Doctor Who has been scaring British households with its wacky aliens since 1963, reaching a wider audience across the pond with the 2005 revival at the hands of head writer Russell T. Davies. The modern version of the show has been running for twelve seasons, with a new one set to premiere later this year.
As with any long-running show, Doctor Who has seen tremendous changes behind and in front of the camera, which reflect both positively and negatively in the different eras of the show.
12 Season 12 Failed In Every Way (5.4)
To say that the twelfth season of Doctor Who had a rocky start, an even rockier middle, and a disastrous ending, is an understatement. Not even the reappearances of the Doctor's archnemesis, the Master, and fan-favorite Captain Jack Harkness, were able to save the season from being a terrible mess.
This season's biggest mistake was trying to shock the audience by attempting to connect loose ends and rewrite The Doctor's entire history. It did the complete opposite instead, opening up so many questions that it just confused the viewer even more. There are Daleks and Cybermen, but it doesn't feel like Doctor Who anymore.
11 Season 11 Was A Disaster (6.0)
Jodie Whittaker steps into the Doctor's timeless shoes in the eleventh season of the show. Unfortunately for her and Whovians all over the world, the show also introduced a completely new roster of writers who didn't hesitate to make Doctor Who into a shell of its former self.
While critics seemed to enjoy the new take on The Doctor's adventures, fans were far less happy with the changes to the narrative, which culminated in a lackluster season that didn't live up to the expectations of having a new, completely different incarnation of The Doctor take over.
10 Season 7 Had Two Doctors In One (7.7)
The seventh season of the show, like the previous one, consists of two parts divided by a Christmas special. The first half marks the last appearances of Amy and Rory, and the second sees the reintroduction of Jenna-Louise Coleman now as the Doctor's new companion, Clara Oswald.
For the first time since the show's revival in 2005, the seventh season consisted of standalone episodes only, with no multi-parters, and brought back one of the Doctor's recurring enemies, the Great Intelligence. Fans were mostly receptive to this season, with several above-average episodes and only a few duds here and there.
9 Season 10 Is No One's Favorite (7.7)
Peter Capaldi struggles but ultimately pulls this entire season through great and mediocre episodes alike. Reactions to the new pair of companions, Nardole and Bill Potts, were mixed among fans who thought the characters didn't live up to the others.
Despite managing to come out with a few interesting stories, with episodes like "Oxygen" and the two-part finale, where Capaldi's Doctor meets his first incarnation, the highlight of the season was seeing John Simm return as the Master, a role he hadn't played since 2010 in season 3.
8 Season 8 Was Meh (7.7)
As an adjustment period between Doctors, the eighth season suffers from trying to find a new footing. The casting of Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor raised a few questions from those who were familiar with the actor's crass, far from family-friendly career, but Capaldi trudged on despite this perception slowly but surely.
Season eight also saw a change in dynamic between the Doctor and Clara, which received praise for their character development and for the abandonment of the usual Doctor-companion flirting that had been a staple of the show since season one.
7 Season 1 Started It All (7.9)
After a nine-year-long absence, Doctor Who returned with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, one of the most popular companions in the show's history. While some aspects of the season like the special effects have aged poorly, it still holds up as a reintroduction of the story and characters.
Head writer Russell T. Davies famously started his Doctor Who era with this season after a long campaign to bring it back to serial television. This was also Eccleston's only season, departing the series when the Doctor reincarnates in the finale.
6 Season 6 Was Convoluted, But Liked Nonetheless (8.0)
Season six continues most of the plot threads planted in season five, like establishing the character of River Song and dealing with the Silence, an organization that seems to be following the Doctor and his companions during their adventures with nefarious purposes.
Some of the storylines in this season are incredibly complex and demand a couple of rewatches to fully comprehend them, which is a double-edged sword in itself. Episodes like "The Doctor's Wife," "The Impossible Astronaut," and "A Good Man Goes To War" are some of the best and most beloved of the season for their jaw-dropping reveals.
5 Season 9 Stepped It Up Slightly (8.1)
Considered the best of the Peter Capaldi era, season nine was definitely an improvement from the previous season in terms of characterization. By the time it aired, people had already warmed up to the Twelfth Doctor and were willing to give him time to grow on them, which made things a lot easier for Capaldi.
There's only one prominent episode, "Heaven Sent," which averages a 9.6, making it the second most liked episode in the series. Other than that, most of the others are on the positive side, with only "Sleep No More" having a disastrous rating of 5.8.
4 Season 5 Started A New Era (8.1)
With Steven Moffat of Sherlock fame taking over the series, Doctor Who saw a massive change in its fifth season that both lost and gained the BBC show some fans. Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor is a favorite of many for his charming, quirky persona, and this season includes some of his best adventures with Karen Gillan's Amy Pond, a fan-favorite companion.
The season includes three of the highest-rated episodes in the entire series like "Vincent and The Doctor," which is universally regarded as a top-notch homage to the late Vincent Van Gogh and his art, and the two-part finale involving the Pandorica, which makes the entire season's story come full circle at the end.
3 Season 3 Has The Best Doctor Who Episode Ever (8.3)
After a short partnership with Donna Noble in the Christmas special, the Tenth Doctor teams up with medical student Martha Jones in some of the Doctor's best adventures.
"Blink," season three's best episode, is also the highest-rated episode in Doctor Who's history, averaging an unbeatable 9.8. It introduced one of the show's best enemies, the Weeping Angels—a group of alien statues that can only attack when the victim isn't looking at them—and starred a young Carey Mulligan before her Hollywood debut. Furthermore, John Simm's The Master, a favorite of many, is introduced in the three-part finale.
2 Season 2 Was The Beginning Of Tennant's Reign (8.5)
Regarded by fans and critics alike as the best Doctor of the modern era, the David Tennant supremacy starts in season two. After the life or death circumstances in the Christmas special, the Doctor and Rose continue on their journey together through time and space as their romance develops.
Season two has one of the most heartwrenching finales in the series and is also one of the highest-rated ones, with a 9.3 average. In "Doomsday," the Doctor and Rose tragically part ways when she ends up in a parallel universe, unable to cross back and rejoin him in the original timeline.
1 Season 4 Had The Best Duo (8.9)
Season 4 has David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, Donna Noble as his companion, and one of the best two-parters in the series, immediately making it the best Doctor Who season of the modern era. The palpable chemistry between Tennant and Catherine Tate makes them the best duo in the show, hands down, and their adventure in an enormous Library in the 51st century stands out as a Doctor Who classic.
The fact that both the Tenth Doctor and Donna end their journey almost at the same time, and that this is also Russell T. Davies' last season as the lead writer—it makes season four feel even more like the end of an era.