Doctor Who

[Dr. Insomniac]

Another show I'm probably the only fan of here.

Craig Ferguson can probably explain why the show's good better than I ever could.

[Neomysterion X. Prime]

Doctor Who, you say?
I liked the series myself, even though I not that big a fan.

There's a Doctor Who fan club at another forums site I go on.

[Daxdiv]

I was able to catch a few episodes of this at my aunt's place during Christmas, and I can see why this show is pretty awesome, and has the fans it has. Times like this make me wish I have BBC America, if only so I could watch Dr. Who, and Law and Order UK.

[azureskies]

We have droves of Doctor Who fans in my school. I've never watched the show. xD

[Dr. Insomniac]

There were like no fans of Doctor Who back in high school. I remember once bringing it up, and everybody just gave me mile-long stares. But then again, nobody in my school really liked anything that wasn't mainstream.

[Avaitor]

I have a couple of friends who are into it, but aren't huge fans.

I need to watch this series on Netflix soon.

[azureskies]

There were like no fans of Doctor Who back in high school. I remember once bringing it up, and everybody just gave me mile-long stares. But then again, nobody in my school really liked anything that wasn't mainstream.

You would love my high school. We're the best weirdos you'll meet.

Is there a good place to start with Doctor Who though? I always waste time, so maybe I can gain some cred in my school and use that time for Doctor Who.

[Dr. Insomniac]

For both of you guys, Series 5 (the latest one) is your best bet, mostly since the change in producers and cast means its the closest you'll get to a reboot.

Normally, everyone goes for the seasons with Eccleston and Tennant for their introduction to the show, but I'm not sure if you guys would tolerate some of the more questionable plot elements. Still, that era has some gems like "Dalek", "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances," "The Girl In The Fireplace," "Human Nature/Family Of Blood," "Blink," and "Midnight." The second-to-last of them arguably being the best episode yet.

[Avaitor]

I checked Netflix, and it doesn't have season 5 yet.

Are you sure I wouldn't enjoy the show as much if I watch the first 4 seasons in order?

[Dr. Insomniac]

I checked Netflix, and it doesn't have season 5 yet.

Are you sure I wouldn't enjoy the show as much if I watch the first 4 seasons in order?

Well, yeah, watching the first 4 seasons is also a great starting point. It's just that a lot of the episodes by the head writer at the time, Russell T Davies, are gonna be hit or miss, with his season finales being really polarizing. He's great at character-driven writing, but he rarely ever pulls off a decent resolution to plots. Still, it serves as a pretty good run.

[Angus]

Series 1 and 2 go together because of Rose, Series 3 and Torchwood go hand in hand. Series 4 and Series 5 have their own story arcs without too much referencing to the earlier seasons.

Seeing Freema Agyeman in Law&Order UK is cool too!

[Dr. Insomniac]

Series 1 and 2 go together because of Rose, Series 3 and Torchwood go hand in hand. Series 4 and Series 5 have their own story arcs without too much referencing to the earlier seasons.

Personally, I'd argue that Series 4 relies too much on previous continuity. Especially the last three episodes, which expected you to have seen all of the new series, the spin-offs, and even a couple of the serials to fully understand it.

And for anybody who wants to watch Torchwood, I'd just say either start at Series 2 or Children of Earth. Series 1 reeks of cheesiness, hints of being a vague Buffy ripoff, and bad attempts to be mature. Admittedly, the later season carries those elements (James Marsters gets a recurring role essentially playing Gay Future Spike), but it at least carries itself with a bit more grace by then.

[Angus]

I agree the big finale episodes for Series 4 pulls from the other spinoff shows, although I didn't watch Sarah Jane Adventures at all outside of the first episode, and didn't feel like I missed much.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Tor.com's releasing some essays about each Doctor and what makes them good.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Apparently, the BBC released a few old DW serials on Youtube. While classics like Genesis, Fenric, or City of Death aren't on there, they did manage to put Caves of Androzani on this collection. If you can handle the cheesy effects, you'll get an excellent story about how mere desire can lead to vast corruption and eventual extinction.