All 13 modern Doctor Who seasons ranked from worst to best

1. Series 4

The 60th anniversary specials for Doctor Who brought back the writer and stars of Series 4, and it's no wonder why they did. This season was Doctor Who at its best. The chemistry between David Tennant and Catherine Tate is off the charts, and no episode is wasted in the push toward "Journey's End."

After the love story between the Doctor and Rose and his borderline neglect of Martha, it was hard to imagine fans ever fully accepting another companion. However, the idea to bring in a comedian was brilliant, as Tate brings a contagious burst of energy to every performance.

Donna was not just the Doctor's best friend. She was also his moral compass. Other companions let the Doctor slip into his darkest impulses, sometimes even pushing him toward them. But Donna knew that he needed to be better, to honor his mission. It's no wonder a lesson from her inspired Peter Capaldi's appearance in Series 8.

Each episode brings both enjoyment and a critical lesson, which is a hard balance to strike. Other seasons have been criticized precisely because they fell too far to one side or the other, but Russell T. Davies found the magic formula in this season. And while every story was strong on its own, they laid the groundwork for the finale in a way Davies has been praised for repeatedly.

Beyond the high quality of ordinary episodes, the last six episodes of Series 4 all have an 8.9 or higher on IMDb, a consistency in quality that is practically unheard of. The season finale felt like a true culmination of everything Russell T. Davies had been building over the previous four years, with great character moments and chilling realizations all around.

Now that Davies is returning to Doctor Who, fans can only hope that he can once again build a season as effective as Series 4, with the right dose of moral lessons, foreshadowing, and fun that he displayed back in 2008.