Will Doctor Who Be Cancelled or Will the TARDIS Continue to Travel Through Time and Space?

The viewership for Doctor Who is down in its current season and the Disney deal is about to end.  Will the TARDIS get put in mothballs?

What Is It?

This series follows the time traveler known as the Doctor, who comes from a race of Time Lords living on the planet Gallifrey. The Doctor helps those threatened by other time travelers or nefarious alien races and undergoes transformations from time to time when mortally injured. The Doctor also tends to bring companions along in adventures through time and space.

Aired: 1963-1989, BBC, 26 Seasons Totaling 841 Episodes, 2005-Present, 15 Seasons Totaling 169 Episodes + Specials (So Far)

Starring: William Hartnell, Patrick Toughton, John Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, Ncuti Gatwa

Created By: Sydney Newman, C.E. Weber, Donald Wilson

Why Is It in Danger?

Doctor Who–including the classic series–is the longest running sci fi and fantasy television show in the world, but it may be coming to an end for a second time (the original series was cancelled in 1989, then revived in 2005). The most recent season–the second or the fifteenth depending on which numbering you prefer–has seen a viewership drop to all-time lows and the future of the series is currently in doubt. The numbers for Ncuti Gatwa’s second year as the Doctor are down by around half a million viewers per episode from his first season for the BBC airings, and the show did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for its run on Disney+. In addition, the deal that Disney had in place to partner on the series is coming to an end, and it appears that the Mouse House is not interested in renewing it.

Current showrunner Russel T. Davies has plans in place to carry the Doctor through at least three more seasons, though he has also suggested that the series could have a “pause”. He himself has been blamed for the declining viewership due to the political and social commentaries he has injected into the show (some will call it “woke” politics). Others are not happy about the campy, family-friendly direction of the show, but it certainly seems unlikely that such a long-lived series would just come to an end without giving it more of a chance.

But the fact is, that each Doctor’s regeneration gives the show a chance to reboot itself. And Ncuti Gatwa is departing from the role after two seasons (with a surprise reveal that I will not fully spoil), and the opportunity is there to take things in a different direction. If the powers-that-be decide that Russell T. Davis is to blame for the poor viewership, they can replace him and move on with a different creative team. And there are rumors that both Netflix and HBO have shown an interest in partnering with the BBC on this property. So my guess is that the Doctor has not seen his (her) final regeneration yet. But I would not be surprised if there is a pause of at least a couple of years to sort things out and determine a new direction.  The spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea is scheduled to arrive later this year or at  in 2026, and that may tide fans over as they decide which course the main series will follow.

What Can Fans Do to Help the Show?

The best thing that fans can do at this point is watch the show. In the U.S., they can watch all of the revival seasons on Disney+, and I believe the most recent seasons are there in the UK as well (prior revival seasons are available on BBC iPlayer). They should also get it trending on the social networks to bring it more attention. Viewership was down for the most recent season, but if the fans make enough noise and stage watch parties, they can prove that there is still a large audience out there. Doctor Who has survived through 31 seasons so far, and it seems unlikely that it will go down without a fight. But the fans need to prove that they want the show to continue (even if they don’t care for the recent seasons) in order for this one to avoid an extended hiatus or possibly even cancellation.

Have you been watching Doctor Who and will you support fan efforts to keep it from getting cancelled? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.

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