History Series / TheSarahJaneAdventures

** This was also suggested as a [[TakeAThirdOption third option]] in "The Vault of Secrets". [[spoiler: Fortunately, they figured out a fourth one.]]

** Subverted with [[spoiler: Sarah Jane]] and Peter Dalton, as marrying him would've put her under the Trickster's influence and stopped her from her alien fighting.

* TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler: Maria and Alan]], as well as the Brigadier and Jo Grant.

** "The Vault of Secrets" has Sarah Jane and Mr Smith stopping a NASA rover from catching sight of some [[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E3PyramidsOfMars Pyramids on Mars]], and [[spoiler: The Alliance of Shades themselves from the animated serial ''[[Recap/DoctorWho2009ASDreamland Dreamland]]'' appear.]]

* FutureMeScaresMe: [[spoiler: Rani in "The Mad Woman in the Attic". Fortunately, that future changes to a more pleasant one.]]

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* HonorBeforeReason: Kaagh in "The Last Sontaran" [[spoiler: and "Enemy of the Bane".]]

** Later used straight [[spoiler: with Clyde's dad in "Mark of The Beserker"]].
** Subverted in [[spoiler: "Prisoner of The Judoon" part 2 where Luke tries to do this with a possessed Sarah Jane and is tricked into thinking it worked when she starts speaking with her regular voice. It didn't.]]

* ItsPersonal: In "The Gift", it gets personal for Sarah Jane after [[spoiler:Luke gets infected by the Rakweed]]. This happens every time Luke gets hurt. Also happened ''to'' Luke once or twice, most notably in "Mona Lisa's Revenge" when [[spoiler: Sarah Jane got trapped in a painting]].

* LookBehindYou: Performed on a [[spoiler: Sontaran, allegedly one of the finest soldiers in the galaxy.]] He claims he falls for it because he knows where they are going to run and it saves him from having to force them there. Whatever helps you sleep at night, bud.

* TheMenInBlack: [[spoiler: The robotic Alliance of Shades from the animated Series/DoctorWho episode ''[[Recap/DoctorWho2009ASDreamland Dreamland]]'' return]] in "The Vault of Secrets".

* TheMole: [[spoiler: Mr. Smith, though he's back to good after Series 1 as a result of a virus-induced HeelFaceTurn.]]

* SealedEvilInACan: The race of supercomputers that [[spoiler: Mr. Smith belongs to.]]

** Luke has a nightmare about Sarah Jane substituting him when [[spoiler: he goes to university]] in "[[Recap/TheSarahJaneAdventuresS4E1E2TheNightmareMan The Nightmare Man]]".

* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Double Subverted with the Nightmare Man. Luke gives a speech which he simply laughs off, asking if he really believes that talking would defeat a creature like him. [[spoiler: ''I wasn't talking to you.'' cue OhCrap.]]

** Sarah Jane becomes [[spoiler: the TokenWhite when Luke leaves and it actually helps Rani and Clyde's development.]]

* VileVulture: The Shansheeth are aliens that resemble vultures and they make their first appearance in ''Death of the Doctor''. [[spoiler: Their ultimate plan was to steal the tardis in order to avert death on a historical scale. Since they couldn't get the key from the 11th Doctor, they lied about his death so they can form a copy of the key by using a memory weave on his companions.]]

A SpinOff of ''Series/DoctorWho'' (set, of course, in the Franchise/{{Whoniverse}}), made for Creator/{{CBBC}}. It starred [[Creator/ElisabethSladen Elisabeth "Lis" Sladen]], reprising her role of Sarah Jane Smith, investigative reporter and former companion of [[Characters/DoctorWhoDoctor the Doctor]] (in his [[Characters/DoctorWhoThirdDoctor Third]] and [[Characters/DoctorWhoFourthDoctor Fourth]] incarnations) in the classic series. The series lasted from 2007 to 2011, when Sladen [[CharacterOutlivesActor passed away]].

A SpinOff of ''Series/DoctorWho'' (set, of course, in the Franchise/{{Whoniverse}}), made for Creator/{{CBBC}}. It starred [[Creator/ElisabethSladen Elisabeth "Lis" Sladen]], reprising her role of Sarah Jane Smith, investigative reporter and former companion of the Doctor (in his Third and Fourth incarnations) in the classic series. The series lasted from 2007 to 2011, when Sladen [[CharacterOutlivesActor passed away]].

