# Doctor Who has become unwatchable **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 12, 2014, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557 "2014-01-12T04:07:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/21 "2014-01-13T17:57:17Z")
The show has sucked since Moffat took over and Matt Smith came onboard. Smith was a terrible doctor and Moffat is a fucking idiot. If Steve Moffat and Tim Burton ever work together, the craptastic spawn of their labor would be so ridiculously insipid (with goth leanings, of course) that it would prolly actually cause the world to have _less_ culture the very moment it came into existence. YMMV. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/22 "2014-01-13T19:38:50Z")
I think Doctor Whoā€™s problem is that is tries to be both epic and not very serious. So, the entire universe will depend on this risky endeavour to save the lives of trillions and ooh look thereā€™s a fez. Iā€™m fine with silly. Iā€™m fine with serious. Iā€™m fine with epic. Iā€™m fine with trivial. But they need to be matched up right. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/23 "2014-01-13T19:59:37Z")
Smith was a crappy Doctor. Amy Pond stayed too long. I really like Clara and I think she makes even the Smith Doctor better. But I am really looking forward to the new Doctor. Capaldi will hopefully be a better Doctor. Tennant was great and Eccleston was very good. I donā€™t dislike Moffat at all. I think Coupling was brilliant and I love Sherlock. Hyde was also quite interesting. So to me he made a bad choice in Doctors, kept the companions too long and off course too many Angels and too many Daleks. I hope for no more Angels and Daleks and Cyberman in very small doses. ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/24 "2014-01-13T22:08:14Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > They find it hard to write a story where the Doctor isnā€™t the center of the universe or a companion doesnā€™t become god like. > [@Zebra](#): > > The doctor became second banana on his own show! This is kinda why Iā€™m never too worried about the show. The complaints are often just differences of opinion over the same thing. ā€œToo much continuityā€ ā€œNot enough continuity.ā€ ā€œToo much romance.ā€ ā€œNot enough romance.ā€ ā€œK-9 is silly! Get rid of the tin dog!ā€ ā€œI love K-9! Bring him back!ā€ ā€œThe Doctor is too mysterious.ā€ ā€œI want to know more about the Doctor.ā€ ā€œThe Doctor is the center of the universe!ā€ ā€œThe Doctor is only a second banana!ā€ New Who. Same old fandom. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/25 "2014-01-13T22:11:52Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > The endless Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels are a bit dull. My main problem is the crappy writing for the obstacles and disasters, though. See the Christmas special: > > Itā€™s easy to come up with exciting ā€œOMG how is he going to get out of this one?ā€ scenarios but a very different thing to come up with a satisfying, non-deus ex machina resolution. > > And if itā€™s not impossible-to-escape problems with weak solutions, itā€™s easy-to-escape ā€œtragediesā€: > > Oh, and the Doctor is always about to die FOR REALS THIS TIME. EXACTLY. You absolutely nailed it. At some point Moffat suddenly became the laziest storyteller ever. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/26 "2014-01-13T23:35:19Z")
My issue with Moffat is far to many uses of the Reset button. ALL THE TIME with the resets. Itā€™s his default go-to. itā€™s to the point where I feel that there canā€™t be any real tension because within the season heā€™ll just undo it again. ---
**Author:** ![JacksMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/839c29/32.png) [@JacksMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacksMom)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/27 "2014-01-13T23:42:07Z")
I made it through the waaay too long and drawn out Pond business, so I figure I can outlast Moffat. (I mistyped Moffat and it autocorrected to ā€˜a offalā€™. I almost left it). Anyway, Iā€™m excited again with the change to Peter Capaldi. I donā€™t hate the Clara character, but sheā€™s 2nd from the bottom on my list of companions. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/28 "2014-01-13T23:45:18Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > EXACTLY. You absolutely nailed it. At some point Moffat suddenly became the laziest storyteller ever. Lazy isnā€™t the right word, the opposite is more likely - it is too intricate if anything. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/29 "2014-01-13T23:46:12Z")
> [@Qwisp](#): > > Doctor Who is like the weather.Donā€™t like it? Wait around for a bit and itā€™ll change. Different Doctors,different writers, different producers. It is always changing and not everyone will like everything. Doctor Who is one program you can count on to change things up. Itā€™s always been that way and always will. > > Iā€™ve been a fan for over forty years. I havenā€™t loved everything but Iā€™ve know some stories are better than others, and itā€™s just a matter of time before another masterpiece is made. I donā€™t disagree with most of the criticisms here, but I also completely agree with this. The best description Iā€™ve seen is that its an anthology show. No one will like all the episodes. I no longer worry about trying to figure things out. I just go along for the ride, and itā€™s usually entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/30 "2014-01-13T23:56:00Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > I had such a lot of faith in Moffat, and Iā€™m so disappointed. He just gets so tangled up in ideas and concepts that he forgets about writing an interesting, cohesive story. > > Same could be said about Sherlock, every episode becomes more reliant on fast editing instead of actual plotā€¦ > [@Sefton](#): > > I agree with the OP. Doctor Who has gone from being a sci-fi show with action elements to being an action show in a sci-fi setting. Thereā€™s too much adrenaline and too little story. > > I feel the same way about _Sherlock_. The acting and production values are wonderful, but the plots go off the rails. At some point, it almost becomes tongue-in-cheek. I agree - much as I like both Smith and Cumberbatch, I feel the characters of the Doctor and Sherlock have both almost turned into Captain Jack Sparrow - a clowning, fast-talking, half-mad jester, flailing about on screen in a supposedly entertaining manner, but almost in spite of the plot, rather than because of it. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/31 "2014-01-14T00:38:36Z")
