Doctor Who USAU - Part 9: The Next Doctors and Beyond (2010 - Present)
"It all started out as a mild curiosity in the junkyard, and now it's turned out to be quite a great spirit of adventure." - The Doctor, "The Sensorites"
“Every great decision creates ripples, like a huge boulder dropped in a lake. The ripples merge and rebound off the banks in unforeseeable ways. The heavier the decision, the larger the waves, the more uncertain the consequences.” - The Doctor, "Remembrance of the Daleks"
"We’re capable of the most incredible change. We can evolve while still staying true to who we are. We can honour who we’ve been and choose who we want to be next. Now’s your chance.” - The Doctor, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth"
“We’re all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?” - The Doctor, "The Big Bang"
DISCLAIMER:
The following is the ninth and final part of an alternate history series about the history of Doctor Who if it was an American-made production rather than a British production. It's purely speculative and a work of fiction, although some real-world elements were included and presented for realistic situations and scenarios. Neither this series nor its author are connected to nor reflect the views and opinions of BBC Studios (the owner of the Doctor Who franchise) or any entity or persons mentioned and does not mean to infringe on the copyrights and trademarks of those parties. - JH
“There are fixed points throughout time where things must stay exactly the way they are. This is not one of them, this is an opportunity. Whatever happens here will create its own timeline, its own reality, a temporal tipping point. The future revolves around you, here, now, so do good!” - The Doctor
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| Alan Tudyk as the Eleventh Doctor (2010-2018) |
In 2010, actor Alan Tudyk was cast as the Eleventh Doctor and brought a strange, otherworldly aura to the role. He was notably strange and oddly wise not to mention a charismatic peacemaker who was not afraid to fight for those he loves. Many fans considered the Eleventh Doctor a near-perfect amalgamation of Robin Williams' Fourth Doctor (Tudyk often talked about how Williams inspired him to be an actor and actually worked with the Oscar-winning actor on Patch Adams) and Rick Springfield's Seventh Doctor, a comparison made more appropriate during the 50th anniversary when Springfield made a pair of appearances in segments that aired during the Red Nose Day and Children in Need specials on BBC One, a rare Doctor Who production that premiered in the UK first.
Speaking of UK-only developments, a rather surprising and, at the time, controversial decision was made during the Eleventh Doctor's run. The "Other Doctor," a parallel version of The Doctor from an unknown dimension unreachable by the original Doctor, was introduced to the series' lore. This Doctor would be initially played by English actor Matt Smith.
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| Matt Smith as "The Other Doctor" |
At the time, NBC Universal considered sublicensing Doctor Who to BBC Worldwide to create a third spinoff series after Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, the latter of which premiered on January 1, 2007, and aired exclusively in the British market on CBBC for five seasons, the first such Doctor Who production not to have an American broadcast partner. This particular series, which would have also been a British-only spinoff, would have focused on "The Other Side," a parallel dimension where Smith's Doctor would have resided and in his own adventures.
However, both parties realized that costs and logistics would have been massive to produce two different Doctor Who series at the same time and decided it was best to have one true Doctor. While the spinoff never happened, The Other Doctor appeared in several episodes throughout the Eleventh Doctor's run.
The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who in 2013 was a year-long celebration that begun on New Year’s Day and spread worldwide. The original series, specials, and Doctor Who Adventures animated series were remastered in high-definition and released in DVD and Blu Ray sets by Universal Home Entertainment in most territories and BBC Home Video in the United Kingdom.
In 2018, Doctor Who’s 55th anniversary year, NBC Universal announced that world premieres of new episodes will premiere exclusively on HBO Max in markets excluding the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, episodes would be premiere on HBO Max six months after they premiere on Syfy and USA.
In addition, HBO Max would also be the exclusive streaming home of the revival-era Doctor Who episodes featuring the Ninth through Eleventh Doctors as well as Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures (the latter of which would be making its US premiere on HBO Max) in all markets except the United Kingdom.
