21 pop culture moments from 2018 we’re celebrating

Picture Shows: Yasmin Khan (MANDIP GILL), Graham O’Brien (BRADLEY WALSH), The Doctor (JODIE WHITTAKER), Ryan Sinclair (TOSIN COLE). Photo: Giles Keyte/BBC America

Doctor Who welcomes a female Doctor

Ten seasons into its revival, Doctor Who needed a makeover. After helping redefine the BBC’s cult favorite science-fiction series as a writer under Russell T. Davies with episodes like “Blink” and “Silence in the Library,” Steven Moffat had a six-season stint as showrunner that frustrated fans with its haphazard plotting, grim tone, and thinly written female characters. What was once an optimistic, even goofy adventure had been turned into yet another male power fantasy.

So, the introduction of Jodie Whittaker as the show’s first-ever female-presenting Doctor could hardly have come at a better time. Yes, it’s ridiculous that we had to wait more than 65 years and 13 regenerations to see a Time Lord that doesn’t look like a white man, but as DC Comics fans discovered with Wonder Woman last year, the fact that a thrill is belated doesn’t make it any less thrilling. Change also came behind the scenes, as Moffat stepped down and his successor Chris Chibnall brought new writers and directors on board.

Riding on a wave of anticipation, Whittaker’s debut episode, titled “The Woman Who Fell to Earth,” received the highest ratings for any Doctor’s debut in the show’s history. Critical reviews were more moderate, albeit still positive, observing that the rebooted series struggled to find its voice over the course of 10 episodes; Culturess’ Lacy Baugher lamented the marginalization of companion Yasmin Khan. Still, thanks to Whittaker’s charm, season 11 launched a new era with that most elusive of things: hope. From here, the possibilities are endless.