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Is Series 5 really as popular as it seems?
daveyboy7472
Posts: 16,416 Forum Member
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Okay, slightly contentious thread title but read on and you'll see why I ask this question.
The poll of all the new who series clearly put Series 5 as a clear winner. Can't argue with those facts.
However, as I put on the RTD fans thread earlier, everyone I seem to have met outside of this forum has expressed disappointment in series 5, without any prompting from me. I reckon I have spoken to at least ten people who have told me this, some were fans, some were casual viewers. It wasn't all doom and gloom, most of them liked Matt Smith, a couple said there were good episodes but overall it was disappointing. Then I read some similar things on the RTD Fans thread and the lacking thread I started mid-series certainly threw up a mixed bag of views. So considering the poll was quite good, I'm scratching my head thinking and wondering if Series 5 appeals more to the fans than to the casual viewer? Why is what Im hearing and reading flying in the face of a really positive poll?
I'm just wondering what others have heard from people outside the forum and if they have heard similar views. Maybe you've heard lots of good views and you'd like to share them, I dare say you have!
I'm not using this thread as a Series 5 bash at all. I have actually defended a few episodes to said people above and I really wanted it to do well. I'm not dissing the poll from last week in anyway or disrespecting the result. I just interested in what others have to say on the matter.
The poll of all the new who series clearly put Series 5 as a clear winner. Can't argue with those facts.
However, as I put on the RTD fans thread earlier, everyone I seem to have met outside of this forum has expressed disappointment in series 5, without any prompting from me. I reckon I have spoken to at least ten people who have told me this, some were fans, some were casual viewers. It wasn't all doom and gloom, most of them liked Matt Smith, a couple said there were good episodes but overall it was disappointing. Then I read some similar things on the RTD Fans thread and the lacking thread I started mid-series certainly threw up a mixed bag of views. So considering the poll was quite good, I'm scratching my head thinking and wondering if Series 5 appeals more to the fans than to the casual viewer? Why is what Im hearing and reading flying in the face of a really positive poll?
I'm just wondering what others have heard from people outside the forum and if they have heard similar views. Maybe you've heard lots of good views and you'd like to share them, I dare say you have!
I'm not using this thread as a Series 5 bash at all. I have actually defended a few episodes to said people above and I really wanted it to do well. I'm not dissing the poll from last week in anyway or disrespecting the result. I just interested in what others have to say on the matter.
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Because the small minority of whingers and whiners and 'I love David Tennant' fangirls are more vocal than those who just enjoyed it.
As for it not being a 'Let's bash series 5' thread, I'll sit back and watch it become just that.
Edit: And I don't personally know anyone who doesn't think i) that Matt Smith is an improvement on David 'one gurn and it's over' Tennant or ii) that series 5 is infinitely less infantile and ludicrous than a lot of stuff that came before it.
I will carry on watching because I am a life long fan, Doctors come and go, some you love, some you dont, but I will always watch even though I am not 100% keen on MS and his style, I will watch because I am a fan of the show, not of the actor who happens to be playing him at the time.
Remember that whilst ten people that you know might seem a lot, it is a minor fraction of the millions who watch it. It should also be considered that friends are likely to have similar interests, so the statisics would be skewed by looking at a few people you happen to know. That's why things like AI ratings are designed to be a cross-section of society, encompassing people from a multitude of different backgrounds.
I'd say the evidence is pretty good that Series 5 has been generally well-received. Although there are groups of fans who don't like the changes, there are also new fans who've been attracted by the changes.
Most people I speak to in the real world tend to find this series disappointing, not awful by any means but missing that spark.
personally i disagree with this.
majority of people i have rtalked to have also said how much they have liked matt smith, when before they thought they never would. some were also disapointed with the last episode.
overall though, i think most people were pleasently surprised
My opinion? I don't think series 5 is as popular as people think in the grander scheme of things.
I think you'll find I said 'I'm not having a Series 5 bash', meaning me personally!
Yes, I find it weird that all ten said the same thing. And as I said, I'm knocking the figures. That wasn't my point. What I was saying was that what I hear and read seems to fly in the face of the poll. I just find it curious that's all, maybe I'm The Doctor in disguise!
I agree. As was said on another thread, it's swings and roundabouts. You lose some here and you gain some there. I hope RTD fans who have taken an active dislike to series 5 now know how I felt having to sit through total crap like The Doctor's Daughter, Daleks in Manhattan, Fear Her, Aliens of London, The Last of the Time Lords, The Idiot's Lantern, Planet of the Dead and The End of Time.
I think we can debate forever whether it was good or bad and the reasons why, but it's so subjective that people are never going to agree. I don't think this series has really been the 'event telly' that the show has been in the past, but it's clearly still pulling in the viewers, and I'm sure for every 'lost' fan, there are probably new ones just starting to watch. I think the next series will be the real tester.
And unfortunately, this thread will in moments become yet another "lets all slate off series 5" thread regardless of the intentions of the OP (which I know aren't that way inclined, but the thread title will be like honey to the flies), and I really have no wish to go through it all again, so I think I'll leave it there.
