LogFAQs > #962229222

The first revival season is a perfect starting point, because that entire season is a microcosm of the Doctor Who franchise.

You're introduced to the Doctor, a manic adventurer who constantly runs into trouble in his time machine. He has a perchant for picking up random travelling companions who accompany him on his travels, and beasts he often runs into include interplanetary ghosts, genocidal alien conquerers donning tactical armor, alien shapeshifters, a hivemind that can infect and control plastic, and occasionally the odd human being.

You're introduced to the Daleks, which are one of the most consequential alien foes the Doctor has ever faced. You meet Jack Harkness, who - until his actor's shitty antics were uncovered last year - was a beloved character in the show, and you become acquainted with all the toys in the Doctor's toybox - the biggest one being the sonic screwdriver, which opens doors as well as locking them and acts as something of a plot device when the Doctor needs to get out of a jam. And at the end, the Doctor regenerates into another person. It's a shakedown run for anyone who's not familiar with the series, and a nostalgic refresher for people who had missed the show in the 18 or so years it had been off the air. All the building blocks of the franchise are in that first revival series, and later seasons took that lead.and ran with it, introducing other classic monsters and characters as well as introducing new ones.

And while the first season has aged somewhat, it's still contemporary to a degree and it's down-to-earth in a way that makes it easier to get into the space adventures. Later seasons go full "sci-fi fairytale", especially once the showrunner changes, so the first season acts as a grounding point and the next seasons lean further into the time-travel and the intergalactic stuff as you get more and more immersed in the show's universe.