I knew you would get there eventually @Tian 
Flux FTW!
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Absolutely this. I am a huge fan of the Flux series. Everything about I found utterly wonderful, including the way the series’ reduced episode length (for reasons beyond anyone’s control) was catered for in the writing. Rather than having a reduced series, we had an epic-length story, and it was glorious.
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So what are we going to do? We aren’t producing the show. Either we accept it or stop watching.
This is a good take. If the format of the show evolves, so should the writing and other production aspects. Maybe have an overaching theme in the style of Flux or Trial of a Time Lord, where every episode is more intricately tied into the overarching plot.
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Yeah while I’d prefer longer seasons, if we have to go the way of shorter ones then like folks above said I want the writing to accommodate for that instead of what we got with Season 40 where RTD didn’t do that
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I don’t believe that simply accepting the situation or stopping watching are the only options. I plan to keep sharing my thoughts on what I like and dislike. The trend of shorter TV seasons isn’t just harming this show—it’s affecting the entire industry. The “moviefication” of television has made it less engaging. Ironically, while TV is being condensed into a movie-like format, films are trying to mimic TV by creating serialized franchises with multiple installments announced simultaneously.
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I absolutely agree with this. The opposite idea, though, would be to abandon a story arc completely and just have 8 self-contained stories. If there’s one thing I prefer about the classic to the modern is the fact that modern TV is obsessed with arcs - sometimes to the detriment of the overall show. If I look back at TV I’ve enjoyed, on the whole it is ‘adventure of the week’ type shows like Doctor Who and Quantum Leap. In shows like The X Files or Supernatural, which I enjoy hugely, it was always the arc episodes which I tended to find a bit boring whereas I loved the monster of the week stuff.
I don’t think Doctor Who has ever really done arcs very successfullly. RTD’s were a pretty light touch for the most part - at least during RTD1; Moffat’s seemed to be made up as he went along and end really unsatisfactorily (the Hybrid one was especially awful) and Chibnall’s ones just pissed everyone off. The Ruby arc seemed to fall between two stools and had a terrible bait and switch element (although I have come to reassess elements of that thanks to the excellent Adoption thread on the forum). The Mrs Flood stuff I’m going to be honest just irritates me a bit.
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This is what I hope for if we are going to continue with 8 episode seasons.
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Yeah I’d love essentially anthology adventures of The Doctor and their companion. Would also mean bigger returning villains would feel less limiting cause you could theoretically have them be in any episode instead of just the finale
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I don’t want to sound blunt or anything, and by all means continue sharing your opinions and talking about all aspects of this show, but I don’t think the opinion of a handful of devoted Doctor Who fans on an internet forum is going to have a lot of impact on anything—not when the decisions are made far away from us. The current trend of shorter seasons of TV might or might not be bad for the industry, but there’s obviously a reason for it— a big part of it is likely money, and this is an industry where money talks. So unless some of us manage to get very rich anytime soon and begin investing in the production of Doctor Who to such an extent that they have a proper say, we can do nothing but continue discussing and hoping and then just living with what we get.
And maybe, if the episodes were between 60-75 mintues in length, they would feel a bit more fleshed-out and could work as standalones.
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We’ve discussed this before, and I’m optimistic things will change. Netflix’s model of releasing entire seasons at once isn’t as effective as it used to be, and many platforms are returning to weekly releases. This feels like the first step toward television returning to its roots.
Shows like Friends, The Office, and Suits remain hugely popular because their longer seasons give viewers the time to truly connect with the characters. Spending more time with a show builds familiarity and attachment, making key moments more impactful and memorable.
In contrast, shorter seasons often feel rushed, leaving little room for meaningful character development or the quieter, relatable moments that truly resonate. This lack of depth makes these shows less engaging and, ultimately, less enduring. No one is calling this the golden age of TV anymore—because we’ve moved past it.
I believe the executives will come to realize this and begin shifting back to longer, more immersive seasons. It might not happen in the next five years, but I’m confident it’s only a matter of time.
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We cant decide that either and therefore there is no need to point out that this would be better…
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I fully agree that having more episodes (at least 10, come on) would be nice, but don’t think that was the main problem with RTD2 season 1. Too few episodes is more of a problem for shows with ensemble casts (as @Tian said), like, say, Star Trek. However, we only have 2 main characters. 8 episodes should be enough to flash them out and tell a compelling story, be it a longer arc or 8 standalones, or something in between. To me, Season 1’s problem was that it didn’t flash our the Doctor and Ruby’s relationship well enough, and the whole season long mystery has a underwhelming resolution (so far, at least) 
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Yeah, two episodes without the Doctor did not make it better.
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What if I write a strongly worded letter & hand deliver it to King Prince Charles III?
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Now, that might work. His mother was a fan, maybe he is too?
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Well, Charles has said in interviews that he watched the very first episode and is a fan of the series…
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Dear Your Majesty,
I, Mr Monkeyshaver, and the rest of the TARDIS Guide community, hereby demand You use your royal powers of charm and coercion to tell Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf Productions to get their shit together, give us longer Doctor Who seasons; bring back the Rani, the puppet dinosaurs and the Silurian Third Eye; confirm that the Master and the War Chief are not the same; bring back Gallifrey for good; give us a proper multi-Doctor special; wipe The Web Planet from existence and release the Series 10 soundtrack. Tell them that if they don’t do all of the above, they can go ■■■■ themselves!
Yours truly,
The best Doctor Who fans on Earth
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Perfect!
& the monarchy certainly have a lot of coercive power.
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Couldn’t disagree more.
The story arcs are what make the show for me. It’s the main reason I prefer modern Who over classic.
Character development, story arcs, epic finales… without these, I would be far less interested in the show 
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I do think sometimes story arcs become a bit of an albatross. It feels like a showrunner is obligated to have one & they can end up being anti-climatic.
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