'Doctor Who' References in Other Shows. There Are Tons!

Happy Monday everyone! Yesterday a friend showed me this:

Doctor Who reference in other shows: Rugrats. [nerdist]

And I about lost my freaking mind. Rugrats was one of my favorite shows as a child, and if it is on you can bet I will be watching it. Seeing some friggin' Daleks in the toy store, I mean come on. It's pretty awesome to see this reference considering my past love of Rugrats and my current love of Doctor Who. It got me wondering though, how many other times has a Doctor Who reference snuck its way into popular culture?

To the internet!

Better Off Ted and Doctor Who. [flickr]

Apparently the creators of Better Off Ted were Doctor Who fans, because there is a (hopefully) decommissioned Dalek in the basement of Veridian Dynamics. 

Here we have a rather spooky reference to an episode from season four called 'Silence in the Library'. Watch the clip above, and then watch this. I haven't played Fallout: New Vegas yet. I'll be sure to avoid this area.

Precious cargo in Pocket Planes. [source]

Hot on the heels of my Tiny Tower review, we have a game called Pocket Planes from the same company. It would appear that some planes carry a rather special item. (pssst, it's the TARDIS)

Is Moffat playing pranks on us? [source]

As an avid Sherlock fan, this image and subsequent speculation makes my mind boggle. It's time to re-watch The Hounds of Baskerville!

Buffy and Doctor Who? An unlikely crossover. [source]

I'm currently watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and having nightmares from some of the creepier episodes), so it's pretty fun to see this Doctor Who reference in a Buffy comic book!

Look closely: there are some tiny Daleks! [source]

In this screengrab from the Dungeons and Dragons episode of Community, you can see some Daleks behind that four sided die!

Doctor Who themed snacks on your Facebook. [source]

Most companies aren't very happy with Zynga right now, what with their blatant rip offs of popular games, but Doctor Who fans are probably still pretty happy to see this refined taste reference to the Eleventh Doctor.

No worlds are safe from Cybermen. [source]

I haven't watched Supernatural before, but Doctor Who has zapped into that universe as well.

Doctor Who references in Pokemon!? Get outta town! [source]

Pokemon is from Nintendo, and I love Nintendo, so if Nintendo incorporates Doctor Who that means that Nintendo loves Doctor Who, and that means that some sort of blindingly amazing trifecta is coming into play. Somewhere.

Doctor Who in Futurama. [source]

GIFs like this make me want to start watching Futurama again. I didn't stop for any particular reason, but this is a great reason to start again!

Read the back John, the back!! [source]

And with this second Sherlock/Doctor Who reference, I will wrap things up. Doctor Who has been a cult hit since it first aired in 1963, so it's no surprise that it has permeated so many aspects of the world's current popular culture. I think from now on I may try to keep an eye out for my own references. Are there any out there that I have missed? I'm guessing yes! If you have any, please share and then I'll be happy like this:

My favorite picture of Ten. Ever. [source]

-MJ

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NBC replaces Harmon as showrunner of ‘Community’

You've all heard the news that NBC has replaced Harmon, yes? What gives NBC the right? How can they think that replacing Dan Harmon makes sense? What, they just looked at the success of Community, saw that Dan Harmon did the writing, renewed for season four and then went, "Hey, we don't need this guy. It already has a following now! WE can make the show from here on out!"

 

 

A creative asset isn't something that is easily replaced. Harmon isn't some register biscuit, desk jockey, fresh-out-of-high-school game store employee. He's a force all his own, and his unique brain is what drove Community into the hearts of the viewers.

 

Where will it go without him? What will happen to the universe and characters without his loving, eccentric hands at the helm? What's going to happen when the cocky big wigs who think that their suits give them all-encompassing powers drive the show straight into the ground? They are the replaceable ones. The world is chock full of arrogant, over-confident douche-canoes who believe that creative heads aren't necessary. It's nauseating.

 

And what is with them not even telling Harmon? Is there no such thing as consideration or courtesy in the television world? Are basic human kindnesses non-existent in there? Why are contracts written without polite clauses? The more questions that I ask, the more I want nothing to do with the business world.

 

 

OK OK, business contracts probably don't say this. And if they do, then it's that stupid tricky language. Either way, I don't like it!

 

Community is an amazing show. It's wacky, ridiculous, over-the-top, hilarious, realistic, UNrealistic, poignant, relatable, clever... so, so very clever. That all comes from the writing, which Harmon was responsible for.

 

Dear NBC,

How the hell do you think you're going to write with Harmon's brain without Harmon? You're not. You're not going to have the same show. The characters will not continue to develop. You've completely shot yourself in the foot. Congratulations, you are complete jackasses.

Dear Mr. Harmon,

You're insanely clever, and it sucks what NBC has done to you. I have my fingers crossed that you'll have Community back in your ever capable hands in the very near future.

TELEVISION STATIONS, please stop ruining everything!

 

-MJ

 

Image of Harmon from here
Community image from here

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NBC replaces Harmon as showrunner of 'Community'

You've all heard the news that NBC has replaced Harmon, yes? What gives NBC the right? How can they think that replacing Dan Harmon makes sense? What, they just looked at the success of Community, saw that Dan Harmon did the writing, renewed for season four and then went, "Hey, we don't need this guy. It already has a following now! WE can make the show from here on out!"

A creative asset isn't something that is easily replaced. Harmon isn't some register biscuit, desk jockey, fresh-out-of-high-school game store employee. He's a force all his own, and his unique brain is what drove Community into the hearts of the viewers.

