If the episodes are mostly forgettable, Gatwa, the first black Doctor and the first openly queer actor to take on the role... is the opposite.

Full Review | May 30, 2024

Fun, lively, imaginative — with a whiff of Disneyfication.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 22, 2024

The newest Doctor assures an injection of much-needed vigor, as these episodes promise to be more vivacious and slightly more demented than previous outings, with far more to say about the state of the world, without blatantly stating it.

Full Review | May 19, 2024

Gatwa is magnetically watchable and not technically gay as a sexless alien, but also, come on. His chemistry with Gibson works, if anything, a little too well.

Full Review | May 17, 2024

…the lack of any real suspense, tension or danger feels like a major problem…smug guys explaining the universe to silly girls doesn’t cut it anymore…

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | May 16, 2024

Ncuti Gatwa’s full radiance and considerable charisma is on display in every scene.

Full Review | May 15, 2024

Rollicking, jumping into the fray with swagger and a sense of personal and global legacy, Gatwa’s Doctor is very much of his time, but intriguingly not of this place.

Full Review | May 13, 2024

The FX are undoubtedly impressive but, no, I reckon it’s Ncuti Gatwa’s accent. This keeps the show grounded and that ground is in Edinburgh’s Oxgangs, with a bit of Dunfermline as phonetic topsoil.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 13, 2024

There is plenty here in these first two episodes to give the audience hope ... and if the whole series can maintain the same energy, we should end up with a very silly, fun season of television, and that’s exactly what Doctor Who is at its best.

Full Review | May 11, 2024

Can it generate a new audience for this decades-old series... A charming new lead in Barbie’s Ncuti Gatwa, a celebrated showrunner, and guest stars like Jonathan Groff and RuPaul's Drag Race’s Jinkx Monsoon go a long way toward achieving that aim.

Full Review | May 11, 2024

Doctor Who may be taking a slightly different direction as it arrives on Disney+, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not as funny and witty as ever. And the chemistry between Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson does a lot to make up for any encroaching tweeness.

Full Review | May 10, 2024

The vibrancy of the show is largely due to Gatwa’s magnetic energy. From the moment it begins, it feels as if a gust of wind rushes past, imbuing you with a refreshing feeling—that’s what Gatwa has brought to his version of the Doctor.

Full Review | May 10, 2024

Where previous versions of "Who" felt geared towards a broader family audience, Disney's take reads as more lasered in on the younger set peeking out from behind the sofa.

Full Review | May 10, 2024

This updated version of the long-running time-travel series is genuine fun.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | May 10, 2024

I’m happy to report that this dynamic duo remain in great form. And the series, which is once again under the control of Russell T. Davies, is chugging along with a fast pace, some great dialogue, and one pretty creepy and campy villain.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 10, 2024

Gatwa is already perfect as the Doctor. Some Time Lords are a work in progress. He’s the finished article right from the jump.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 9, 2024

This new season takes us from “allons y” to “push the button.” The 15th Doctor—a vibrant, buff, and keen Ncuti Gatwa—is all go; a Doctor so filled with exuberance we'll follow wherever he leads. And, so far, it’s a fabulous and frightening ride.

Full Review | May 9, 2024

For better or worse, the new Doctor Who is firmly a family show, a zany and colorful romp with just a bit of nightmare fuel for the little ones—at least for the moment.

Full Review | May 9, 2024

Doctor Who's new season starts off with an abandoned ship and a melodic tune, but the show feels distinctly different from what came before.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 9, 2024

The bottom line for this casual viewer is that Gatwa is a thoroughly likable addition to the franchise, fully capturing at least one plausible aspect of the Doctor’s personality.

Full Review | May 8, 2024