I am a huge sci-fi fan. I enjoyed ALL the Star Trek series and enjoy show like Battlestar Galactica, X-Files, Fringe, Stargate, Firefly and many others. And yet, I have never watched Doctor Who. The show has been around forever. I would like to start watching it but am wondering if it is worth starting at the very beginning back in the 60s or just start with the current series. Any suggestions?
Start with the new series, the pacing and production values of the older series can be distracting. There are some notable exceptions but I am not sure the 1700 hours or so of watching to see what is still left from the old show is worth the pay off to a new viewer
I agree the new ones have much higher budgets and they have Amy Pond for at least one entire season. The old series do not have Amy Pond. There were some old episodes that were really good though. I can't remember all the specifics but when I was little I saw an episode with the doctor with the long dark hair and I think he had a scarf and hat as well. It was where he had to go up against moving vines of some sort and it scared the crap out of me. That was my first introduction to Doctor Who. I saw some other episodes but they just didn't draw me in like that first one. This was during the 80s and I think they might have been reruns since the film looked more like something out of the sixties or seventies. I watched a couple of episodes of the new series when it first started but I didn't really like the new Doctor so I stopped watching. However, some friends convinced me to start agian with season 2 (they didn't like the first Doctor either apparently) and I fell in love with the show. Its campy and silly at times and it has that weird British vibe about it but its still great fun to watch.
I started watching Dr Who in the 70's. That means that there were a couple of docs that I missed. Still the series was exceptionally enjoyable to me. Just start with the current doc, and see how you like it. I think you'll like it.
Old series, first to the fifth doctors after that is goes down hill and the new series is an abomination.
I started with the new series. I was almost put off by it because it's kind of cheesy to begin with but if you can over look that then you're in for a great show. I have every intention of going back and watching the older series but in the end it's not really necessary.
No love for Sly McCoy huh You are dead to me I say dead!!!! lol - - - Updated - - - Well I think the show is very different to what American's are used to with their science fiction and that takes a little getting used. But once you get a feel for the show it can be a lot of fun
Well I was just referring to the special effects as far as cheesiness goes. You have to admit the first season had some horrible effects. But the show quickly captured me with it's charm and humor. The Doctor really is one of the more unique characters in sci-fi and that's no small feat.
Oh you are preaching to the converted I've been a fan since the mid 60's The show has always had a sense quirkiness you dont often see in US shows. And the Doctor himself is the archetype British eccentric, that is a bit of a strange thing for most Americans
Oh I love his quirkiness. And one of the things I love the most about him is he doesn't use force as a means to an end. We're so used to our heroes being capable fighters and refuse to stay down however he defies that archetype. One of the other things that sticks out to me was when he was facing against the Sautarans and their poisonous gas was when he he went to stop them. He said he couldn't do it until he gave them the chance to stop first. Despite everything he would always give his enemies a chance at redemption. Unless you're the 9th Doctor dealing with a dalek.....
Which adds a refreshing depth to the character. It is not about who has the best technology, it is about who can out think their opponent. The new series has worked the moral angle of the Doctor to excellent effect. He has to make choices, and it is a good day when no one has died because of his choices. The new series has always like playing to the fanboi element. The face of between the cybermen and darleks is one of the greatest scenes ever filmed in any science fiction show. And the farewell to Sarah Jane, was an outright nod to the old school fans. I still tear during that scene
The cybermen and daleks just aren't that intimidating. They have such a history as to why they should be feared but then the Doctor just defeats them so easily. They're almost a joke at this point. The only time the daleks were a threat was during the first season. You just got a real sense of doom when they appeared. After that they just fell flat. The cybermen after they upgraded was the only time I felt like they were intimidating. Up until then it just felt like "Oh no, big metal guys who can't run or shoot you are going to doom us all!" The things that pose the biggest threats for the Doctor in my opinion are the ones that can't be fought with weapons. Like the angels or the thing from the impossible planet. And then their's also his ego. The few times he lets it go unchecked are the times he's been truly devestated. The main thing that comes to mind is when he tried to change something that was already fixed in time saying he is Gallifrey and that the laws of time bend to him.
(My bold) Yah, sounds like the Tom Baker years. I enjoyed/enjoy the show, the Baker episodes were the first ones I started watching whenever I could find them. I've seen bits 'n' pieces of the previous doctors, & watched many of the following doctors. I've always thought that companion Leela was a fine match for the Doctor in many ways. I was sorry to see her go. However, the special effects budget for the rebooted series has increased enormously, & the show looks much brighter than before. I still miss the character & Brit social asides from the earlier series - I remember Baker/Sarah Jane & the naval doctor. The humans were chained to a wall, dungeon-style. Human doctor to Sarah: You could get free if your ankles weren't so fat. Sarah: MY ankles are certainly not fat! The scripts now are more pared-down, but it's still better TV than most programming.
They're cheesy for the time it came out. It's something you would expect to see from the 90's, not 2005.
At the time none of the earlier episodes seemed cheesy. It's only now that they appear to be so amatuerish. But then I watched an old episode of Miami Vice not long ago and I was of the same mind, everything looked fake and definitely cheesy but at the time it was all pastels and Lamborghinis and so "wow".
