Jodie Whittaker's time as the traveling Time Lord on Doctor Who has come to an end. Whittaker leaves a legacy as the longest-running modern Doctor, and one of the longest-running in the show's history. She bowed out in her swan song The Power of the Doctor to celebrate 100 years of the BBC.
There have been 13 seasons since the show returned to screens in 2005, and five Doctors to go along with it. The quality varies from season to season (and episode to episode, most of the time). Even in the worst seasons, a wonderful episode can come out of the blue, and vice-versa. Here are each of those 13 seasons ranked from worst to best.
Season 13
Jodie Whittaker's best performance as the Doctor comes in the worst season. Whittaker is so comfortable in the role the third go around and is clearly loving every moment, in what is probably the funniest of her era. That being said, the interconnected story of Flux has a large build-up and doesn't pay it off. Certain plots don't go anywhere by the final episode of Flux, where the Sontarans are the big villain, and it just doesn't come together. An ambitious season, made during the height of a pandemic which should be commended, but in the end, falls flat. Jodie does shine in her final appearance and gets a lovely send-off, it's just not enough to take this season off bottom place.
Season 7
The season split into two across 2012 and 2013 was filled with production issues behind the scenes, and it shows in the episodes. As the show geared up for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, the quality of the season took a hit. New companion Clara is introduced, who doesn't reach her full potential until the next season, and the Doctor almost seems like a different character from episode to episode. Filled with either forgettable episodes or just bad episodes, this season only narrowly misses out on the bottom spot. For every highlight like "The Rings of Akhaten" and "The Day of the Doctor," there are low points like "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS."
Season 12
Chris Chibnall's second season in charge of the show couldn't be more different from his first in the mission statement. No new monsters and all original ideas are swapped for all returning monsters and lots of lore-heavy stories. The shock value of episodes like "Fugitive of the Judoon" and "The Timeless Children" were exciting on first viewing, but don't hold up on repeat viewing. One of Chibnall's strengths is on show this season, though, in the way he writes the returning villains. Chibnall gets what makes the Daleks tick, and when the Judoon return, it's as if they never left. Sacha Dawan's powerhouse performance as the Master is also a highlight. But it's a shame that the quality of the stories doesn't back all that up. Companions Ryan and Graham don't get a lot to do in a crowded TARDIS team and probably should have left at the end of season 11. Some bold decisions were made here, they just don't come together in the season as a whole.
Season 11
History was made when Jodie Whittaker became the first female Doctor, and while her performance improves each season, it is her first go around in the TARDIS that is her era's best. Right from the off it is clear that this era is going to be different from the last, with "The Woman Who Fell To Earth" a mission statement for what was to follow. The issues come from an overcrowded TARDIS and subpar stories which means this era doesn't quite meet its potential. Rosa is an obvious standout early on and this run's mission statement to inform as well as entertain is the strongest aspect, but the episodes that follow don't keep the quality. The quality does pick back up near the end with episodes like "It Takes You Away" and "Reslution," but with the lackluster finale "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos," the season goes down as a missed opportunity.
Season 8
Peter Capaldi's first season as the Time Lord has its ups and downs, and while a lot of fans have returned to this season and developed a new-found respect for it, a lot of the general audience didn't respond to Peter's Doctor and his stories. Capaldi and Jenna Coleman have great chemistry, and this is not a bad season by any stretch, but by the finale "Dark Water"/"Death in Heaven" which is among the show's worst, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Season 6
The 2011 run of the show could have been one of the best, and yet it ends up right in the middle. An ambitious series set around Alex Kingston's River Song has some high highs and low lows. On paper, episode to episode, it's pretty good. But at the end of the run, it doesn't really come together in a satisfying way. Matt Smith is on top form for the whole season, as is the rest of the main cast. A lot of the modern era's best episodes are found here, like the opener "The Impossible Astronaut" and "A Good Man Goes to War." It also has the first and only time the TARDIS has come to life in the standout episode "The Doctor's Wife." But episodes like "Let's Kill Hitler" and an unsatisfying finale mean that the season goes down as ambitious but flawed.
Season 9
Doctor Who Season 9 is an odd one because while season 8, on the whole, is probably more consistent overall, season 9 is placed here as it has some of the best episodes in the show's entire run. While the finale of season 8 pushes it down, season 9's pushes it up. "Heaven Sent"/"Hell Bent" are among the show's best, especially the former, with Peter Capaldi showing he was born to play the Doctor in an almost solo performance. Everyone is at the top of their game for "Heaven Sent", from writer Steven Moffat, director Rachael Talalay, and composer Murray Gold. It is built up by the great "Face The Raven," building up to Clara's exit, so the stakes feel high. There are missteps, like the opener "The Magician's Apprentice"/"The Witch's Familiar," and every episode being a two-parter doesn't necessarily work, but the strength of Capaldi's performance and the odd great episode throughout bump this higher than it would be otherwise.
