Doctor Who was removed from the 2026 TV schedule, and the BBC is actively taking pitches for how to retool the beloved sci-fi franchise. Russell T. Davies is officially out, and while he made noble efforts to put the franchise back out in front of a mainstream audience, he fell short. Now, as conversations happen about how the franchise needs to change, I think diehard fans need to acknowledge how successful a controversial set of storylines was.
I remember back in the day these were referred to as "The Doctor and his girlfriend" adventures, which is a reference to the period in which it seemed The Doctor was constantly building romantic tension with his companions. As we look back on what worked and what didn't, it's hard for me to deny that the more Doctor Who got away from Matt Smith's era of The Doctor having romantic tension with his companions, the less popular it became.
