surprising
Disclaimer: I've done my best to keep spoilers out of this post, and I'd appreciate it if other Whovians who've seen it did the same when it comes to commenting... at least for a while, till the usual suspects have seen it.
ok, after watching the new Who twice, I can say I really enjoyed it. Do I think it would work with a broad American audience? No. But then, the old Who certainly didn't. I'd like to explain why I think this, but not just now. Suffice it to say, I think it's because Who hits so close to home. Same with the 4400. If the strange aliens are not here on Earth, it's more believable. Aliens infiltrating our society? Today? Not a chance! Inconceivable!
The other reason is that it's too British. Americans like their SciFi with accents more like the midwest. They like shoot-em-ups. They like their evils to be truly evil, and their aliens to be ... alien.
While I enjoyed the new Who, I have to say there were things that made me groan. If you watch it, you'll groan too. Once very specifically, and once about the whole episode.
There were also things that made me smile... Christopher Eccleston quite obviously WANTED this role. (Yes, I know it was reported he personally asked to audition.) When you see his acting, you will know that he probably played at being the Doctor when he was young. By the looks, he was a fan, not just someone who had heard of the show. And as I've said, Eccleston is hot. Not in that dripping with sex, muscular tan chisled body way, but in the smart, suave, silly, geeky way, and as the Doctor, it works, even as he made fun of his own ears upon seeing them in Rose's mirror.
Billie Piper was generally a good casting choice as Rose, and even though she is too young to know what a Police Box is, she did make us care... she was jobless, strangled, chased, and just generally having a shitty day... and having nothing to lose, she proved her worth. (But did the Doctor push her in that direction? He is a lonely, manipulative bastard... with hearts of gold, more or less... so, yes, he probably did.)