Doctor Who will return in 2026, but only for one episode. Fortunately, there will be more adventures in the show’s universe to enjoy on the 2026 TV schedule, as Disney+ will stream The War Between the Land and the Sea, a Doctor-less spinoff featuring a species fans will be familiar with, Sea Devils. It’s an interesting project for the franchise, and one that showrunner Russell T. Davies hinted could be big for the IP as a whole
Recently, Davies spoke to Empire about the upcoming Who-adjacent series, which will air first in the UK on The BBC on December 7th. RTD talked about one of the purposes he had for the show, which is to show Doctor Who can tackle a different type of story:
I wanted to show the BBC what this universe is capable of and the potential that it has, and the punch that it can deliver.
While some of Doctor Who‘s best episodes have a strong moral message behind it, it’s fair to say the show likes to hit on broad topics simple for all ages to understand. Based on what we know about ‘The War Between the Land and the Sea’ thus far, it appears that the series will convey an environmental message, which it touches on less frequently.
Russsel T. Davies confirmed that the adventure will have an environmental message, and the project as a whole serves an effort to attract an older audience to the beloved science fiction franchise. That could be huge for the TV property, to say the least. As for what specifically, he gave a shoutout to some of the biggest water companies, who, I would guess, won’t be portrayed in the most favorable light:
It’s very 2025 in its bones. We even deal with the water companies and their profiteering bosses laughing in our faces. In a series about the water you have to!
Russell T. Davies has spoken very highly of the series, and he even went so far as to say it was one of the greatest shoots he’s ever had in his life. The question is whether it’ll be enough for the fans, who will watch this amid a gap year for Doctor Who.
Granted, The War Between the Land and the Sea won’t be the only source of entertainment for Doctor Who fans in the new year. Actors Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan are launching The Pondcast, in which they’ll revisit their time on the show and interview people involved in the series.
It feels like a critical time for the franchise, which is hoping to find another co-producer after the collapse of the deal it had in place with Disney. Russell T. Davies shocked viewers with the new Doctor seemingly being played by returning actress Billie Piper. As a fan, it’s hard to think the franchise is thriving right now but, hopefully, these supplemental projects will provide what it takes to right the ship and get the flagship series back on track.
The War Between the Land and the Sea is coming to Disney+, but does not have a concrete release date beyond 2026 at this time. I’m hoping we’ll get more news on whether Doctor Who will find a new streaming home for its back catalog in the new year, as I’ve been eager to revisit some old episodes.