10 Doctor Who Episodes We Were WAY Too Harsh On

The 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie has never had a particularly solid reputation within the fandom.

A one-off, failed pilot for a prospective American reboot of the series, its melodramatic tone, greater emphasis on action and romance, and younger more dashing Doctor was seen as sacrilege in some corners of the fandom at the time. And to make matters worse, it also failed to capture the imagination of a new audience, making all of its changes – and the development hell it endured to get there – seem utterly futile.

But in the years since, so many of the TV Movie’s perceived sins have become normalised. Though seen as a massive break with tradition at the time, it was in fact just the show once again changing with the times, as Doctor Who does better than any other franchise.

The film’s more romantic and action-oriented take on the Doctor went on to serve as something of a blueprint for the revival series, while Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor has continued to grow in appreciation to the point that he's now a firm fan-favourite, and is usually the first name thrown around whenever potential Whoniverse spinoffs are discussed.

In a way, the TV Movie was ahead of its time. Though you'd have a hard time convincing fans of that in 1996!