Part II, Chapter XLVIII: "A New Semester"
“With everything that happened, people at conventions often ask me how it was to be on set. My answer is that being on set I was pretty sheltered from the drama going on behind the scenes. The closest I got to that was writers expressing their frustration upon finding their scripts had been changed without their knowledge. Of course, I had an idea as to what was going on in the backrooms, but I wasn’t party to it.”
- Winona Ryder, on the production of Season 28 of
Doctor Who. [1]
Season 28 was important for
Doctor Who, not that any season was unimportant. But with a new Doctor and companion, and the promises of a new bold story, expectations were high, and with the success of
The Dark Dimension, the executives at NBC were expecting viewership to be higher than ever.
The chemistry between Avery Brooks and Winona Ryder was clear, and fans were eager to see how they would work together on screen. It had been made clear that the relationship between the two characters would be unlike any pairing in the show’s past, as Brooks’ Ninth Doctor would act as a sort of ‘teacher’ to Jennifer.
Season 28 of
Doctor Who began airing on Sunday 15th May 1994. It was the seventh of the revival series.
List of Episodes of Season 28 of Doctor Who:
A New Semester (Part 1)
A New Semester (Part 2)
A New Semester (Part 3)
Train of Thought (Part 1)
Train of Thought (Part 2)
Peer Review (Part 1)
Peer Review (Part 2)
The Tooth (Part 1)
The Tooth (Part 2)
Packed to the Rafters (Part 1)
Packed to the Rafters (Part 2)
Most Improved Player (Part 1)
Most Improved Player (Part 2)
The Nostalginauts (Part 1)
The Nostalginauts (Part 2)
Remnants (Part 1)
Remnants (Part 2)
All For One (Part 1)
All For One (Part 2)
We, the Machines (Part 1)
We, the Machines (Part 2)
When You Go (Part 1)
When You Go (Part 2)
Homecoming (Part 1)
Homecoming (Part 2)
Homecoming (Part 3)
Bold text indicates a story by @The Chimera Virus
Cast of Season 28 of Doctor Who:
The Ninth Doctor – Avery Brooks
Jennifer Marsh – Winona Ryder
The Master – Derek Jacobi
The Monk – Eric Idle
Romana – Lalla Ward
Season 28 of
Doctor Who received mixed reviews on first release. The writing was criticised in places, as changes that showrunner Carmel had made were obvious, and tended to disrupt the flow of the story. The performances of Brooks and Ryder, however, drew great praise, with many commenting on Brooks’ “inspired mix” of comedy and drama. To many, the Doctor seemed more “alien” than he had since the Fourth Doctor. [2]
Despite the quality of the acting, the writing issues resulted in a steep drop-off in audience viewership. While the first story, “A New Semester”, saw 15% of American households tuning in, the numbers had dropped to 7% by mid-season. There was a mild increase towards the end of the season, but it did not recover from the initial drop. This made it, technically, the weakest season of the show so far in the US.
NBC were adamant something needed to change, and it was clear, given the backstage quarrels, that that thing was Andrew Cartmel. While the executives were willing to give him one more chance, they made it clear that if ratings did not improve sufficiently by the end of the following season, he would be out of a job. NBC had seen how successful
Doctor Who could be with the right cast and crew, and were determined to get it back to that point. They would much rather replace people on the show than have to cancel the show itself. [3]
So, as 1994 drew to a close, the future of
Doctor Who was uncertain once more.
[1] A bit more of a glimpse as to exactly what's going on between Cartmel and the other writers. I don't think Cartmel is a particularly bad writer though, I just see his plans clashing with what some of the other writers want.
[2] Take this how you like. I like it when the Doctor seems alien, but some people don't. A little more on this soon.
[3] I don't think this season is particularly weak, but just not as good as it could or should have been. People dislike change, and Cartmel is big on that here. As a result of this, next season will have some changes.