It’s weird to say “for newer Doctor Who fans” because it's now been almost 15 years since the series reboot came back to our screens. Still, for the older, die-hard Doctor Who fans anyone who got on board 2005 onwards is still a “newer fan.”
During these trying times maybe some of the New Who crew would like to catch up on the classics, but with over 26 seasons (some consisting of 45 episodes!) that could seem a little daunting, so we here at Screenrant have listed the ten best seasons, ranked by their IMDB average!
Season 16 (1978) 7.38
Season 16 saw The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) be introduced to a number of fan-favorite characters, including the Black and White Guardians, and companion Romana, who was the first Time Lady since Susan (The Doctor's Grand Daughter). This season is also known as the "Key To Time" season, as the key was responsible for the season-long arc. Key milestones (pun intended) include the 100th story The Stones Of Blood, the 500th episode “The Armageddon Factor: Part One” and the 15th anniversary.
Season 5 (1967): 7.39
Starring Patrick Troughton as The Second Doctor, Frazer Hines as Jamie McCrimmon, and Deborah Watling as Victoria Waterfield, This was the first season NOT to feature The Daleks, showing that The Doctor can be successful even without his most fierce adversary.
Sadly a lot of these episodes have been lost to time itself, however, archivists managed to find the complete Tomb Of The Cybermen in the earlier ’90s, and The Enemy Of The World in 2013.
Audio does exist for other adventures, hopefully, the BBC will get round to animating them.
Season 11 (1973): 7.4
The final season for Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor, and the first for beloved companion Sarah Jane Smith. Another first is the naming of The Doctor’s home planet, Gallifrey. It also introduced audiences to the full circular time vortex during the introduction sequence, as well as the diamond-shaped logo which would continue to be used well into the Tom Baker era, so for some, this signals the start of the shows most popular run.
A critically acclaimed season, with Robert Holmes, Malcolm Hulke, Terry Nation, Brian Hayles, and Robert Sloman winning the Writers Guild Of Great Britain award for Best Children’s Drama Script.
Season 25 (1988): 7.46
Season 25 dealt with a lot of issues fans had with season 24. The Doctor had become a bright and colorful character, almost a parody of himself, and so this season had Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor give a slightly darker and more serious portrayal. It featured the last “classic” appearances of legendary villains such as The Daleks and their terrifying creator Davros in Remembrance Of The Daleks. Season 25 also saw the 25th anniversary for the show with the story Silver Nemesis, the final classic arc to feature The Cybermen.
Season 12 (1975) : 7.6
Another season for The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith, and the introduction of Ian Mather’s as Harry Sullivan. Despite being one of the shortest seasons to date, it might be a good jumping-off point for new fans as it features not only the Cybermen but quite possibly the most famous classic Who story of them all, Genesis Of The Daleks, the first time that fans became aquatinted with one of The Doctors greatest foes, Davros.
The shorter seasons meant more energy could be put into given episode quality over quantity.
Season 8 (1971) : 7.7
The Third Doctor battles his arch-nemesis The Master throughout the entirety of season eight, as the evil Time Lord finally makes his debut on the show, portrayed by the wonderful Roger Delgado. This season also introduced us to companion Jo Grant played by Katy Manning. Another first for the show was some changes (albeit very small) to the Tardis interior after The Doctor was able to start traveling the galaxy again from his season 7 budget constraints. Sorry, we mean Earth exile. The tweaks made here and there helped keep the show interesting even as it neared its ten year anniversary.
Season 10 (1972): 7.8
This would be the final appearance for Jo Grant, and sadly for Roger Delgado, who passed away in 1973. This series also saw are first multi-doctor anniversary special, with The Three Doctors. Sadly due to his ailing health, William Hartnell’s First Doctor makes little more than a cameo, but Patrick Troughton’s Second Doctor is there for a more substantial part of the adventure alongside The Third. The Three Doctors would also introduce Omega, a genius but mentally warped intergalactic engineer, and founder of the Time Lord Society.
Season 13(1975): 7.9
The adventures of Sarah Jane and The Fourth Doctor continue. Although the show would say goodbye to Harry Sullivan in its first story arc Terror Of The Zygons (originally intended as season 12’s finale). Another character that would be stepping down from regular appearances is Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, as The Doctor would cut ties with UNIT. This gave The Doctor more freedom to explore, without being tied down to any institution or regime. This season may be well regarded among Whovians as it contains fan-favorite storylines such as The Pyramids Of Mars and The Brains Of Morbius.
Season 7 (1970): 8.1
The Third Doctor's first full season and the first season to be featured in cutting edge COLOR! After The Doctor was forced into regeneration and exiled to Earth at the end of Season 6, it meant that the TARDIS was stranded on our home planet, with The Doctor battling off invaders. It was also the first season (apart from season 1) to consist of completely new villains, with none of the regulars returning. It probably ranks so high as it is the most repeated season of classic Who, at least in the UK.
Season 14: 8.2
And topping our list is Season 14. The final season for Sarah Jane, but the first for another fan favorite, awesome warrior Leela of the tribe known as the “savage” Seventeen, and shows that not all companions necessarily have to be from Earth, expanding the show's universe and scope. Many reveals in this season, including a degenerated Master, a secondary TARDIS control room (which looked infinitely cooler and more gothic) plus for the first time in the history of the show it mentions the 12 limitations of a Time Lord’s regenerative abilities.
Another first was The Deadly Assassin, the first story in the show's history where The Doctor would NOT be joined by a companion!
So in conclusion, it appears The Third and The Fourth Doctor are clearly the fan favorites! However, don’t let that put you off going on adventures with the others, as everyone has their own stamp to put on the character which has kept the series going for over 50 years.