Unsuccessful

Paul McGann, for some fans, is the least known. You can maybe even say less than John Hurt because of the unsuccessful return of Doctor Who in 1996. After reading this article from Looper, there are many reasons fans didn’t see him. As a fan, the fact the movie was an American try to bring back Doctor Who is new. Fox is the network that tries to revive the show without success.

As an American, the idea of an American broadcast company reviving Doctor Who seems wrong. Maybe it isn’t wrong, but what stands out is they wouldn’t know-how to produce this show. Don’t get me wrong, American broadcast companies have good television shows, but Doctor Who is British. It is an iconic show because it is British. Doctor Who fans expect British production of the show. One of the reasons for its failure may be because of differences in philosophy. That means they went a different direction, which does not appeal to fans.

Another reason for it being unsuccessful is they didn’t do anything new. The movie was stuck in the 80s when the show was at a low point in viewership and popularity. Although some fans were okay with that, for the most part, it did not work. There is a change required, but some change was made it just was not enough. What if this is successful? What happens then?

Well, Doctor Who returns to television in the United States. Fox begins producing the show, and what happens from that point? Is the show as successful as it ever was in England? Does Fox change anything about the show? If there are changes, how do fans take the changes? Fans of Doctor Who expect Doctor Who to have British Doctors. Some want an American actor/actress to be the Doctor. Which has merit in its own right, but does it help the program?

In conclusion. McGann is not the reason for the unsuccessful return of Doctor Who. Other factors have more of an effect. There are many fans of McGann, and he very well can be one of the best. There is not any judgment from this writer.