'Doctor Who' fans are loving the first female doctor and the way the show is reinventing itself — and so are critics

pulse

October 8, 2018 3:19 PM

On Sunday night, Jodie Whittaker made history as the first woman to ever play the iconic role of the Doctor on "Doctor Who." Both fans and critics are praising the show for reinventing itself along with her introduction.

On Sunday night, Jodie Whittaker made history as the first woman to ever play the iconic role of the Doctor on "Doctor Who."

Whittaker's casting for season 11 of the BBC series was initially met with backlash from a portion of the "Doctor Who" fandom who felt that the role was not meant for a woman.

But Sunday night's episode, "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" is getting high praise from "Who" fans as well as critics for its clever reinvention of the series given its new lead.

Critics agree that the show feels different from the other seasons, but in a great and necessary way, and that Whittaker was well cast. Caroline Seide of the AV Club wrote that it's "like watching a trapeze artist perform without a net, it's both thrilling and slightly terrifying to watch Doctor Who launch itself into this brand new era."

And Vox's Todd VanDerWerff wrote, ""

And here's what the fans were saying on Twitter throughout the night:

That was fantastic. #doctor... @ #emo##emo##emo##emo##emo#

Jodie Whittaker is gonna be... @ Emmy Potter