doctor in the episodes "The Impossible Astronaut" and "A Town Called Mercy" where the Doctor sports a cowboy hat. The American Doctor could wear a cowboy outfit throughout a season or two. Then when he would regenerate he could take on the personality of a surfer dude and run around with tropical shirts and a Panama hat. Throw in some cargo shorts for good measure. Have him take on the aspects of a biker with a heavy leather jacket. It would work, look at how cool the Ninth Doctor looked with his leather jacket and jeans during his brief run on the show. Or adorn the Doctor in a mishmash of styles that would be part hippie, part cowboy, part yuppie and part something else.
The Doctor sports a cowboy hat.
There wouldn't be a shortage of actors who could play the Time Lord. If Doctor Who made the transition into a full-length film then it's easy to imagine Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, or Johnny Depp playing him. But for the small screen, the producers could offer the role to someone who can do drama and comedy. The show isn't a straight comedy but the current show does have a humorous bent. For that reason, they can hire French Stewart to play the Doctor. Bryan Cranston is another good choice if they want to have the character seem a bit older, which would be more in spirit with the first few Doctors. Besides, having Cranston traveling in an RV would be nice nod to his show Breaking Bad. One advantage for producers with the Doctor being a metamorphic alien is that if an actor wants to leave the show, it would be simple storywise to replace him. Although it is easy to imagine that an actor would stay with the role much longer than in the U.K.
Regarding his villains, just use the ones that appear in the current show and introduce new ones. Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels can all menace the Doctor and Earth but the Master must be utilized as well. Like the Doctor, the Master will be Americanized and could have the aspects of a mobster or a corporate raider type --think of Gordon Gekko. A politician would be great but that was used already during the time of the Tenth Doctor. A variant could be a televangelist type of personality. Almost anything goes with the Master and the Doctor.
The Doctor tries to remember where he parked the Tardis.
Now with his Companions, they can be just like the ones seen in the current show with an emphasis on female Companions. Although if producers want to make the show different they can give the Doctor a male Companion and the two can be mismatched buddies who go on intergalactic road trips together and meet women. It would be the classic comedic storyline.
Being that this show would be a reboot, the basic storyline can be changed a bit. The Doctor may be trapped in our area of space or he can come from another dimension. Give him a goal to achieve, like needing to find parts to repair the TARDIS. Maybe they can take a cue from Quantum Leap and have the Doctor suffering from partial amnesia because of a recent regeneration. It would be a good way for audiences to discover new things about him.
Back in the '90s the Fox network tried their version of Doctor Who with a pilot TV film. But it flopped and fans decried the changes they made to the show. For example, the Doctor revealed that he is half human, which explained why he usually visited Earth. But just because the pilot failed doesn't mean that some ambitious producer can try again. Look at the success of Being Human on Syfy or at the new upcoming American/Canadian version of Primeval. As long as the right talent is used many fans will come to embrace an American Doctor Who. The core concept is universal and can be used everywhere, anytime.
José Soto