New Doctor Who Spinoff Reports Aren’t Anything Like We Expected (But That’s A Good Thing)

To paraphrase Paul McGann in “The Night of the Doctor,” it’s a Doctor Who spinoff, but probably not the one you were expecting. With Russell T Davies steering the ship once again, Doctor Who is entering a bold new era. The franchise has been rebranded the Whoniverse, an international distribution deal has been arranged with Disney, and 2023’s Tales of the TARDIS marked the first in a new wave of Doctor Who spinoffs. Doctor Who season 14 starring Ncuti Gatwa is on the horizon, but fans can reasonably expect the Whoniverse to expand beyond the main show before long.

With 60 years of history to draw from, the possibilities for Doctor Who spinoffs are endless, but two projects in particular looked likely following the 60th anniversary specials. Rumors of a spinoff based around Doctor Who organization UNIT first emerged in early 2023, and gained more momentum after the 60th anniversary expended great time and effort making Kate Stewart’s task force a big deal, with a fancy new HQ and familiar faces on the payroll. Doctor Who‘s bi-generation and the survival of the Fourteenth Doctor then perfectly set up a Doctor Who spinoff starring David Tennant. New reports, however, indicate Doctor Who‘s next spinoff will be something very different indeed.

A Sea Devils Spinoff Is A Surprising & Weird Direction For Doctor Who

A listing for “The War Between The Land & The Sea” has triggered speculation that Doctor Who‘s next spinoff will focus on the Sea Devils – amphibious creatures first introduced as a Third Doctor villain in 1972. This is certainly not a direction many would have predicted as Doctor Who‘s wider franchise continues to grow. The Sea Devils are, bluntly, B-list Doctor Who enemies, and have only made a handful of subsequent appearances since their debut. Moreover, Doctor Who has never recaptured that initial scary magic the Sea Devils created in the 1970s. Battles against the Fifth Doctor in 1984 and the Thirteenth Doctor in 2022 fell flat by comparison, making the Sea Devils an odd choice for the subject of a dedicated spinoff.

The premise of a Sea Devils spinoff also looks weird because they can’t even be counted as underutilized Doctor Who villains with wasted potential. The likes of Omega, Sutekh, the Rani, and the Mara are all examples of seldom-seen antagonists that clearly have far more to offer. The Sea Devils are not particularly formidable, have little in the way of fascinating lore, and lack a long history of memorable appearances in the main Doctor Who TV show. As weird as this creative decision may seem, however, a Doctor Who Sea Devils spinoff might just be a stroke of RTD genius.

Doctor Who’s Sea Devils Show Is More Interesting Than The Obvious Spinoffs

A Sea Devils spinoff actually makes far more sense than one would assume at first glance. The villains are recognizable enough to draw instant interest, but their scant Doctor Who history offers enough of a blank slate to give The War Between The Land & The Sea ample creative freedom. The Sea Devils are also aquatic cousins of the Siluarians, allowing for a second classic Doctor Who villain to be woven naturally into the story. Whether The War Between The Land & The Sea takes place in Doctor Who‘s past or present, the story of an ancient ocean-dwelling race attempting to overthrow humanity is a classic tale as old as time, and the perfect foundation for Doctor Who to build upon.

Strange though it may be, a Sea Devils spinoff may actually prove preferable to a Doctor Who project starring David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor or UNIT. Any TV show featuring a different actor that played the Doctor would risk undermining Ncuti Gatwa’s reign in Doctor Who season 14. A straightforward UNIT spinoff, meanwhile, would be Torchwood under a different name. The War Between The Land & The Sea sounds strikingly different to both, but because the action would take place exclusively on Earth, UNIT could still play a major role, paying off the 60th anniversary’s many teases.