'Doctor Who' Crash Course: 12 Essential Episodes

Judging from the interest surrounding Sunday's BBC special to reveal the next person to play the title role in the U.K. TV series Doctor Who, the Internet loves the show even more than a finely aged Sharknado. For fans, it was as if Christmas (traditionally the time for Doctor Who specials) came early, and they flocked to Twitter and elsewhere to fervently express their reactions to the selection of the lucky actor, Peter Capaldi.

To non-fans, the brouhaha may have been a little surprising. Doctor Who, once known for being one of the geekiest parts of geek culture, has found mainstream appeal since its re-launch in 2005 through modern storytelling, inspired casting and smart global marketing. It's even graced the cover of Entertainment Weekly twice — for the first time in 2012 and again in 2013 on two different collectible covers.

See also: 15 Passionate Whovian Reactions to the 12th Doctor

Nonetheless, like many geek franchises, Doctor Who can seem impenetrable at first glance. This is a show with 50 years of history, after all, with a lead character that's supposedly lived a lot longer than that. Even if you restrict yourself to the new series, that's still seven seasons of TV, plus specials. The Wire's five seasons look like a cake walk by comparison.

But it would be a mistake to forsake traveling with the Doctor because it looks intimidating. Who has ongoing storylines, sure, but it's much more episodic than, say, Game of Thrones. You can easily get a feel for the show by watching just a few key hours. And there's plenty of time — the next new episode, the 50th Anniversary Special, doesn't air until Nov. 23.

It helps that the show is widely accessible. You can find episodes on Netflix, Amazon Instant Video (free with Amazon Prime), iTunes and other services, besides the usual DVD/Blu-ray availability. And when new episodes are broadcast, they're aired in the U.K. and U.S. on the same day, so there's a lot less chance of the Internet spoiling things.

Until November, here are the 12 most essential episodes of Doctor Who ready and waiting for your next weekend binge viewing to get you up to speed on Time Lords, Daleks and extremely cool bowties. (And yeah, we cheated a bit by including two-parters as single episodes.)

1. Rose

   The episode that introduced a whole new generation to Doctor Who is amazingly well paced. Ordinary shopgirl Rose Tyler is slowly pulled into the exciting, fantastical world of the Doctor to help him battle evil mannequins controlled by something even more fearsome. "Rose" fully captures the wondrous appeal of traveling with the Doctor while serving up Who's best villain archetype: an ordinary object turned homicidal.

2. Dalek

   The Daleks are the undisputed champions of Doctor Who monsters, and this episode reminds us why by showing how dangerous just one of them can be. It's the plotting human mastermind that's keeping the Dalek prisoner who steals the show, however, inspiring some of the Doctor's best-ever dialogue in this thrilling masterpiece.

3. The Christmas Invasion

   Regeneration? What's that? Find out along with the Doctor's friends what it means to have everything you thought you knew about someone suddenly change. "The Christmas Invasion" is a major turning point for the show, and not just because the Doctor has a new face -- it's the beginning of a new era in how the Earth deals with threats. As serious as all that sounds, the show's first Christmas special is actually quite merry.

4. The Girl in the Fireplace

   You could argue that other stories used time travel as a plot device better than "The Girl in the Fireplace," but nothing has done it with more heart. A crippled starship opens a doorway through time that endangers a French girl, and the Doctor becomes an influence throughout her life in order to save her. But doorways swing both ways...

5. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday

   The Doctor's greatest enemies are at their most formidable in this corker of a season finale. The guest cast is outstanding, and several story arcs conclude in epic fashion. If you thought "The Girl in the Fireplace" made you cry, you have no idea.

6. Blink

   Forget Doctor Who -- "Blink" is one of the best episodes of science-fiction TV ever made. Introducing one of the most genuinely frightening monsters of all time, the Weeping Angels, "Blink" expertly blends great characters, tangled time travel and tense set pieces to weave a story so compelling you forget the Doctor's barely in it!

7. Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords

   What if the Doctor lost? The show finally answers that question in this fantastic trilogy, showing just how far he can fall. If that wasn't enough, John Simm's delightfully diabolical performance as the Master makes this landmark episode a must-see.

8. The Fires of Pompeii

   Don't blink: 12th Doctor-elect Peter Capaldi appears in this episode as a Roman father trying to protect his family from nefarious psychics, contentious Centurions and -- oh yeah -- that volcano. It's also a dramatic reminder of why the Doctor needs friends.

9. Vincent and the Doctor

   Matt Smith's youthful vigor gave the show an opportunity to recapture just how much fun it would be to travel through history, and this episode takes full advantage. Fantastic writing and performances elevate the typical historical-figure-involved-with-aliens story to an emotional level that leaves you cheering by the end.

10. The Doctor's Wife

    Fantasy writer Neil Gaiman's first script for Doctor Who perfectly captures perhaps the most important relationship in the show: the Doctor and his time machine, the TARDIS. It also happens to be a pulse-pounding horror story with a terrifying villain.

11. A Good Man Goes to War

    Here's something we've never quite seen before: The Doctor on the attack. Showrunner Steven Moffat's vision of the show is in full force in this complex tale: the Doctor as ringmaster in a quirky-character circus, with villains and heroes so smart you're constantly guessing which one is five steps ahead of the other.

12. The Name of the Doctor

    Fifty years of adventures, and we still know surprisingly little about the Doctor. This one has some big reveals, not the least of which is the location of his tomb (he's a time traveler, after all). Of course, the events generate more questions, which the upcoming specials promise to address, if not answer. But the best part of "The Name of the Doctor" is how the Doctor's companion finally takes center stage, becoming as much a superhero as he is.

13. Bonus: City of Death

    If you've been won over by the new series, it's worth seeing the classic series at its best. Paris is the setting for this multi-layered yarn involving one-eyed aliens disguised as smooth-talking humans, the beginning of all life on Earth, and a high-tech plan to steal the Mona Lisa -- all seven of them. Douglas Adams' rapid-fire dialogue never falters, and Tom Baker (to many, the only Doctor) is at his absolute best in the role he was born to play.

Image: BBC America