I Am The Doctor!

What is it about Doctor Who? As a latecomer to this amazing British BBC sci-fi adventure series, I still ask myself why I am so into this show? There are things about DW that normally would be a turn-off for me and perhaps that's why it took so much coaxing from my buddy Tim to get me to watch it in the first place. 

What is considered the revival of the series that originally premiered in 1963, the modern version of DW began back in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston playing the 9th reincarnation of the Doctor. Since I only began watching the modern version of DW earlier this year as a potential viewing option both my wife and I could enjoy, it has left me with over seven uninterrupted seasons that we could plow through at our own pace (thanks to Netflix streaming!)

Currently, Wife and I are mid-fourth season, the last with David Tennant playing the 10th version of The Doctor, and are truly hooked! But why? Why this seemingly cartoony BBC show? Let's look at the shortcomings:

1. The first 4 seasons were not filmed in Hi Def (ugh! Standard Def!)
2. The special effects can fall on the low budget side.
3. The storylines frequently could be considered hokey by the discerning viewer.
4. The Daleks voices can just grate on the nerves, even though they are compelling villains.
5. The acting ability of the supporting characters sometimes is lacking (but not NEARLY as bad as Once Upon A Time, which we watch also. Yay!)
6. The British accents. Yes, they can be hard to follow at times when they speak really fast. They're still appealing in a Harry Potter sort of way.

That all said, this show is still brilliant! Why?

1. The underlying humor and charm of the Doctor and his companions keeps the plotlines endurable and compelling. You really do want to see how it turns out for them, sometimes in a I-can't-help-but-not-look sort of way.
2. The looping continuity keeps gives fans rewards for staying with it through recurring characters, timeline crossovers, references to past events, etc. Even LONG-TIME DW fans from the 70s and 80s will get a gem thrown at them.
3. Time travel is always awesome.
4. For a show shot in SD from 2005-2008, it still looks pretty good!
5. Did I mention the acting from The Doctor is great?
6. The cast is always changing, keeping things fresh. Although I've only experienced two versions of The Doctor, I've appreciated the fact that I wasn't stuck with the same actor for 7+ seasons. I anxiously await the next reincarnation of the Doctor for season 5.  (In case you're wondering, The Doctor can reincarnate if fatally wounded. It happened after a single season for the 9th Doctor, and after three seasons for the 10th.)
7. Lastly, I love any show both my wife and I can enjoy and look forward to watching equally as much. My wife is no geek like I am. But she appreciates a light and engaging story and characters. Although she's the romantic comedy type, she has also been a big fan of LOST, Star Trek:TNG, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I think Doctor Who falls somewhere between Star Trek and Buffy for her.

If you haven't given Doctor Who a try, I encourage you not to resist like I did for almost 5 years since my buddy Tim started bugging me to watch it. Although I wish I would have listened to him earlier, I'm happy I have so much uninterrupted content to go through before I have to start waiting for the next season to start!

By the way, my rule when checking out a new TV show is give it THREE episodes before deciding. ALSO keep in mind the first season is never as good as the rest because its usually trying to find its "legs." Stick with it! You'll be very glad you did!