Canceled Doctor Who Series Makes The Best Disney+ Spinoff Idea Way More Likely
The cancelation of a long-running Doctor Who series on expanded media makes a popular Disney+ spinoff idea an increasingly likely possibility. Since Doctor Who's global streaming deal with the Walt Disney Corporation was announced, fans have eagerly anticipated a raft of spinoffs to rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Russell T Davies has repeatedly stated his own vision for Doctor Who in a post-MCU world, seeing the show's potential as a big sci-fi franchise comprising the parent show and multiple spinoffs. There is a persistent rumor that a UNIT spinoff led by Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) will follow Ncuti Gatwa's first Doctor Who season and now another beloved character could also get their own show.
Audio production company Big Finish has announced that the Alex Kingston-led The Diary of River Song will end with season 10, released in August 2023. The series began in 2015 and has depicted Professor River Song's adventures through time and space, pairing her up with past incarnations of the Doctor and various old enemies, too. It's been a well-received series for Big Finish which begs the question of why it's ending. It could be something as simple as former E.R. star Alex Kingston's work commitments, or it could hint that a River Song spinoff is in the works for Disney+.
River Song's Series Ending Teases A Doctor Who Spinoff On Disney+
The Diary of River Song season 1 was released on Christmas Day 2015, just minutes after her final appearance in Doctor Who. While it could be purely coincidental, River Song's Big Finish series ending just months before Doctor Who begins streaming on Disney+ feels important. In terms of the modern series, Big Finish generally uses Doctor Who characters after their time on the show has ended. For example, they'll launch spinoff series for both The Fugitive Doctor (Jo Martin) and The Master (Sacha Dhawan) later in 2023. Having characters' audio adventures run concurrently with their on-screen counterparts is generally frowned upon as part of Big Finish's deal with the BBC.
During Russell T Davies' first Doctor Who era, he was in regular contact with Big Finish as they tried to avoid overlaps with story ideas and monsters. It's likely that this relationship will still be the same in RTD's new Doctor Who era, raising interesting questions about the timing of the River Song series ending. The best River Song episodes always feel like the Doctor is guest starring in somebody else's show, so her own TV series is long overdue. The new Disney+ era of Doctor Who could finally realize this long-held dream of River Song fans, and the ending of her Big Finish series feels like a cleaning of the slate.
A River Song Spinoff Must Avoid The Biggest Mistake With Her Character
Although it was the idea of River Song's creator Steven Moffat, The Diary of River Song's reliance on her interacting with past Doctors reduced the character slightly. Rather than being a time traveling archaeologist with dubious morals, River was defined as being the Doctor's future wife. Later entries in the series addressed this problem and sent River to investigate archeological mysteries and stride out in the universe on her own. This is exactly what the tone of a River Song-led Doctor Who spinoff on Disney+ should be.
A gun-toting, time traveling archeologist adventuring through time and space is a great pitch for a TV show. It's rumored that Steven Moffat is back for Doctor Who season 14, so it wouldn't be at all surprising if he and Russell T Davies has discussed the prospect of what a River Song spinoff would look like. This, combined with the surprise ending for her Big Finish series hints at exciting times to come for River Song.