DR.WHO..worth it?

[RobertScorpio]

I have never seen Dr. Who in my life. But the commercials I have been seeing on BBC INTERNATIONAL look pretty good. Do need to have seen the previous versions? Or will this new season be a reboot??? And...is it worth watching?

Rob

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

No, no, and HELL YEAH.

Mark

 

[ManOnTheWave]

New season is not a reboot, but it is starting with a new actor and new companion. Probably as good a point as any to jump in.

 

[RobertScorpio]

New season is not a reboot, but it is starting with a new actor and new companion. Probably as good a point as any to jump in.

How many seasons has this thing been on? I'm thinking about checking NETFLIX to see if they have the old ones...

Rob

 

[Admiral2]

I have never seen Dr. Who in my life. But the commercials I have been seeing on BBC INTERNATIONAL look pretty good. Do need to have seen the previous versions?

No, but you should see the good Doctors before the rock and roll doctor they have coming up. (I define "good" as the First, Third, Fourth, Seventh and Ninth Doctors).

 

[Lindley]

Depends who you ask. By one definition, this is season 31.

However, many of the episodes from the 60s are lost.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

The current series goes back about five years. However, it was a revival of the show which began in the 60s and ran through the 80s.

The seasons starring Chris Eccleston and the David Tennant are the recent revival. If you like what you see, you can always netflix those to get caught up on current events. However, Who isn't really continuity obsessed, but there are recurring bad guys and themes. I'd just watch the new guy if I were you and see if I like him/it.

 

[Count Zero]

How many seasons has this thing been on? I'm thinking about checking NETFLIX to see if they have the old ones...

As Lindley said, this would be season 31 overall. However, there was a long hiatus betwwen 1989 and 2005. This is the fifth season (or series, as the Brits call it) since the restart of the show in 2005. This restart is generally referred to as 'the new series' with the older season labeled 'classic'.
It certainly won't hurt to track down the episodes since 2005 because it reintroduces all the concepts of the show. A later good entry point would be the third season of the new show, starting with 'Smith and Jones' because as the Doctor gains a new companion, a lot is explained/mentioned again.

It's definetely worth it.

 

[Rarewolf]

I'd say start from the current one before you play catch up. You only get one chance to get into it blind. Anything pre 1996 is such a different show in terms of style, it could scare you off. It's a bit like watching Trek for the first time. You could be perfectly happy watching a few years of Voyager before you even think about watching the Cage.

 

[Snick27]

Ive heard its pretty good but not sure. lol

 

[Count Zero]

By the way, each season of the new series consists of only 13 episodes about 45 minutes each, plus a Christmas special of 1 hour after each season plus the 4 hour-long specials of 2009/2010, so it's not an overwhelming amount of material to watch.
I got into the show when season 4 was airing in the UK and I decided to start with the 2005 season. Personally, I'd recommend that since you really shouldn't miss the two Doctors before the new, current one, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant.

 

[Greg Cox]

DOCTOR WHO is definitely worth checking out. And don't worry about the forty-years of continuity. The latest incarnation of the series did a brilliant job of making it accessible to new viewers while throwing in Easter eggs for long-time fans.

The show tends to reinvent itself all the time anyway, so just climb aboard.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I would recommend starting with "Series 1" of the new version of Doctor Who. I wouldn't try the older episodes to start. Available on demand at Netflix IIRC.

You could potentially start with the series currently airing on cable as it does provide a bit of a new starting point but I think you'd miss a bit and I really think you should start with "Series 1".

 

[Greg Cox]

I would recommend starting with "Series 1" of the new version of Doctor Who. I wouldn't try the older episodes to start. Available on demand at Netflix IIRC.

You could potentially start with the series currently airing on cable as it does provide a bit of a new starting point but I think you'd miss a bit and I really think you should start with "Series 1".

Agreed, start with the modern series. Then, if you're hooked, you can explore back into the older versions at your leisure.

Any old concepts that need to be explained again usually are.

"Ohmigod. What are those?"

"Daleks. My oldest enemies . . .," etc.

 

[23skidoo]

A couple of additional points.

Although the recent seasons since the revival have tended to reflect current trends towards season-long story arcs, generally speaking unless you decide to jump in at the very end of a Doctor's tenure, or a season finale, you can pretty much jump on anywhere.

The first episode of the new season, The Eleventh Hour, is set up intentionally to be a jumping on point. You don't need to have seen a single episode before that one.

One thing that needs to be explained because no one has yet and we can't take for granted that everyone knows about is the reason for there being different Doctors. Back in the 1960s the lead actor at the time decided to quit. Since the series had established that the Doctor (and BTW his name is not "Dr. Who") was an alien, it was decided that periodically the Doctor's race undergoes regeneration. Their bodies and personalities change, but their memories and basic code of conduct remain intact. So far we've had 11 actors take on the role, with the latest player, Matt Smith, playing the same character as that played by William Hartnell in 1963. Unlike Star Trek or BSG, the current series of Doctor Who is a direct continuation of what has run since 1963. Yet as noted the show doesn't rely on continuity as much as Trek does.

A few other things:

Ignore hags claiming the special effects in the new series are cheap. That's bull. They're on par with anything else on TV today. The old series had a very limited budget so they did the same thing Roddenberry did with Star Trek: focus on the characters, rather than the bling. And that's what the new series does today, only with the added benefit of having access to CGI and high-definition (or at least in the case of the latter, since last year when the show began to be filmed in HD).

Is it worth watching? Yell yeah. Don't expect deep and dark SF like BSG, though. Doctor Who is intended to be a fun show, not some high-falutin' comment on the human condition and post-9/11 politics. That's why it's a breath of fresh air.

Alex

 

[Lonemagpie]

I would recommend starting with "Series 1" of the new version of Doctor Who. I wouldn't try the older episodes to start. Available on demand at Netflix IIRC.

You could potentially start with the series currently airing on cable as it does provide a bit of a new starting point but I think you'd miss a bit and I really think you should start with "Series 1".

Agreed, start with the modern series. Then, if you're hooked, you can explore back into the older versions at your leisure.

Any old concepts that need to be explained again usually are.

"Ohmigod. What are those?"

"Daleks. My oldest enemies . . .," etc.

What Greg and everybody else has said.

Start with the Eccleston episode "Rose", which is intended as a jumping on point more than any other episode in either the Classic or New series - and works well as such. So well, in fact, that even if you want to go straight on with the classic series, this is still the best one to launch you into the tone and concept.

 

[Jax]

I got into Who as a proper series in 2005 though I had seen the TV movie back in 1996. 2005 will introduce you to everything you need to know as it balances reboot with continuation. The pilot is a little average but its good from there

 

[F. King Daniel]

"Worth it?"

No. I've tried modern Who and 80's Who. It's a children's show. I don't like it

I really wanted to.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Almost forgot! I actually liked the 1996 TV-movie. But that's it.

 

[Roshi]

It's Doctor Who, not Dr Who!