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It’s a sad day when one of our favorite shows is canceled. At the same time, the cancellation of Doctor Who isn’t a bad thing.
Look, I’m not saying that I never want the series to return. I’m just saying that it’s time to take a break. Shows aren’t designed to be able to go on forever, even if the lead character is able to regenerate into other actors!
Doctor Who was Starting to Lose Steam
I think we can all agree that the quality of Doctor Who went down quickly after Peter Capaldi. Some will say that it was after Matt Smith*, but I enjoyed Peter Capaldi’s* run as Twelve, and there were some great storylines and season-long arcs.
It was from Jodie Whitaker’s era that things really took a dive, and it had nothing to do with Whitaker’s acting. She did the best that she could with some bad material. All the actors did.
The writing wasn’t there, the storytelling wasn’t there, and even the costuming was a little questionable at times. What should have been intriguing and thought-provoking episodes, such as the one set as India and Pakistan separated and the one set during the English witch trials, ended up being lackluster and forgettable episodes.
The only reason I’m glad that season went on was because we then got David Tennant* back. The 60th Anniversary specials brought Donna fans everything we needed and more.
I had hoped that Ncuti Gatwa would be the boost the franchise needed, but again, the writing ended up being one the bad side. The two seasons has some intriguing plot points, but the episodes themselves were boring. I actually fell asleep during one of the Christmas specials!
The Show Has a Chance to Reignite Itself
A break isn’t a bad thing. This doesn’t mean that it can’t come back.
Look, Doctor Who took almost 20 years off, and when it returned, it brought the hype and the excitement. Getting the right team, the right actors, and the right storylines immediately help to create interest.
It’s possible to do it again. They say that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same spot, but that is a lie. Doctor Who* needs a break.
By having a break, it’s possible to forget some of the seasons happened. While they don’t need complete retconning, it’s easy to explain them as a bit of a blip. We wouldn’t even need to get into The Doctor taking on the form of Rose Tyler, as it could just be a quick change into the next regeneration.
There’s a chance to rethink what the show is supposed to be about.
I’m not going to say it got “woke,” because I think that phrasing is just a poor way of exploring the problems. There’s also absolutely nothing wrong with inclusion. I want to see inclusion on the TV, but Doctor Who didn’t quite get the balance right.
The plots of each episode started to get overshadowed by whatever agenda was being pushed in the episodes. In some cases, I don’t even remember what the plots actually were. They got convoluted with far too intricate backstories to explain a god turning up or to seem far more thrilling than they really were.
The basics of storytelling were being forgotten about, and that’s something the break can fix.
So, I’m not disappointed that Doctor Who has been canceled at this point. I’m somewhat relieved, as we can have a break and see it come back with a powerful turn back to what made it excel during the late ‘00s and early ‘10s.
What do you think of Doctor Who being canceled? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