Season 2
The beginning of the height of Doctor Who's most popular era, with possibly the most popular duo in the show's history. David Tennant and Billie Piper have some of the best chemistry and that is easily the best part of this season. David Tennant grows in the role as the season goes on and by the time of the finale, he is the Doctor that will put him top of the polls for years to come. Season 2 isn't the best the show has ever produced with some mistakes in the Tenth Doctor's first season. It stumbles slightly after the huge success of the relaunch of the show, but Tennant and Piper are that good together and so immensely watchable that viewers are able to put aside those issues. Season 2 does have some standout episodes to back up the Tenth Doctor and Rose, like "School Reunion" which saw the return of classic Who companion Sarah Jane Smith. There is also one of the best two-parters ever, "The Impossible Planet"/"The Satan Pit" and the devastating finale "Doomsday."
Season 10
Peter Capaldi's best run of the show came after a one-year break, and it's a breath of fresh air. Almost like a back-to-basics season, it's filled with good, consistent stories. Pearl Mackie joins the cast as Bill and seeing the different ways she interacts with Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor contrasted against Clara, makes their dynamic very watchable. Matt Lucas is also in the season as a regular, and it's surprising how good the three-person TARDIS team is together. Michelle Gomez's Missy is also the best she's ever been, highlighted by the finale, and the first-ever multi-master story, "World Enough" and "Time"/"The Doctor Falls." It's a shame the Monk trilogy in the middle of the season wasn't executed great, as it's one of the few missteps in an otherwise wonderful batch of episodes.
Season 3
While the first half of David Tennant's second outing as the Doctor is hit-and-miss, it is in the second half of the season which bumps it up so high on the list. Things start off well with a great introduction to Freema Agyeman's Martha and her family in "Smith and Jones" and the great episode "Gridlock." Things take a tumble in the middle when the Daleks try to play with history, but it is at the halfway point where the greats come into play. With one of the best guest casts in the show, "The Family of Blood" which sees the Tenth Doctor becoming human to hide from aliens who want to live forever, is up there with the best of the show. Followed by "Blink" which introduces the most iconic monsters the modern era of Doctor Who has produced, the Weeping Angels. Culminating with the return of the Master in possibly the best cliffhanger ever and introducing John Simm as the Doctor's best friend/enemy.
Season 4
This is Doctor Who at the height of its power. Writer Russell T. Davies brought his era of the show to an end with a bang. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are thought of by fans as one of the best duos ever, and for good reason. The Doctor and Donna's relationship is unlike any other and brings joy and heartache in equal measure. Episodes like "Midnight" and "Turn Left" show off why these two are so popular in the roles, with the season culminating in a cross-over of spin-offs that show just how far the show has come since returning in 2005. And with specials like "The Water of Mars" ending the era, there's no question why David Tennant is regarded as one of the best Doctors there has ever been.
Season 5
Writer Steven Moffat had the impossible job of following on from the legacy left behind by the previous Russell T. Davies era. And against all odds, he managed it. Matt Smith is instantly the Doctor in one of the best first episodes for a new Time Lord, "The Eleventh Hour." This season of the show is filled with great performances and episodes that justify the continuation of the show. Fan favorite "Vincent and the Doctor" is one of the best of, not just the season, but the entire modern era. Smith's Eleventh Doctor shines with Karen Gillan's Amy and Arthur Darvill's Rory and ends in the epic, universe-ending spectacle "The Pandorica Opens"/"The Big Bang" proving that the show had life after David Tennant.
Season 1
Overlooked by some, maybe, but the very first season of modern Doctor Who that started it all takes the number one spot. Everyone is at the top of their game for this opening season of the modern era, as they didn't know if there would be more. Christopher Eccleston turns up and is the most fully formed Doctor ever, and by the end of the first episode fans everywhere were ready to travel time and space with him. Without a bad story in the whole run, it is one of the most consistent eras episode-to-episode with the clearest arc for a Doctor yet. Many highlights include "Father's Day", where Billie Piper shines in possibly her best performance as Rose, "Dalek" which introduced the iconic monsters to a modern audience, and "Bad Wolf"/"Parting of the Ways" which, as an episode for an out-going Doctor, is yet to be beaten. The truth is any episode could be picked out, from gas mask zombies to aliens in Downing Street, as evidence of why this fantastic season is the best of the best.