‘Doctor Who’ season 9 spoilers: Are there appeals for more family-friendly series?
“Doctor Who” season 9 has not even started to film yet, but the British tabloids are already awash with all sorts of rumors in regards to whether or not there will be sweeping changes in the stories ahead.
Case in point, a BBC source telling the Sunday People that “there will be some tweaks” to the story, seemingly so that it is “keen for it to appeal to the whole family.” Apparently, there are some who want to see the show go for more of a younger audience, and not be so adult or complicated. There are also some who are calling for Steven Moffat to step down as showrunner.
Now, for our perspective. It seems like Moffat’s demise has been reported on for a good three years now, almost as if the tabloids want to see the man fail. For the most part, we feel like he is doing a solid job still. “Listen” and the final episodes of season 8 were in particular magic, even if the Peter Capaldi era got off to a rough start with “Deep Breath.” He can at times get a little bit too abstract, and that is something that needs to be worked on.
As for giving in to the critiques of fans online, that’s a slippery slope. You have to find a way to satisfy the majority, and now just a loud minority posting on message boards. After all, there are fewer people out there who will spend their time on the internet actually praising something.
We at least know for certain now that Jenna Coleman is returning for another full season as Clara, and filming is set to take place for much of the first half of this year. the premiere date is mostly likely going to be in late September, with the same sort of format to what we had in season 8. Sometimes, no big changes are okay.
What do you think: Should the show appeal more to children and young adults, and should Moffat go? Share today with a comment, and head over here to get some other TV scoop on everything we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: BBC.)
Amy
January 5, 2015 @ 8:03 am
I’m 16 and I love it just the way it is, It was rough till the mummy one but now its good so I REALLY hope it stays the same.
DoctorWho719
January 4, 2015 @ 11:11 pm
Personally, I was very happy with season 8! It was much, MUCH better than seasons 5-7 in my opinion. When Moffat took over the show, I was so excited to see what he would bring to the franchise, but in the end I couldn’t stand him! His story lines went no where, his characters were under developed and there was never any reason to care where the story went because it would always end in something stupid like a reset button or the Doctor in a robot Doctor costume. At least in season 8 you had a threads like Missy and the relationship between Clara and Danny that held the whole season together. And in the end, you finally had some real resolution to the story instead of plot threads that were started and went no where (i.e. The Silents, Madam Kovarian, The Church, even River Song was under utilized!). They should leave the formula alone and make season 9 more like season 8 instead of making it more “Kid Friendly”. Lastly, I LOVE Peter Capaldi as the Doctor! Granted, he’s a bit hard to understand at times, but he’s great in the role! He delivers his lines in such a dry, matter-of-fact way that it makes him both hilarious and dark at the same time!
Quagthistle
January 4, 2015 @ 12:23 pm
The problem with Season 8, if you ask me, is that Capaldi’s Doctor is NO fun at all to watch. He’s not funny. He’s not interesting. He insults others, berates Clara for showing emotions, and shows no warmth at all. There’s nothing about him that makes you want to watch. It’s like they cast a brick in the role, and Clara is stuck trying to carry him through episode after painfully boring episode. What they need, if you ask me, is for Capaldi’s Doctor to get a DECENT personality. There’s nothing wrong with being darker, per say, but you have to contrast that with something else or it becomes extremely dull to watch.
J Ascher
January 4, 2015 @ 4:42 pm
I’m wondering if Capaldi’s Doctor is acting the way he is due to the new regeneration cycle he received. Time Lords are supposed to be imperious and superior.
We’ve seen hints, toward the end of season 8, that this Doctor is taking baby steps toward being more personable.