> [@Trion](#): > > New Who. Same old fandom. I rarely say this:, but LOL! You really are a bitch! šŸ˜ƒ And you nailed it. Remember when the TV movie came out and it was all ā€œThis is the worst thing ever and Paul McGann sucks?ā€ (We spelled out ā€œsuxā€ in those days.) Or how people bitched about the Romana I and II debacle? More of the same, and people will keep bitching as long as I live and beyond. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/32 "2014-01-14T00:42:00Z")
I donā€™t see the Sparrowness. Smith is actually funny and Cumberbatch is not silly. I prefer the 11th to the 10 and the 10th to the 9th. 12th seems like a new direction (as it should be). The Christmas episode was a bt silly (although I loved the aging doctor part) but I think it was on purpose; a goodbye episode. Iā€™m on booard with fewer Dalek and Cybermen. The moment you the Doctor who too seriously, you should stop watchng a show about a time-travelling police box and a regenerating two-hearted alien. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/33 "2014-01-14T00:45:16Z")
> [@BrokenBriton](#): > > Itā€™s a kids show, for kids. Donā€™t like it? Move on. Itā€™s a family show, for kids AND adults. ---
**Author:** ![Uther\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Uther\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uther_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/34 "2014-01-14T05:27:01Z")
I really liked the show how it once was: A solid police procedural about a cop who heard something in the London fog. Then they went and ruined it forever with that ridiculous sub-plot about an alien child prodigy and her grumpy grandfather. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/35 "2014-01-14T06:01:35Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Itā€™s a family show, for kids AND adults. It doesnā€™t even matter: either the narrative is structured in a way that makes sense, or it isnā€™t, and thatā€™s true at any age. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/36 "2014-01-14T08:21:02Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > The moment you the Doctor who too seriously, you should stop watchng a show about a time-travelling police box and a regenerating two-hearted alien. Iā€™m not complaining about the lack of seriousness - itā€™s just that the narrative has become a chopped salad and takes second place to the spectacle of the character surprising everybody with his random eccentricity. I mean, there are plenty of ways it can still be a show about a time-travelling police box and a regenerating two-hearted alien, _and still be worthy of criticism_ - for example; _The Tardis materialises at the Savoy Grill; The Doctor drops trou and shits on someoneā€™s table_ - would still be ā€˜a show about a time-travelling police box and a regenerating two-hearted alienā€™. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/37 "2014-01-14T16:09:59Z")
Some of the comments here (especially **Trion** ā€™s) have put me in mind of one of my favorite humor pieces: [The Deaths Of Doctor Who](http://doctorwho.livejournal.com/4845838.html) I used to visit the rec.arts.drwho group on what was then Dejanews and is now Google Groups. The second David Tennant was cast, before heā€™d even STARTED filming his episode, someone on there griped, ā€œGoodbye, Doctor Whoā€¦again!ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/38 "2014-01-14T19:21:10Z")
I stand as one datapoint that itā€™s not just fan-fiction. Prior to this year, Iā€™d only seen parts of a couple episodes, back in the early 80ā€™s, since my housemate watched (and grumbled about this dumb new yuppy doctor). I remember being too confused to pay much attention, but thought it might be worth a look I just never took. (My housemate was an eclectic with interesting tastes, and yeah, the hero did look like an overgrown frat boy.) Flash forward to this year; my wife is out of town for weeks, so Iā€™m looking for shows to watch that we donā€™t watch together, and I try Dr Who, and start with the middle of season 7. I admit, it was a bit confusing; a lot of stuff didnā€™t make any sense until the final episode of the season, and other stuff still doesnā€™t, but I know Iā€™m missing a lot. Regardless, I enjoyed it a lot, and I plan to go back and watch it all starting after the reboot movie. That is, if my wife leaves me alone again, long enough. Sheā€™s not interested, and normally if weā€™re not watching together I have better things to do than watch TV. Like argue with all yā€™all. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/39 "2014-01-15T02:52:18Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Iā€™m not complaining about the lack of seriousness - itā€™s just that the narrative has become a chopped salad and takes second place to the spectacle of the character surprising everybody with his random eccentricity. > > I mean, there are plenty of ways it can still be a show about a time-travelling police box and a regenerating two-hearted alien, _and still be worthy of criticism_ - for example; _The Tardis materialises at the Savoy Grill; The Doctor drops trou and shits on someoneā€™s table_ - would still be ā€˜a show about a time-travelling police box and a regenerating two-hearted alienā€™. Youā€™re absolutely right. Upon reviewing my post it didnā€™t end up saying all what I wanted and came about a bit assholish. I disagree with your perspective on the state of the narrative and I think itā€™s working right and, for me, Cappaldi has big shoes to fill; but your ā€œshits on tableā€ point is bang on. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557/40 "2014-01-15T08:11:14Z")
Fair enough - I guess itā€™s all down to personal taste. I know a lot of people have already written Capaldi off - Iā€™m prepared to give him a chance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-has-become-unwatchable/678557.md?page=3)