In my household we’ve rewatched the latest four specials several times already, and May still feels like a long time away 🙂 So what do you all watch to tide you over until there are new Doctor who episodes airing again?
For a baseline, here are some of the things we’ve sought out to fill the very specific DW flavour of soft science fiction entertainment:
- Old episodes of Doctor who, obviously. Plus the noughties spinoffs.
- It’s almost lazy to mention Star trek, and although we easily and often fall into that comfort rabbit hole I think there are other shows that are more in the Who vein:
- Fringe was an US show that borrows fairly heavily from both Who, X-files, and loads more. I don’t think it’ll be spoilers to say that specifically the image of Zeppelins to signify parallel worlds is an obvious callback to “Rise of the Cybermen”/“The Age of Steel”. And there are a group of characters that seem to be a cross between Time Lords and the Watchers from Marvel comics.
- The ministry of time was a Spanish show about a covert time traveling agency. It has a lot of Who feeling, and time travel of course, but with its own premise that centres it on the rich history of Spain and good humouredly makes fun of Spanish national and regional stereotypes.
- The Lazarus project is along the general outline of The ministry of time — secret time travel authority that keeps history on the straight and narrow — but with its own, convoluted tangle of changing timelines. Only on its second season, this show’ time travel shenanigans nearly did my head in, sort of like Dark when that was still good, but at a breakneck, Mission impossible pace.
Those are off the top of my head. What are your timey wimey or otherwise Who-alike go-to shows?
Oh, the beginning beginning? Yeah, that can be tough going compared to modern (or at least post-2005) TV. I enjoy classic Who for what it is, and for the lore, but you need to settle into its slower pace.
As for X-files, I grew up on that before I got into Doctor who. I find it troubling to watch nowadays that the once quaint and silly conspiracy thinking if the show has become mainstream…
Yeah, I went all the way back, had to delete all my Supernatural to fit it on my laptop lol. Worth it, but yes it is slow so I have to change it up. I can’t binge it like I do other shows.
I have watched X-Files since I was a kid, it’s probably a big reason I enjoy Doctor Who, but I do agree. I’ve noticed with this re-watch that I find myself thinking how the worst was yet to come and that fiction had nothing on what happens in real life, but I don’t really find it troubling.
Maybe it’s cause I’ve always been one of those weirdos who say " I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but…"