New Doctor Who Season Two — One of the Best Seasons of Television of All Time?

If you haven’t been trekking along with the Doctor in their many adventures over the past 61+ years, you should hop aboard the TARDIS and travel the universe with the incredible, diverse cast of companions and Timelords in the British science-fantasy show known as Doctor Who.

One of the longest-running scripted shows in television history, Doctor Who has become more well-known off the British Isles in the last decade or less, partially thanks to Disney sending some production funds its way. The show’s been around since November 23, 1963, though, produced by BBC and deemed a children’s show.

But this show really isn’t for kids anymore (if ever it was!) — it’s a wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey jaunt through the unknown. As the Doctor goes, the big baddies like Daleks, Sontarans, and Cybermen seek universal domination and destruction of all that’s right and good in all of space and time.

It’s more suited to teens and adults, but it’s still good for mature kiddos who can handle some villains and a big, Bad Wolf or two.

There’s a Lot of Show — and a Lot of Cast Changes — to Wrap Your Head Around

Over the past six decades, the main character — the Doctor — has been played by a wide range of actors. But this show does recasts differently. Each new actor doesn’t reboot the series or change the canon. Instead, the story continues.

When the original actor playing the Doctor, William Hartnell, had to leave the show because of his declining health, the BBC faced a dilemma: Cancel the show or get creative?

The production team — groundbreakers at the time as a woman and a man of color — managed to persist with the show, recasting the Doctor with a unique twist on how the new actor came on board. They didn’t act like nothing happened but instead gave the Doctor a special power: regeneration.

The people from the planet Gallifrey have the unique ability to heal from more mortal wounds by “rebooting” their systems through regeneration energy contained within their bodies. Enter the next chapter and a new Doctor. Play on repeat for all future actors when their time on the show ends.

Why You Should Catch Up on Season Two With Ncuti Gatwa, the Fifteenth Doctor

Let’s Address the Online Complaints — The Show “Got Woke”

*Skip to the next section to avoid spoilers if you’re not caught up to at least the 13th Doctor’s run.*

Dredge your way through the Reddit forums and fandom sites if you dare, and you’ll run into misery. Many “fans” now hate the show and post a lot of negative reviews because the show “got Woke.”

That is, during the Twelfth Doctor’s Era (played by Peter Capaldi), the first known lesbian companion came on board (Bill Potts portrayed by Pearl Mackie). Since then, there have been two women cast as The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker and Jo Martin), the first Black actors in the role, and the first openly transgender characters.

There are also a lot more companions and other critical characters who experience disabilities without insensitive depictions.

A lot of angry “fans” have invested far too many hours ranting and raging against these changes, but the rest of us are loving them.

Enter Ncuti Gatwa, The Fifteenth Doctor

**No spoilers here! Read on!**

Depending on how you count regenerations, you may come up with anywhere between 15 and nearly unlimited regenerations of the Doctor. Those not playing in the pedantic camp will mostly consider 16 viable regenerations, plus some “bonus” regenerations. The War Doctor is skipped in the official numbering (thus the 16 count) because of…well, history.

And now, we’ve just completed the final season of The Fifteenth Doctor as depicted by the Rwandan-Scottish actor, Ncuti Gatwa, the most fabulous of them all!

Ncuti’s official run with the show began with a Christmas Special in 2023, though we got him for a fair bit of screen time in the previous 60th Anniversary Specials with the Fourteenth Doctor, which were released in November and December.

The first series starring Ncuti (dubbed Season One by Disney as a help to introduce new folks to the show, a sort of “start here!”) ran from May to June 2024. British shows tend to have limited episode counts, so we only got eight episodes including that Christmas Special. His final season ran this year from April to May, with a total of eight episodes as well.

Ncuti’s first series danced across the screen with delightful energetic joy and wonder — qualities Whovians love about this show. It tactfully tackles dark themes and challenging topics like racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry, as well as violence war, and environmental care.

So why are so many people bagging on the season? Well, it comes down to personal taste rather than quality. Like much of the internet, those turning on the show are among the loud minority.

I’m not saying everyone legitimately loves the season, but it’s clear that the majority of those who don’t have a personal vendetta against the show for its shift away from the “comfortable” for those with conservative views to a more era-aware connection to storytelling.

All that said, I’ve been chatting with my fellow Whovians and those who most appreciate fun and adventure in TV shows are calling this not only one of the tightest writing eras of the show but one of the most vivid and culturally aware seasons of the entirety of Doctor Who’s run. And, in some opinions (including my own), all of television history.

What Makes Season Two Stellar?

First off, RTD (Russel T. Davies) and the team are presenting us with tightly written scripts. Unlike many past seasons of this beloved show, we’ve seen things less rushed and better edited.

Secondly, the writing is much lighter and less “doom and destroy” than in some past seasons (particularly RTD’s earlier era with Doctor Who). The messages are still challenging and deep, but there’s joy and hope brought into the mix. The show has become all about love in these seasons and that’s absolutely what the world needs right now.

The show’s also seen some of the best directing, staging, sets, and production in its history. Where once there was bubble wrap and rock quarries, the show now has intricate, high-end sets, incredible graphics, and spot-on costuming.

Some of the directors, too, are on the highest tier in the world right now, like Rachel Talalay and Chanya Button, even if they’re not as well known as some of their peers. Season Two has also provided us with not just intriguing plots but satisfactory ones that go somewhere.

They’re telling us stories we need and want to hear, without preaching (mostly), while also giving us some overarching threads that lean back toward the original serial days. This means we’re getting more character and plot development during each season.

The characters themselves in this era are believable, relatable, and enjoyable, without pandering badly to the “everyman” complex that so often we find in television roles. Belinda Chandra (portrayed by Varada Sethu) and Ruby Sunday (portrayed by Millie Gibson), for example, are both “ordinary” women we get to watch grow and change without them becoming unbearable.

The Doctor is, of course, “other” being an alien, but with Ncuti’s performance, the role is relatable for anyone who gets the concept of a wiser, much older being with more life experience than short-lived humans. In the past, we’ve had some issues with this (the pandering didn’t help!) but Ncuti’s Doctor has given us what many have been craving.

In this season, you’ll find Time Hotels, robot revolutions, demi-gods, spider demons, and an interstellar Eurovision in space for your enjoyment.

Unfortunately, going into much more detail would mean giving spoilers, so I’ll leave you here with this: If you love meaningful stories told via plot- and character-driven TV, and want something fresh, fun, and exciting, Doctor Who Seasons One and Two with Ncuti Gatwa are the best way to go!

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To watch:

• Classic Doctor Who (First through Seventh Doctor) — Britbox, Tubi, and Pluto TV
• Eighth Doctor film special — Prime Video (select locations) and YouTube
• New Doctor Who 1 (Ninth through Thirteenth Doctors) — HBO Max, Britbox, and Pluto TV (some regions)
• New Doctor Who 2 (Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors) — DisneyPlus

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