The latest spinoff from Doctor Who, the upcoming The War Between the Land and the Sea, could be the first of many new series set to expand the Whoniverse. Spinoffs from Doctor Who became commonplace during Russell T. Davies’ first era as showrunner between 2005 and 2010, but experienced a massive lull when Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall took on the iconic sci-fi franchise. Now that Davies is back, however, Doctor Who spinoffs have become a possibility again, so The War Between the Land and the Sea might open the door for even more to be developed.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Previously, we had the likes of Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class, and behind the scenes shows. The upcoming The War Between the Land and the Sea will be the first honest-to-goodness Doctor Who spinoff we’ve had in almost a decade, starring the likes of Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jemma Redgrave, and more as the Unified Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT) fights to stop a global war when the Sea Devils re-emerge from the ocean. Should this series be a success, more Doctor Who spinoffs could be on the way, and there are several brilliant possibilities.
7) Torchwood Revival
Torchwood became the first Doctor Who spinoff released in 2006, and persists as one of the most successful. Releasing post-watershed, Torchwood explored mature and relatable themes, following the Cardiff-based Torchwood team — led by Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) — as they investigated and dealt with extraterrestrial beings and artifacts that fell through a “rift” in time and space. Davies’ return to Doctor Who spurred speculation of a Torchwood revival, and we’d love to see this come to fruition, albeit probably without Barrowman, who has recently become the subject of misconduct allegations. Reviving Torchwood could bring adult audiences back to the Whoniverse.
6) UNIT Case-of-the-Week Series
The War Between the Land and the Sea will bring us back to UNIT headquarters in London, as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Redgrave) and her colleagues will be hoping to stop a global war. However, an honest-to-goodness UNIT-centric series could be the perfect spinoff from Doctor Who after The War Between the Land and the Sea. We’ve already seen former Doctor Who companions working for UNIT, including the likes of Mel (Bonnie Langford), Ace (Sophie Aldred), Tegan (Janet Fielding), and even Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), so a case-of-the-week-style UNIT spinoff is the perfect way to bring back more classic Doctor Who stars.
5) The Paternoster Gang
We haven’t seen the Paternoster Gang in action since Peter Capaldi’s first adventure as the Twelfth Doctor, 2014’s “Deep Breath,” so it would be fantastic to see a spinoff series focused on this trio of unique detectives working in Victorian London. Comprised of Silurian Madame Vastra, human Jenny Flint, and Sontaran Strax, the Paternoster Gang’s adventures are action-packed, hilarious, and ridiculous, and we want to see more. They have been the subject of novels and audiobooks, but we’d love to see the Paternoster Gang in action in their own show, which could expand the history of the Whoniverse.
4) River Song’s Adventures
One of the most intriguing and well-executed stories Doctor Who has ever produced is the Doctor’s romance with River Song (Alex Kingston). Both time-travelers, but who always cross paths in the wrong chronological orders, the Doctor and River Song’s love story is one for the ages, but River had many adventures without the Doctor that we haven’t seen. A River Song spinoff series would bring Kingston back to the Whoniverse for the first time since 2015’s “The Husbands of River Song,” and make her more of an independent character not always tied to the Doctor.
3) Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor Series
The reveal that the Doctor is not actually from Gallifrey but is the Timeless Child — a being from another universe who has an unlimited number of regenerations — opened the door for many previously-unseen historical Doctors to debut. Jo Martin received immense praise as the Fugitive Doctor, who was revealed to be an iteration of the Doctor from before the “First.” The Fugitive Doctor would be the perfect subject of a Doctor Who spinoff, as could other unseen incarnations of the Doctor, not only expanding the Whoniverse with more Doctor-centric adventures, but also developing the Time Lords’ own lore and mythology.
2) Doctor Who’s What If
Marvel’s What If…? series gave us a glimpse at alternate reality twists of popular stories, and since we know parallel universes exist in the Whoniverse, Doctor Who could do the same and develop its own What If…?-style series. One of Doctor Who’s darkest episodes, 2008’s “Turn Left,” explored what would have happened if the Doctor had died during “The Runaway Bride” two years previously, and this was an incredible episode. A What If…?-style series would be a brilliant way to bring back past Doctor Who stars and remind audiences of some of the series’ best adventures.
1) Eighth Doctor Series
The most yearned-for spinoff series from Doctor Who has more-often-than-not surrounded the Eighth Doctor and his unseen adventures. Paul McGann became the Doctor in the 1996 TV movie that tried to revive the series after its 1989 cancellation, but failed. McGann’s Doctor wasn’t seen on-screen again until 2013’s “The Night of the Doctor” mini-episode, and while he’s embarked on adventures in audiobooks, many want to see McGann back in the role for a full Eighth Doctor series. This could better explore the years of the Time War, while also developing companions Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook), Charley, Destrii, Lucie, Sam, and more. An Eighth Doctor series would be a high-energy spinoff from Doctor Who that could revive interest in the entire Whoniverse.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of Netflix