Where will it go without him? What will happen to the universe and characters without his loving, eccentric hands at the helm? What's going to happen when the cocky big wigs who think that their suits give them all-encompassing powers drive the show straight into the ground? They are the replaceable ones. The world is chock full of arrogant, over-confident douche-canoes who believe that creative heads aren't necessary. It's nauseating.

And what is with them not even telling Harmon? Is there no such thing as consideration or courtesy in the television world? Are basic human kindnesses non-existent in there? Why are contracts written without polite clauses? The more questions that I ask, the more I want nothing to do with the business world.

OK OK, business contracts probably don't say this. And if they do, then

it's that stupid tricky language. Either way, I don't like it!

Community is an amazing show. It's wacky, ridiculous, over-the-top, hilarious, realistic, UNrealistic, poignant, relatable, clever... so, so very clever. That all comes from the writing, which Harmon was responsible for.

Dear NBC,

How the hell do you think you're going to write with Harmon's brain without Harmon? You're not. You're not going to have the same show. The characters will not continue to develop. You've completely shot yourself in the foot. Congratulations, you are complete jackasses.

Dear Mr. Harmon,

You're insanely clever, and it sucks what NBC has done to you. I have my fingers crossed that you'll have Community back in your ever capable hands in the very near future.

TELEVISION STATIONS, please stop ruining everything!

-MJ

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A Bit of Geek vlog Episode 2 is here!

Give it a watch! :D

-MJ, Duchess of Cheese

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Community - We all need one [TV show]

How many of you out there are watching Community? It rapidly became one of my favorite shows while I was in Ireland and I watched the first two seasons back to back. I was heavily saddened when I realized I had already engulfed both seasons, and I waited very impatiently for September to roll around so season three would begin.

I wasn't prepared to live without these girls for five whole months.

[Source]

Andrew and I watch the newest episodes on Hulu the following Friday or Saturday that the episodes air. It takes a lot of effort for us to wait and watch it together; he could watch it at work and I could watch it at home, but we have a lot of fun sharing the hilarious experiences together.

Community is such a fantastic show. It is brilliantly written and I am able to find something I love and dislike in each character. They are so realistic that even though they irritate me at times, I love them for their honesty, flaws and humanity.

It's interesting how much the show has changed since the first season. I know nothing about script writing and I've never been able to carry a story from start to finish, so I have no idea how writers plan for the eventual change-of-direction for their shows. Season one saw immense character development and a story that was heading in a foreseeable direction. Currently, it is all over the place but my enjoyment has not waned.

Just as arrogant and socially inept as they've always been.

[Source]

Last month the internet was brought to rageface by the announcement that Community was not present in NBCs mid-season lineup. The show has been put on indefinite hiatus, I guess? It will return "at some point". That language is too vague for my liking.

Even though the whole TV rating thing has been explained to me, I still do not get it. The Nielsen Rating system seems so off balance. Only some TVs have a transmitter to gather data, TVs that are tuned into shows can still produce a zilch 'rating' because of the calculation used, and the numbers are taken based off of commercial viewing and not actual show viewing? What?

They're making Annie cry, and that's just not OK with me.

[Source]

A lot of information that I glean on the subject points to the fact that DVRs, Hulu, Netflix and other post-air viewing sources are completely mucking up the ratings. For instance, Andrew and I have a television, but we don't have "TV"; we don't have cable. We watch TV shows on DVD, Hulu or Netflix. That is our only avenue. This anecdote dovetails nicely with this quote from Joel McHale:

"Our fans don't watch TV the way others do," he says. "I did a stand-up show at the University of Arizona and there were 30 kids who ran the event. I said, 'How many of you watch Community?' and they all raised their hands, which was great. I asked, 'How many watch it Thursdays at 8pm?' Zero hands. I asked, 'How many of you have TVs?' Four hands. I asked, 'How many of you watch on computers?' All hands went up. That may be an excuse, but our audience skews young. But with something like this, they vote. That's how rabid they are, so that's great." - www.tvguide.com November 29th, 2011

That is us (as I stated) and almost everyone else that we know. TV is a wonderful luxury, and I can freely admit that it is a luxury, and in this modern age it doesn't seem crazy to want the option of watching when I have the time. Ultimately it's unfortunate that the actors, writers and everyone else involved in the shows have to suffer the loss of a role/job because of a faulty rating system.

I suppose the bit that makes me the saddest is everything always boiling down to money. In what world does it make sense to remove something clever and interesting only to replace it with something inane and trite?

The world of money and business, apparently.

As a final note, shortly after Community was unceremoniously ripped from the NBC schedule, an article surfaced announcing the show was awarded TV Guide's Fan Favorite 2011. It beat out a lot of other great shows, too.

Collectable covers and everything! [Source]

Is it ironic? Funny? A faceplam moment? Or simply proof that what the fans and people want does not lineup with what the ratings and executives want. Of course there is far more proof than just this, but the timing of it all is so wonderfully tasty and ridiculous to me.

This article from Business Insider has an eloquent and poignant list of why NBC needs to keep Community on their lineup. They do, of course, comment on the fact that a fan favorite isn't necessarily a money maker to NBC, and I've already stated how I feel about that kind of thinking -_- In an attempt to find at least one proactive thing to do I located an online petition to save Community. I suppose it doesn't hurt to try!

I have my fingers crossed for myself, my fellow fans, and the cast/crew/writers of the show that before too long we will receive the fantastic news that Community will be back on the air in no time.

Do you watch Community?

-MJ

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