10 TV Performances Way Better Than Anyone Expected

7. Matt Smith - Doctor Who

There was a surprising amount of controversy around Matt Smith's casting as the Eleventh Doctor back in 2009. David Tennant had announced he was leaving the role back in 2008, which led to months of frenzied speculation, scuttlebutt, and fan-casting. Suffice to say, Smith's name wasn't one on the lips of most fans.

Coming after Tennant - one of the most popular Doctors ever - it was expected they'd go older, so Smith's casting was a shock. He was too young, they said. Too inexperienced. Too much of a cheap Tennant knock-off. Too unknown.

And then came the Eleventh Hour, and Smith made the role his own. This 'young' Doctor was absolutely brimming with an energy and life we'd not really seen before. He was charming and charismatic, and yet also felt far more alien than either Eccleston or Tennant's iteration. Over time, he formed some of the strongest, most satisfying bonds with his companions, and increasingly added ranged.

He could do the silly, goofy Doctor, he could be quirky and fun, but he also hit all of the more emotional beats too. He brought a real sense of wonder and otherworldliness to the part, without trading on those core human connections that are so important too. Smith wasn't just a Doctor. He became The Doctor.