It’s been tough to be a Whovian in the past few years.
First there was the Clara denouement, in which show-runner Steven Moffat demonstrated he cannot write for women. Then, there was no Dr. Who in 2016, period, and we suffered through the rather uneven Series 10 and Bill the social justice warrior. Last, we’re in another break, as we wait for almost another year (October 2018) to see the first female doctor, Jodie Whittaker.
Taking a look at the Revived Era, from 2005 on, we’ve gotten regular installments of the Madman in the Box since 2010, especially during the Matt Smith era. The irregularity of the Capaldi era removed the show from the cultural zeitgeist, and made it “that show we used to watch.”
One could plot New Who like a fired artillery shell, with the Eccleston series 1 as the beginning, the Tennant era as the meteoric rise, and the Matt Smith as the apex, and the Capaldi era as the fall to the target. Truly, at times during Series 9, it felt like the show had entered terminal velocity, with Capaldi’s announced exit as the last straw.
Some of this is simple exhaustion, both of ideas and individuals. Moffat is done. Capaldi was done at the end of Series 9; they should’ve had a new Doctor and companion at that point.
All that to say: I predict Dr. Who will go on permanent hiatus soon, just as it did after the 7th Doctor.
The energy seems to be gone, but I’m happy to be proven wrong.