Posted in: BBC, Disney+, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: doctor who

Doctor Who Can Easily Be Fixed (But You're Not Going to Like It)

Does Doctor Who really need fixing? If it does, we've got a four-point plan that might just work (but some of you are going to hate it).

In case you haven't heard, Doctor Who hasn't been renewed for a third season, and the sky is definitely falling for a whole lot of folks. Not helping the situation was what Showrunner Russell T. Davies had to share in his latest Doctor Who Magazine column (a column that he's putting on pause after this issue). To be more precise, not helping the situation was how fans were interpreting what Davies had to share in his latest column. That's led to a whole lot of folks online looking for someone to blame, with Davies and Disney being at the top of most lists, while offering their own homespun "remedies" for what's ailing the series. So, why shouldn't I… right? What follows is a four-step rundown of what they can do to not only get Doctor Who back on track but also open up the long-running series to a new generation of viewers. Are you going to like all of them? Probably not, but what's wrong with getting a conversation started?

Shut It Down! Yup, for five years. Seriously. Except for Big Finish, because they're pretty awesome. At this point, if I were someone who was interested in being a showrunner – or a potential co-producer – the current social media "doom & gloom" that's devolved into insults and finger-pointing wouldn't exactly have me jumping at the chance. Maybe a "time out" is needed for people to cool their jets, dial down the drama, and learn to appreciate and remember how they had it. Because right now, it's ugly out there, unnecessarily so.

Maybe It's Time for a Hard Reboot? Regarding its streaming series and films, one of the biggest problems plaguing Marvel is that you have to do way too much "homework" to know what's going on. The same could be said for the "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" universes, and that's definitely the case with Doctor Who. You can't have the Doctor sneeze in 2025 without a thousand folks on social media pointing out how that sneeze contradicts what Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor said about Time Lords and sneezing. That is not how you attract new and/or younger viewers.

So what do we need? A hard reboot would allow the show to start forging its own path moving forward. I'm not saying wipe clean everything that came before it, but there are a lot of creative folks out there who could find a way to bundle it all up nicely into a ball and put it off to the side (out of sight, out of mind). From there, we've got a two-episode special that would resolve the Piper issue before moving forward with a new Doctor and companion(s). After that, nothing but single or two-episode adventures that live up to the possibilities that having a TARDIS offers for a while, before even considering diving back into any overarching mythology.

Look Beyond the U.K. For Showrunners, Writers… and Doctors: I'm a huge fan of The Walking Dead, especially the character of Rick Grimes, a former Georgia sheriff portrayed by the very British Andrew Lincoln. You see where I'm going here, right? If it has to do with some kind of law, then change it. If it's something that's been done just because of habit, tradition, history, or the "Britishness" of it all, get over it. The show literally ignores a world of creative possibilities, and for what? So folks can say, "See? 'Doctor Who' is a British show!"? With all due respect, that reeks of arrogance and closed-mindedness.

"Doctor Who" Is About Adventures Across Time & Space, So LOOK Like It! I don't think anyone can debate just how great Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper were as actors, both together and individually, over the course of their run. They needed to be because their season screamed less "adventures across time and space" and more "Law & Order." After 60 years, it's time that a show about being able to go pretty much anywhere at any time looked as epic as its premise. If the BBC can't afford it, then they need to partner up with someone who has deep pockets and is interested in investing in an established "tentpole" franchise, like Amazon's Prime Video, Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO Max, or Sony Pictures Television. Going small doesn't work anymore, so that's not an option. Maybe then, fans can actually have an active "Who-niverse" of spinoff series and special films instead of spending time hoping and wishing.

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