Despite starring in Doctor Who, a specific actor had another seven-part series that wound up being one of the greatest ever TV space operas. Many would argue that Doctor Who is the greatest sci-fi show of all time, and for good reason. Doctor Who‘s many Doctors have allowed the show to evolve beyond a typical sci-fi story as it leaned into other genres and styles.

While it may not be one of the most rewatchable sci-fi shows due to its length, Doctor Who is certainly one of the most iconic. Of late, though, there is no denying that the show is no longer at the same level of popularity it once was. This, along with the era of streaming services, has allowed sci-fi TV to blossom.

The list of exciting upcoming sci-fi shows is proof of this, with 2026 set to feature many more from some of the biggest franchises in the world. Some of these, particularly those in the Star Wars and DC franchises, will be more akin to space operas than grounded sci-fi shows like Severance.

When looking back as opposed to forward, however, some sci-fi shows, like Doctor Who, have solidified themselves as some of the greatest space operas on TV. One such show actually starred a prominent Doctor Who actor and, after a somewhat rocky start, became a space opera worth remembering.

Legends Of Tomorrow Is An Excellent DC Space Opera

The show in question is Legends of Tomorrow. Legends of Tomorrow is a DC TV show focusing on a group of antiheroes and former criminals who form a time-traveling team to combat threats across several timelines. The man responsible for gathering these antiheroes was Rip Hunter, played by Arthur Darvill.

Darvill starred in three seasons of Doctor Who as Rory Williams, a companion of the Eleventh Doctor. Thankfully for Legends of Tomorrow, Darvill took some of the space elements of Doctor Who with him to the DC show; Unlike other installments in the same universe as it, dubbed the Arrowverse, Legends of Tomorrow embraces the sci-fi side of the DC Universe to become a fully-fledged space opera.

Initially, the show had a lukewarm reception before finding its voice as a space opera, becoming one of the best in the genre by the end of its seven-season run. This improvement in reception went for both fans and critics, which saw the show become a lot more beloved than it was on its debut.

Thanks to the way Legends of Tomorrow embraced tones outside of those crafted by the wider Arrowverse, it took on an entirely new genre. More so than the likes of Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl, which may have had better individual seasons than those of Legends of Tomorrow, the latter show was considered a lot more consistent in its quality.

Legends Of Tomorrow Started As One Show & Ended As Another

Originally, though, Legends of Tomorrow was similar in tone to the likes of Arrow and The Flash. All three shows began with a typical CW tone, with a focus placed on melodrama amid superhero elements. Legends of Tomorrow was the same, only with the key difference of having time travel elements that were not as prevalent in Arrow or The Flash.

In season 1, Legends of Tomorrow was very much “Arrow with time travel,” based on the self-serious tone, the links to that show via its characters, and the way it rarely utilized its time travel elements to their full potential. That said, Legends of Tomorrow eventually evolved. The show became its own thing by leaning more into the fun it could have with time travel as a central plot point.

Eventually, Legends of Tomorrow utilized the tropes of time travel to great effect, be it time loops, dinosaurs, and mind invasions, or riffs on other television shows, the exploration of alternate versions of its characters, and the same for the Arrowverse as a whole. What started as a more generic, “gritty” superhero show became a campy, silly, goofy, but increasingly more fun space opera show.

Legends Of Tomorrow Carried The Doctor Who Torch

Thanks to this change of genre, Legends of Tomorrow carried the Doctor Who torch for a while. Darvill’s inclusion as Rip Hunter helped this somewhat, but so too did the changes in reception and popularity Doctor Who suffered in the mid-to-late 2010s. There is no denying that David Tennant’s era as the Doctor was when the show was at its most popular.

Although hardcore fans and most critics enjoyed the ensuing actors of Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whittaker, it is simply a fact that the show received fewer viewership numbers and underwent significant changes. Be it the changing of showrunners, old actors coming back, new ones being underserved, and divisive reactions from wider fans, Doctor Who somewhat lost its way in the late-2010s.

Legends of Tomorrow filled that void. Season 2 of the show, when the reception started increasing, was released in 2016, and it concluded with season 7 in 2022. By embracing its sillier elements and establishing its own fun tone as a space opera above a superhero show, Legends of Tomorrow carried the torch that Doctor Who dropped for a while, becoming one of the best in its genre as a result.

Release Date

2016 – 2022-00-00

Showrunner

Phil Klemmer

Directors

Caity Lotz, David Ramsey, Marc Guggenheim

Writers

Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Phil Klemmer