If You Were a Tumblr Kid, Your Favorite ‘Doctor Who’ Episodes Are Getting a New Paywall
Goodbye libraries, hello subscription-based streaming
The fate of TV’s longest-running science fiction show has been up in the air since Disney passed on producing a third season with Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor. While we’re still not sure where the next season will land in the U.S., American viewers will soon be able to watch all of the New Who seasons with an AMC+ subscription.
The thirteen New Who seasons of Doctor Who, which originally aired from 2005 to 2022, were previously available to stream on HBO Max. But then HBO Max lost the rights, which actually ended up being a good thing for many fans across the country.
Right now, fans can rent entire seasons of “Doctor Who” through Hoopla with a library card. That means that all 176 episodes are available completely free, with no credit card required. But that’s all changing very soon.
According to a recent press release, “Doctor Who” is coming back to traditional streaming this summer on AMC+. So if you’re looking to watch “Doctor Who” for free on Hoopla, you’d better do so before it leaves the platform and jumps to AMC+ on June 11.
Want more details? Read on.
When is “Doctor Who” coming to AMC+?
Thirteen New Who seasons of “Doctor Who” are coming to AMC+ starting June 11, 2026. While the seasons’ previous home, Hoopla, was completely free, an AMC+ subscription costs $7.99–$10.99/mo.
The press release states that AMC+ is the “new, exclusive streaming home” for those thirteen seasons, so it seems very likely they will disappear from Hoopla next month. We reached out to both AMC+ and Hoopla for clarification, but have yet to hear back as of publishing.
It’s a bit of a bummer that something that used to be free will now be behind a paywall, but at least AMC+ is available in more places and isn’t reliant on your library system having a Hoopla membership.
This move includes every season featuring Christopher Eccleston, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whittaker. It also includes David Tennant’s original run, although it doesn’t include his later appearances from 2023 onwards.
This also does not include the two seasons featuring Ncuti Gatwa, as those are still on Disney+.
How to watch every season of “Doctor Who”
The “Doctor Who” backlog is a little confusing for newcomers. The best place to start is probably with the first reboot, aka the episodes from 2005, which are coming to AMC+ on June 11. But if you’re looking for anything from the 20th century, you’ll have to look to BritBox instead.
And if you’re looking for the most recent “season one” (the stuff with Ncuti Gatwa), you’ll have to get Disney+. Yes, it’s very confusing that the show has three different “first” seasons. I’ve put together this table to hopefully make things clearer.
“Doctor Who” streaming chart
| Service | Seasons | Years | Price | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BritBox | 1–26 | 1963–1989 | $7.99/mo. | Available now |
| Hoopla | 1–13 | 2005–2022 | Free at participating libraries | Will most likely end on June 11 |
| AMC+ | 1–13 | 2005-2022 | $7.99–$10.99/mo. | Beginning June 11 |
| Disney+ | 1–2 | 2023–2025 | $11.99–$18.99/mo. | Available now |
Data effective as of post date. Subject to change.
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