United States
United States
of America (USA)
Profile
| Country Number (34) | 1972 | SECOND WAVE |
| Region | North America | |
| Television commenced | 1941 | |
| Colour System | 1953 | NTSC |
| Language/s | English |
Television Stations / Channels
After a slow start in August 1972, but not really kicking off until August 1978, the series has aired on a multitude of commercial, non-commercial, independent, network affiliated, cable and PBS stations (Current PBS member stations) in all but a few of the states.
From 1972 to 1981, the series was distributed by Time-Life Films/Television, the film and TV division of Time-Life Inc. From 1981, the distributor was Lionheart Television International Inc.
- See also Korea (South) where Doctor Who aired on American Forces Network TV.
DOCTOR WHO IN THE USA
The USA was the 34th country to screen Doctor Who. It was the second in North America, after Canada.
DALEK MOVIES
PETER CUSHING Movies
The two Peter Cushing Dalek movies screened on cinemas across the country in 1966 and 1967, although neither film was very successful at the box office.
BBC Records
The Seventies records a sale of "(13)" stories by 28 February 1977. This tally is for the first batch of Jon Pertwee stories sold from 1972.
The Eighties - THE LOST CHAPTERS records a sale of "(118)" stories (by 10 February 1987). This tally is made up of:
- 13 Jon Pertwee stories – per the 1977 list
- 41 Tom Baker stories
- 20 Peter Davison stories
- 11 Colin Baker stories
- 17 William Hartnell stories – back catalogue
- 5 Patrick Troughton stories - back catalogue
- 11 Jon Pertwee stories - back catalogue
First station to screen each Doctor
As best that can be determined, the viewers in the following states were the first to see each of the first seven Doctors:
| Doctor | Station | State | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jon Pertwee | WPHL | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | August 1972 |
| Tom Baker | WTEV | Massachusetts | August 1978 |
| Peter Davison | The Entertainment Channel | 1982 | |
| Jon Pertwee (full repackage) | NJN | New Jersey | February 1985 |
| William Hartnell | NJN | New Jersey | September 1985 |
| Colin Baker | NJN | New Jersey | October 1985 |
| Patrick Troughton | NJN | New Jersey | February 1986 |
| Sylvester McCoy | NJN | New Jersey | January 1988 |
Chronology
The following introductory bullet-points are expanded on in the full Chronology of Doctor Who in the United States:
- 1965-1972: Failed attempts to sell Doctor Who to the US.
- 1972-1978: Jon Pertwee's first three seasons air sporadically.
- 1978: Tom Baker episodes begin airing, mainly, but not exclusively, on PBS stations.
- 1982: Peter Davison premieres. Fan clubs and conventions are plentiful.
- 23 November 1983: Numerous stations air The Five Doctors, two days before BBC1.
- 1985: Colin Baker premieres, as do William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton.
- 1986-1988: The Doctor Who USA Tour visits 180+ cities.
- 1988: Sylvester McCoy premieres.
- 1992: Most PBS stations drop Doctor Who. The Sci-Fi Channel picks up the series.
- 1996: The TV movie fails to spark interest in a revival.
Markets Across the USA
This table charts the sales of Doctor Who, initially by Time Life Television, and later Lionheart. (NOTE: The figures are from published reports, and therefore may contain a small degree of hyperbole...)
Sales reached a peak of 200+ by late 1987, but ten years later, as the syndication prices increased, sales began to drop alarmingly.
| Year | US Markets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1972-1977 | 16 | 13 Jon Pertwee stories only |
| 1978 (Aug) | 17 | First 23 Tom Baker stories only |
| 1979 (end) | 65 | Tom Baker sales increase |
| 1980 (mid) | 97 | More Baker sales |
| 1981 (May) | Lionheart takes over distribution | |
| 1982 (end) | 9 million viewers | |
| 1983 (Nov) | 80 station link up for The Five Doctors | |
| 1984 (Jan) | 112 | 9.5 million viewers (noted in TV Guide) |
| 1985 (May) | 146 | 70% of population (b/w episodes sold) |
| 1987 (Feb) | 185+ | Doctor Who USA Tour promotion |
| 1987 (Sep) | 200+ | 74% of population |
| 1988 | sales dropping | |
| 1998 | less than 12 |
- Currently, BroaDWcast has identified just over 140 of these stations, so we still have a bit of a way to go!
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| United States Chronology | |
| 1963-1969 | 1971-1972 | 1973-1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991-2020s | |
| Related articles | List of conventions | List of fan clubs | References to the USA in Doctor Who | Doctor Who USA Tour | USA Tour stops | Documentaries and specials | TV Guide | Saturday, March 12, 1988 | First airings by episode | Search by episode title or date | United States by the numbers | Chicago chronology | Time-Life Television |
(Information in the chronology is taken from reports in DWM, DWB, Celestial Toyroom, Data Extract, Fantasy Image, Starlog, Doctor Who Marvel (US), Famous Monsters of Filmland, Fantastic Films, Fangoria, Enterprise Incidents, Enlightenment, and various online sites.)
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| The Doctor |
| William Hartnell | Patrick Troughton | Jon Pertwee | Tom Baker | Peter Davison | Colin Baker | Sylvester McCoy | Paul McGann |
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Links
- Broadcasts around the World
- Articles & Analysis
- BBC Records
- First airings by location (Sort by the city column to group US cities together)
- Documentaries and Specials
This category has the following 53 subcategories, out of 53 total.
