Well… I think my overall thought is “sure, why not”. I'm unfortunately not hyped as I used to be by the series. Oh, and there was some characters that are good to be seen again, but… Well, we'll see.
The last christmas special was excellent, though. But the last season was so unequal… :/ Some great ideas, some dumb plot, some interesting characters, some awful deliveries…
I've got tired of Muffat's style of writing. It used to be my favorite writer, and what he did with the season 5 and 6 was excellent. But now I have the feeling that everything is predictable, that the show alternates between pandering and poor philosophy. Everything isn't bad, but… It lacks surprises, simple but great ideas, and appealing characters.
I'm not really enjoying when the shows tries to be too epic, or stays too focused on an big arc through several seasons. I know many don't have that opinion, but I miss a little the Russel T. Davies episodes, where each one was about an unique set of character, one idea, and explored before all the characters of the Doctor and his companions, as well as their relationship. Season 3 and 4 were really great in that aspect.
At least, that season won't be dedicated to the introduction of Peter Capaldi, and this is GREAT! I think Peter Capaldi is great, but season 8th was so much about questioning the concept of the character itself, that it didn't allow him to exploit his full potential. In place, we had this “grumpy Doctor vs. smart-ass companion” story that, in my opinion, wasn't that much interesting.
But now Capaldi is here, and has been here, so it might go forward. As I said, the christmas episode was pretty cool, so other episodes of that quality would be great!
Although I still wish Moffat let the series to another writer.
Of course I meant Series 9! And yeah, I've gone through most of the specials, except for those linked with season 3 and 4.