Doctor Who Returns!

The greatest television series in the history of the world returns to American television tonight as Sci-Fi debuts the first two episodes of the continuation of Doctor Who. The pilot episode, "Rose" airs at 8 p.m. CST and is followed by the next episode "The End of the World" at 9 p.m.

If you're a Doctor Who fan, this is complete nirvana (and I shouldn't have to do anything to convince you watch this evening....even if you've already seen the episodes!) If you're not a fan yet, this is your chance to step into the world that is Doctor Who. These episodes are completely accessible to new fans.

If your memories of Doctor Who are of the guy with the scarf, the flimsy sets and the low budget effects, you may be in for a pleasant surprise tuning in this evening. I'm not saying these are Star Wars type of effects, but they do make good use of CGI and they do get better as the season goes along.

Please, please, please, please, please watch this show. Trust me, it's good. I will admit that tonight's first two episodes are good ground-work for the series and a nice way to discover the universe that is Doctor Who. And next week's episode is better and in just about a month comes the absolute best episode of the new series, Dalek, that features a return of the Doctor's greatest enemies. Come on--it's only 12 weeks of your life to commit to one of the greatest shows ever made.

Join the obsession! You'll be glad you did!

Here's a bit of a Doctor Who primer for everyone.

The hero of the show is the Doctor. He's a Time Lord who has the ability to travel in space and time. He does this in a time machine called the TARDIS. The TARDIS is larger on the inside than the outside and theoretically has the ability to change its exterior to blend in with whatever time period it's arrived in. The Doctor's does not...the ability to do this broke down in the first episode aired back in 1963, where it was disguised as a police telephone box. The Doctor travels in space and time, fighting evil and injustice.

And that should be enough to get you started...

Also, some shameless self-promotion. If you want to read my original thoughts on Rose and End of the World you can at those links. And my good friend, Sarah and I, recorded a commentary for Rose, which you can listen to after the episode. I will warn you that the audio quality is not the best (cursed filters!) and I think we give away SPOILER for the rest of the season....