Key insights
- The recent Disney+ deal increased Doctor Who's reach, suggesting an exciting future for the franchise.
- Rumors about the future of Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor are causing uncertainty about the direction of the series.
- The possibility of David Tennant returning signals a possible regression into safe, unoriginal narrative paths.
The Doctor Who The franchise appears to have only recently gotten its newest and most experimental Doctor, but a recent incident and months of rumors seem to indicate that this iteration of the iconic character will have to change his appearance again in the future.
Doctor Who has been a staple of British television science fiction for decades. The universe's miracle of regeneration allows a revolving door of talented, powerful stars to take on the title role of the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who adventures through time and space. In a recent move to bring the ongoing flagship show to a wider audience, Disney took up the cause and made the show available on its Disney+ streaming service to viewers outside the reach of the BBC's UK base. This partnership and expanded reach shows that there is much to look forward to in terms of the future Doctor Whowith Davies even recently considering a potentially amazing sci-fi crossover alongside Star Trek, an idea that has already been tested in their respective mobile games.
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During Davies' return in 2021 Doctor Who Despite the series being touted as hugely influential at a time when the iconic IP could have done better, it seems like there are still some issues with the show. Recently, the current Doctor Ncuti Gatwa continued The Graham Norton Show and explained: “We did the second season this year, the Christmas special is coming up and we're doing a third season next year.” While this was generally seen as positive news when the press conferences were released, things stood out when the show aired the eyebrows and comments instead changed to: “We finished season two earlier this year, we have Christmas.” Episode coming out…at Christmas…But it was great.” While Deadline was able to dispel the rumor mill by confirming Given that the change was not by order of the BBC but rather an editorial decision, the whole thing seems to suggest that Gatwa's relatively recent rise to the role appears to be nearing its end.
The problem arises from the fact that a third season for the Fifteenth Doctor already seemed unlikely for a number of reasons and the BBC distanced itself from his comments. “As we have said before, the decision on season three will be made after the second season airs and, as always, we do not comment on speculation,” a production spokesperson confirmed in a statement. This reflects the opinion expressed in the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine from franchise boss Russell T. Davies, who further emphasized that it has always been done that way. There were rumors that Disney wanted to cancel Doctor Who after the second season, as it failed to attract the kind of viewers the company was aiming for when it signed the deal with the BBC Doctor Who for the US and other international markets, and these rumors have been repeated in some important circles. Given these rumors and the revisions, it's difficult to see any good signs for Gatwa's Doctor.
The most unfavorable factor for Gatwa is the built-in transition device with which his two-generation left the creative team. Since the much-revered David Tennant already appears in the current narrative of the series, Doctor Who could easily go back to what worked before, taking another step towards a worrying trend that the MCU seems to have adopted from the franchise with the return of Robert Downey Jr. While many fans would be happy to see Tennant take center stage again, it would be a bad sign for the health of the franchise as a whole and a sort of white flag for the current series to try new things with the character, for better or worse.
While Doctor Who seems to want to return to tradition with the Christmas special at the end of the year and has made many promises about the quality and appeal of the second season with Gatwa, it is unclear what the chances of the show being better received by fans are. While Gatwa's time as the Doctor wasn't as poorly received as Jodie Whitaker's, it's hard not to see a downward trend in the franchise that's similar to the struggles the MCU and DCEU have faced in recent years. Fans will have to wait and see whether the Doctor can survive this difficult phase or whether he needs to regenerate again.
The Doctor Who The franchise is available to stream on Disney+ in the US and other markets outside the UK.
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Source: Deadline