Quagthistle
January 4, 2015 @ 11:26 pm
Yes, but they’ve been hinting at that, in one way or another, since the first episode of Season 8. I think a whole season is enough time for him to find a personality. It’s an odd thing, Doctor Who. When Tennant (and later Smith) took on the role, each time I found myself proverbially standing behind the new Doctor by the end of the first episode, and largely without realizing that I was doing it. He just SHOWS that he’s the same Doctor I’ve enjoyed watching so much, no matter what he looks like. When Capaldi comes on the scene, however, there’s no connection with him, nothing to pull me in at all. He acts like a totally different person. It was so bewildering until Smith’s Doctor called at the very end, and I suddenly realized that the reason the episode had been so boring was that it felt like the Doctor was absent. When Capaldi pleads with Clara to see him as the Doctor, I was practically screaming at the TV, “I will, when you ACT like him!”. In all of Season 8, not once did he have one of those “Doctor moments” that he didn’t manage to utterly ruin. When he kills the scene at the start of “Dark Water” (right after the keys), I realized there was no point to watching more until Capaldi get’s switched out. His character has so far to go to become even marginally like the Doctor that I can’t even manage to care about his journey to get there. Capaldi would have made a great WHO villain (with his cold eyes and brash manner), but they cast him in the hero’s role, and he just doesn’t seem to be able to pull that off (either because of the actor or the writing or a combination of both). So, if you ask me, they are trying to fix a leaking boat by patching the sail.
Deetz
January 4, 2015 @ 9:57 am
“Edgy adult / complicated plots…” No – the stories were not that nor particularly interesting & just a bit lazy EG: go back and see how many times the old sonic was actually the hero last season = overused basic plot devices. 45 min is too short a time for the great writers to give us something that builds to something / provides more background / etc – Suggest 6 stories 2 x 45 min eps & no previews for next week – with a season finale AND a massive cliffhanger for the following season – lose the x-mas episode while we are here / adds very little apart from including turkey’s, Xmas trees and Santa with Who plot lines. I know that 2015 will be a return to good Who form regardless what I think :)
James H Armitage
January 4, 2015 @ 6:48 am
I am very excited that Clara will be back for a whole new season. I feel that the BBC should expand on the Missy (master) story. This modern run of Doctor Who is kid friendly compared to the classic series. Of those here that are classic and modern Whovians, you know what I am talking about. There are better storylines in the modern variation, compared to the classic series which was full of violence and less drama. The only thing I would change in modern is less deeper storylines which would make it easier for younger Whovians to follow. There is already an animated version of doctor who… Can we please leave the cartoon for the kids and keep our Dr who for at least 14 and up….
Brianna Marquina
January 4, 2015 @ 3:11 am
I think it should be watched by both adults and younger kids. Its a great show for all ages and i think that Steven Moffat shouldnt step down from his position. He is a great writer for the show and is a great producer. I think he makes Doctor who more exciting. It that one show that can make you scream at the television and could show your feels in the show.
B Schandl
January 4, 2015 @ 12:56 am
Please note I meant to end that last post of mine with “Season 8” not “Season 9”. Sorry for the typo!
B Schandl
January 4, 2015 @ 12:55 am
Season 8 was a big change. I have no problem with Capaldi as The Doctor but the continuity of the story line took on such a different dynamic this season. Too much sI, in my opinion. Seasons 2 through 7 were (to quote the 9th Doctor) “Absolutely fantastic!” What happened? Bring back that ‘magic’ which to me has all but disappeared in season 9.
Hello123
January 7, 2015 @ 9:47 pm
Not Series 1? I just think it’s strange that you would quote the 9th Doctor and now think it was FANTASTIC.
J Ascher
January 4, 2015 @ 12:33 am
No, Doctor Who shouldn’t get more “child-friendly!” It should appeal both to kids and adults.
Season 8 was pretty good in its run, but there is room for improvement. As Capaldi gets more comfortable in the role, some of his Doctor’s rougher edges will smooth out. Jenna Coleman will, more than likely, come into her own too – not as a fan girl or love interest, but as a full fledged companion.
I find the title of the season 9 opener, The Magician’s Apprentice intriguing based on what happened in season 8 and the Christmas special.