What Went Wrong With Doctor Who on Disney+ & Why It’s Ended After Just 2 Seasons

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From Disney’s lack of promotion to the Doctor Who “woke” storylines that have been there for its entire existence to Ncuti Gatwa’s inability to promote the show, here are the reasons Doctor Who ended after just two seasons on Disney+.

Disney Wasn’t Getting a Return Investment on Doctor Who

Image Courtesy of BBC Studios

The most significant problems with Doctor Who and its run on Disney+ were the cost per episode and plummeting ratings. Disney+ was investing heavily in its streaming series, with shows from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars costing a lot but bringing in many new subscribers. On the other hand, Doctor Who was still a BBC show streaming on Disney+, which made its cost prohibitive. According to reports, Disney was paying around $8.5 million an episode. At the same time, the viewership average dropped from 5.2 million in Jodie Whittaker’s season to 3.8 million in Ncuti Gatwa’s season.

There is another two-fold problem. One Doctor Who industry insider said that people began to tune out because of “woke” storylines. This is compounded by the fact that star Ncuti Gatwa reportedly refused to go out and work hard as an ambassador for the franchise, which caused many fans to tune out of his stint as the Doctor. According to the insider, “There is more to that role than performing. You have got to be an ambassador for the brand and embrace being that generation’s Doctor.” The insider said that Matt Smith and David Tennant embraced that responsibility. For his part, Gatwa explained that he was “getting old and my body was tired” as to why he wasn’t doing more to promote the show.

As for the “woke” storylines, that is a controversial claim shared by some fans of another sci-fi franchise, Star Trek. Doctor Who has always, since its inception, prided itself on showcasing people of all races, genders, and sexual orientations finding a place to fit in. Just like Star Trek, this is nothing new. It’s part of both shows’ DNA from the start. The most recent season had a historic gay kiss between Gatwa and Jonathan Groff, cast transgender actress Yasmin Finney, and had drag queen Jinkx Monsoon as a villain. The only thing that has changed is the fans, which might show why bringing Doctor Who to the United States and Disney+ might have been the perfect show at the wrong time in history.

The BBC Needs to Figure Out What Is Next for Doctor Who

Image Courtesy of BBC

With Doctor Who leaving Disney+, the BBC will have to figure out what is next for the beloved British sci-fi franchise. On top of the controversial moments that American viewers hyperfocused on, such as the Doctor’s same sex kiss, the writing quality also diminished in the latest season. There was supposed to be a lot of buzz surrounding the 60th anniversary, but Doctor Who couldn’t sustain that momentum. The most recent season was a mixed bag, which hasn’t helped the series attract any new fans or even retain some older ones who have been dropping off.

Now that Ncuti Gatwa is gone from the series as the Doctor, it is time for the BBC to figure out the correct path forward. The sci-fi series has always seen gaps in production, and the good news is that there isn’t another episode coming until Christmas Day 2026, which will tie up several loose ends, including Billie Piper’s regeneration as the 15th Doctor. However, the biggest thing Doctor Who has to figure out is whether Russell T. Davies will remain as showrunner in the future. The show might be better served by bringing in more writers to help Davies tell his stories, but something has to change if Doctor Who wants to live on for its seventh decade on television.

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