2018 also saw the debut of a new, different kind of Doctor. Actress and comedian Aubrey Plaza would become the first female Doctor and the first to be portrayed by a person-of-color.
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| Aubrey Plaza as the Twelfth Doctor (2018-2023) |
The Twelfth Doctor would become a fast fan favorite with her darkly twisted and sardonic nature, quick wit, and manic nobility. The series episodes shrank from the usual 16 to 8 per season but also included the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas specials.
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| The Twelfth Doctor sees a reflection of her newly regenerated self for the very first time. |
That same year, DreamWorks Animation and Cartoon Network Studios co-produced Doctor Who: Trails of the Doctor, an anthology animated series featuring the various incarnations of The Doctor from various animation producers giving their own takes on the characters. The series aired on Cartoon Network in most territories and CBBC in the UK.
The series won many Annie, BAFTA, and Primetime Emmy awards. One notable episode was “The Robin’s Song.” Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, it was a dialogue-less Fourth Doctor adventure that was a tribute to the late Robin Williams. It was the first episode of the 2018 season and released four years after his passing and earned the series the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Series.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Doctor Who was retooled with only two seasons of four specials beginning in 2021 to wind down the series’ story.
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| A promotional image from the announcement of Doctor Who × Lupin the Third: The Elusive Blue Box |
In 2023, first-run premieres moved from Syfy exclusively to NBC Universal’s Peacock streaming platform in the United States and exclusively to MAX in most international territories except the United Kingdom. For the first time, the entire series, including the classic series and both animated series, were collectively on the same platform. While MAX retained streaming rights to the adventures of the Ninth through Twelfth Doctors as well as the Trails animated series and Lupin special, domestically, they weren’t exclusive to the platform as they were shared with Peacock.
Similarly, episodes of the original pre-revival series were licensed to Tubi’s AVOD platform and various FAST channel providers as a continuously running linear network, the first Doctor Who channel in the world. Doctor Who Adventures would eventually return to broadcast television airing on Weigel’s Heroes & Icons in an action cartoon block on Saturday mornings in the summer of 2023 and fully remastered on Weigel’s MeTV Toons channel in the fall of 2024 not long after the channel launched that summer.
A new animated miniseries, Doctor Who: Echoes of the TARDIS, would premiere in spring 2023 on Peacock in the United States and MAX/HBO Max in most international territories with the exception of the United Kingdom, where it would remain on BBC One and BBC’s streaming and Freeview platforms. The series would air linearly on Adult Swim in the United States and Cartoon Network in most territories except the United Kingdom.
The 60th anniversary specials, co-produced by Julie Gardner and Russell T. Davies, gave viewers a crossover event and something nearly 20 years in the making: the regeneration of the Eighth Doctor to the Ninth, with Neil Patrick Harris returning to the role for the first time since 2006. Dick Van Dyke, who originally played the Second Doctor, returned as the Curator.
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| Daveed Diggs as the Thirteenth Doctor (2023-Present) |
As the show ended, the Twelfth Doctor regenerated, which stunned audiences because there was no prior advance indication of any new casting changes to the series. Aubrey Plaza left the series and Tony-winning performer Daveed Diggs was introduced as the Thirteenth and current Doctor marking a new beginning to the franchise.
"Our lives are important — at least to us — and as we see, so we learn... Our destiny is in the stars, so let's go and search for it." - The Doctor, "The Reign of Terror"
From 1963 to today, Doctor Who has grown from a quirky sci-fi adventure about an alien time traveler in a strange blue box into a global phenomenon that has entered the pop cultural zeitgeist.
For over 60 years, we have seen the franchise evolve, change with the times, rise to phenomenal heights, fall to critical lows and circumstances out of its control, and continue to entertain generations.
The future may not be certain to the rest of us, but for The Doctor and the fans, it will always be an adventure worth taking, and it'll always be fantastic.
Even if the journey isn't the one they expected to take.
Carpe Diem.
Donec Iterum Amicis.
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