Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, but he is the Doctor, David Tennant
Posted Nov 3rd 2009 1:04PM by Jason Hughes
I consider this a huge coup for NBC. After traveling through time and space in the TARDIS the past several years, it looks like Doctor Who's David Tennant is heading stateside to take the lead in Rex is Not Your Lawyer. Tennant will star as Rex, a top Chicago litigator who becomes so crippled by anxiety that he takes to coaching his clients into representing themselves.The idea is completely madcap, but I think Tennant has just the right kind of wacky tenacity and cavalier bravado to pull off the role. In fact, it was apparently difficulty in casting the role that delayed the project until Tennant bounced in and nailed it.
It'll be interesting to see what they do about his accent. Tennant is Scottish, but adopted an "Estuary English" accent for his role as the Doctor. I think the Doctor's accent would work tremendously with the comedic role described here, but I can see the showrunners pushing him to make like Hugh Laurie (House) and so many others and go American with it.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-03-2009 @ 1:32PM
Dean said...
I hope they let him keep his Scottish accent. I think it would mesh well with the concept of the show.
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11-03-2009 @ 1:52PM
punksrus said...
It's too bad it's going to be on NBC - they'll cancel it in record time...
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11-03-2009 @ 2:13PM
Ryan said...
Maybe. But you can also look at it as a network with like NO hits so they can't really afford to be picky. They might be a bit more patient on a project.
In any case, I'm excited for Tennant. I want him to make a bigger splash here in America.
11-04-2009 @ 1:32PM
evilangel217 said...
DON'T SAY THAT!!!! You' ll jinx it!!!
11-03-2009 @ 3:42PM
John Heltsley said...
I don't know. I agree that Tennant seems like a good casting for this role, but if I were him I'd have stayed as the Doctor instead. Between this show on NBC (which has no shows and a history of cancelling good ones) and just the general US TV landscape, he had a much safer bet in England.
Well, regardless, I'll tune in.
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11-03-2009 @ 10:13PM
Tricia said...
So thrilled to hear that David Tennant is coming to American television; he is a tremendous actor. I just hope that US audiences get it and love it.
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11-04-2009 @ 2:31AM
Christy said...
I'm excited about this show! The concept sounds like fun and frankly, I'd be happy to spend 30 minutes a week just watching him read aloud from the newspaper. Especially if he does it in his Scottish accent or the British accent he adopted for Doctor Who.
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11-04-2009 @ 10:41AM
Geneva Slim said...
Brilliant casting! About time David Tennant plied his trade across the pond. He has that controlled/manic thing going in his eyes that's so fun to watch (plus, he's simply yummy)! I agree with others, though - I hope NBC gives the show a fair shake, i.e., time to catch on. They definitely euthanize good shows too soon.
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11-05-2009 @ 1:56PM
Sandy Caggianelli said...
Oh my Stars!!!
Having just (re)discovered Dr. Who because of Doctor #10 (aka David Tennant) and then learning that he has only 3 appearances left (as Gallifrey's finest) I was heartbroken.
However, after just reading your article about my favorite Scotsman, I already feel my heart beginning to regenerate.
Thank you & well done NBC!!! As the Scottish accent has universal appeal and is always a precursor to a genuine smile, please allow David to present "Rex" in this manner. You (@ NBC) could not have chosen a better actor to pilot this new program! I'll be tuning in each week! :)
Welcome to the States David! You're always most welcome here - with or without the TARDIS. Glad you decided to think outside-of-the-box.
Molto Bene, Indeed! :)
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11-06-2009 @ 10:02AM
Lynn Maples said...
Let's see...NBC had Doctor #9 for Heroes and he disappeared. I certainly hope that Doctor #10 will keep that in mind. Every guy who's played the Doctor hasn't made it here in the states. :(
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11-06-2009 @ 7:06PM
DeAnn said...
I am so glad to hear the best Doctor Who ever is going to be coming stateside and playing a Midwesterner, like myself.
Though I love Scottish accents, and find Scottish men quite toothsome, I think if he is going to be believable as a Chicago lawyer, he's going to have to dump is yummy accent and adopt the nasal vowels of the middle western United States. There just aren't a lot of transplanted Scots in Chicago, though there are a lot of people with Irish heritage.
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11-13-2009 @ 12:31AM
Maijken said...
Definitely looking forward to this. I really hope it's not cancelled, altho NBS is notorious for cancelling good shows. I hope that they won't be quick to judge and also hope that it gets a good following so they'll want to keep it. Love David Tennant!
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11-21-2009 @ 10:30AM
eastephie123 said...
It's about time! I'm a HUGE DT fan & he will always be MY Doctor (loved "The Waters of Mars" & can't wait to see "The End of Time" episodes) but if DW is all you know him from then you're missing out on some of his best work. I've seen EVERYTHING he's ever filmed. Seriously, I went down the list on IMDb & found it all (God bless YouTube). I even purchased a region free dvd player so I could own everything he's filmed that is currently available for purchase (along with other great shows not available here in the US like QI...which David will also be a guest on this Christmas Eve). I LOVE his Scottish accent but I'm curious to hear his version of an American accent. I hope "Rex" does better than the last pilot he did called "Only Human" (which you can now only see online).
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