I guess we will know whether or not the success of the recent series is as the polls suggest after Christmas ep and during series 6, or whether during series 6, the ratings decline.
I think that series 6 will be as strong if not stronger as series 5 and the polls probably reflect the same audience who shared the same opinion during RTD's tenure.
There have always been and always will be people who prefer particular era's and who find new phases of the show disappointing.
So, we have people who haven't enjoyed it as much this year (I am one of them). But, equally there were people who didn't enjoy the previous era. It's just now we have something to compare. I still love DW though and am already counting the days until Christmas.
It is however a little self opinionated of you to suggest that DT wasn't a good Doctor. He was a fantastic Doctor. Very very popular. Matt Smith though may surpass his popularity in a couple of years.....he may not. It isn't fair to slag DT off just because "you" didn't like him. For the record I think Matt is fantastic too.
The quoted reason was the same in every case "I don't like the new Doctor".
Shows what a hard act to follow David Tennant was, like him or loathe him.
It took me a while to adjust to Matt Smith's interpretation, simply because it was so different.
I like him very much now, but sadly I suspect a lot of people didn't give it long enough to make the adjustment.
Like I said, though, my experience is the exact opposite. Everyone I have spoken to think Series 5 is the best yet. They all love Matt Smith and they all love Karen Gillan.
If the people you spoke to are friends, isn't it possible they have similar likes/dislikes? That would be likely, as it would explain why you are friends with them. Similarly, my friends are likely to have similar tastes to me and the result is all my friends loved this year as much as I did.
Think of it this way; I also know a bunch of people who have hated all 5 years of Doctor Who and probably would have hated all 31 years of it, had I known them all that time.
Such evidence says more about social circles than it does about the overall performance of the show.
Was Victory for the Daleks better than Daleks in Manhattan, no it was far worse. (IMO)
In fact I liked The Doctor's Daughter, Daleks in Manhattan, , Aliens of London (much better than the WW3 episode that followed it). The Last of the Time Lords, Planet of the Dead and The End of Time
The redeeming feature for Season 6 was that the second half was much better than the first.
some saw the change as ruining the show.
others took it as the show moving on and regeneration being part of the doctors timeline.
All subjective. I loved Victory of the Daleks, as will many people out there, else it won't have got an AI of 84.;)
That's why I've got a (IMO) after it, It also got disappointing ratings on this site as well. No need for the sarcy smiley either.
I can't say I'm totally blown over by this series but there's no denying it's success, shouldn't we be glad of this?
I think some on here won't be happy until Moffat is sacked and Dr Gurn is brought back to replace Matt Smith.
Yes it is all subjective I agree. Series 1-4 had some excellent stories, many (infact most) I loved. The episodes I love such as Voyage of the Damned is constantly slagged off, but just because I like it and others don't, doesnt make it a bad episode. The same as Victory of The Daleks. I didn't particularly like the episode but many did, therefore it can not be a "bad" episode. It's just that I didn't like it. If DW was made just to solely include episodes "I" or anyone else likes, then it would be a dull show indeed.
Incidentally, the trend hasn't altered. As we progress during the next couple of seasons, the series will feature many "subjective" episodes where some love them, other's hate them. None of these episodes will be "bad" though.
That, to a large extent, is what the AI is - a statistically relevant measure of how much people appreciate the show.
It received extremely good AIs (as did previous series). So, given that, and if you accept that AIs are an accurate reflection, (and they have a better statistical analysis than any straw poll), then I think a pretty fair conclusion would be that the series is still popular.
It may be the case that some people who liked it didn't, and some people who didn't like it now do, but broadly, I don't think you can look at the AIs, then turn round and say "actually these must be wrong, because my mates didn't enjoy it."
I reiterate my point in post number 12. It is totally unfair to slag off DT's portrayal of the Doctor just because "you" didn't like him. He was a fantastic Doctor and very popular.
Matt is different and refreshing, but not in a "thank God DT has gone way" but in a way that keeps the show fresh and alive. Matt may or may not surpass the popularity of DT. That will never undermine DT's passion he showed while playing the character.
I don't think that's quite true, regenerations are part of the show, and nothing to do with the regeneration, after all, there was less moans during #9 to #10, it's more to do with the difficult looks and feel and tone of the show.
Personally I don't think it's to do with Matt Smith, I think he has been excellent, despite some awful scripts.
And anecdotal evidence is important. For all the figures that are thrown around, I think overnights being down is a fact that people aren't as eager to watch a new episode, but will still watch it because it's Dr Who.
My anecdocal evidence is that my nephew and sister don't care about watching it, but will catch up when they can. A couple of friends think that many of the stories haven't been complete, and have felt unfinished, or poor.
I have one friend that was extremely excited about the change, and felt it was better than RTD, but that waned as the episodes progressed.
Overall, AI is down over series 4, overnights are down, final figures are constant, but is this a change in viewing habits, or a change in audience satisfaction.
Ah come on Kapellmeister, I love Dr Gurn he can do no wrong for me. Moffat best work was with DT. Series 5 just lacked (for me!) that one story that I could put in my all time favourite DW episodes. Of course he still has a few series to make one amazing episode, so I wait with anticipation for series 6.