SCIFIHISTORY.NET
  • MAINPAGE
  • About
  • Reviews
  • December
  • November
  • October
  • September
  • August
  • July
  • June
  • May
  • April
  • March
  • February
  • January

Stardate 01.01.2023.A: The Sarah Jane Adventures Wasn't Sarah Jane's First Rodeo In The Wide, Wide World Of Doctor Who

1/1/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Again, full disclosure time, readers: I've only seen a few episodes of the BBC's Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Sigh.  I know, I know.

Here's the thing, though, about it: I've no doubt that I'll eventual get to it.  Shows come and go -- in fairness to myself -- and, at the time of its launch -- the review kinda/sorta made it seem that this particular incarnation was going to be a bit more kid-friendly than the main stories within the televised Who universe.  Though I've no way of knowing if that indeed was the case, I have read some reviews and heard from some like-minded folks on the Information Superhighway that, yes, it was crafted to cater a bit more to the truly young-at-age and not so much the young-at-heart.  I don't believe that's any reflection on the program's quality; I think it just sums up what the BBC's hope was in bringing the show to life.

In case you missed it, Sarah Jane Smith -- as played by the late and lovely Elisabeth Sladen who left us in 2011 -- was an established commodity in Who.  Sladen's Sarah Jane enjoyed an incredible 81 episode run during Doctor Who's original airings from 1973 through 1983.  She also revisited the character a few times before, ultimately, returning to the rebooted/relaunched Modern Era of Who, dusting off the companion for an additional four appearances.  It was likely Sarah Jane's long-standing popularity with audiences that put her front-and-center for the spin-off bearing her name ... but -- in case you missed it -- there's even a bit more to the actress' tenure folks don't know about.

​Back in 1981, the BBC also experimented with a spin-off for the companion.  K-9 And Company: A Girl's Best Friend cast Sladen alongside one of Who's best remembered creations: the robotic K-9 dog sought his own fortune and glory on the small screen.  It aired on December 28, 1991, and -- while its viewership was reported to be over 8 million (per IMDB.com) -- the BBC passed on it for undisclosed reasons.  Whatever the truth in there may be, the experience certainly never impacted the actress' popularity with fandom, so perhaps she was the natural choice when the network decided a more kid-friendly incarnation was possible in the 2000's.

So -- as I said above -- this wasn't the lady's first rodeo.

The show lasted an incredible 55 episodes airing between 2007-2020.  The series' regular run ended in 2011, but after Sladen's passing the producers wanted to honor her legacy in this universe.  Consequently, they crafted a bit of a send-off installment that aired in 2020 to properly honor her contributions to Who.

​-- EZ
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Reviews
    ​Archive
    ​

    Reviews

    birthdays
    Archive
    ​

    January
    February
    March
    April
    May
    June
    July
    August
    September
    October
    November
    December

    mainpage
    ​ posts

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly