Its time we admitted it: for such a quintessentially British series, Doctor Who has some incredibly American roots. Its 1963-89 cliffhanger format derives from the Hollywood movie serial, and in its time its overtly pillaged such American subgenres as B-movie SF, Star Trek-style space opera, and X-Files-esque conspiracy thriller (although admittedly Torchwood is the bigger Mulder/Scully plagiarist). Why wouldnt Americans be just as capable of essaying these genres as Britons?