"If you were to ask a fan in 2011 if the venerable sci-fi franchise was the biggest fandom on the planet, the answer might have been yes. Before the MCU truly took hold in 2012, and well before Star Wars and Star Trek made their franchise expansions in 2015 and 2017, respectively, it seemed, for a brief time until after "The Day of the Doctor" in 2013, that was the sci-fi universe to beat. So what happened?"
"the future of Doctor Who isn't the sure-fire geek hit it felt like it would always be, well over a decade ago. In 2023, when Who relaunched on Disney+ globally, it felt like the series was finally getting a mainstream boost: Bigger budgets, a new star who already had a crossover appeal to a non-sci-fi audience, and visibility on one of the most popular streaming services in the world."
Doctor Who reached peak mainstream fandom around 2011-2013, prior to major expansions from competing franchises and the MCU. The series experienced mixed critical and fan reactions across the Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, and Ncuti Gatwa eras. A 2023 global relaunch on Disney+ brought larger budgets, a high-profile lead with crossover appeal, and broad streaming visibility. Despite a few standout episodes, the relaunch lost momentum, and Disney ended its distribution deal after Season 2 in 2025. The attempt to position the series as a sprawling franchise proved misaligned with the show’s scale and identity, prompting a return to smaller-scale production roots.
Read at Inverse
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