''SJA'' is sort of the opposite of the other Franchise/{{Whoniverse}} spinoff, ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''. Where ''Torchwood'' is DarkerAndEdgier, ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is (''ostensibly'') [[LighterAndSofter Lighter, Fluffier, and For Kids]]. Like ''Torchwood'', the series occasionally crosses over with ''Doctor Who'' proper. Characters from both spinoffs appeared in the ''Doctor Who'' story [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth "The Stolen Earth"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]], where Sarah Jane and Jack meet and become friends. The Doctor also occasionally pops up in ''SJA'', in his tenth and eleventh incarnations.

* TeensAreShort: Averted. Sarah Jane is not significantly taller than most of her companions and is noticeably shorter than Rani.

...Or does it? On April 19th 2020, nine years after Sladen's death, a special minisode, "[[Recap/TheSarahJaneAdventuresSpecialFarewellSarahJane Farewell Sarah Jane]]", premiered, written by Russel T. Davies, and intended as the final word on the character.
* 'Farewell Sarah Jane' has Rani theorise that Sarah Jane isn't dead and instead had one last adventure with the Doctor believing that they're travelling through the stars and exploring the universe forever. The story goes on forever as Sarah still has many more adventures beyond "The Man Who Never Was" and even after she's long gone, her legacy still lives on. Rani eventually ends up inheriting Sarah's house and living there even during 2059 as shown in "The Mad Woman in The Attic".

* KnightOfCerebus: The Trickster is this, as his stories tend to be a lot of darker and hit home emotionally more than other episodes. He would have taken this UpToEleven had The Battle for Bannerman Road been made.

This was the ''second'' attempt to produce a Sarah Jane-centric SpinOff, the first being 1981's ''K-9 and Company''; only a pilot episode of that was produced. After a guest appearance in 1983's ''Doctor Who'' anniversary episode [[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors "The Five Doctors"]], and the charity special [[Recap/DoctorWho30thASDimensionsInTime "Dimensions in Time"]], Sarah Jane wasn't seen on TV again until her return in the 2006 episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E3SchoolReunion "School Reunion"]]. Following the exceptionally good reception of that story, ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' kicked off with a one-hour-long "pseudo-pilot"[[note]]So-called because, while a full series had been commissioned, production actually didn't begin until after the "pseudo-pilot" aired; presumably, had it bombed in the ratings, production of the remainder of Series 1 could have been cancelled.[[/note]] special which aired on New Year's Day 2007, followed by a full series of ten episodes later that year.

''SJA'' is sort of the opposite of the other Franchise/{{Whoniverse}} spinoff, ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''. Where ''Torchwood'' is DarkerAndEdgier, ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is (''ostensibly'') [[LighterAndSofter Lighter, Fluffier, and For Kids]]. Like ''Torchwood'', the series occasionally crosses over with ''Doctor Who'' proper. Characters from both spinoffs appeared in the ''Doctor Who'' story "The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End", where Sarah Jane and Jack meet and become friends. The Doctor also occasionally pops up in ''SJA'', in his tenth and eleventh incarnations.

* {{Meganekko}}: Sarah Jane is, to quite a few fans, infinitely sexier while wearing glasses, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCz7o_tOlIc#t=7m34s here]] among a few other places.
** And so's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3L2r3Z9D2s&feature=related Rani]].

* BigBad: Each season has a different main threat for its finale, like The Slitheen, The Bane, or Mr Smith. But ultimately, the biggest threat to Sarah Jane is The Trickster, who appeared in the penultimate stories of series 1 and 2, then appeared as the main threat in what was effectively the show's first crossover with Doctor Who. Finally, he was going to appear as the BigBad in the series 5 finale, where it would have been revealed he was behind the events of that season involving Sky Smith and her introduction into Sarah Jane's life, and said finale would have resulted in Sarah Jane being forced to leave Bannerman Road. Unfortunately because of Elisabeth Sladen's death, this story did not come to be.

* TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler: Maria]], as well as the Brigadier and Jo Grant.

* CoolOldGuy: the Brigadier, who returns in "Enemy of the Bane".
** The 900+-year-old Time Lord called The Doctor.

* LighterAndSofter: Compared to Sarah Jane's Big Finish series, and on occasion, the [[Series/DoctorWho main show]] itself and ''especially'' ''Series/{{Torchwood}}''...Most of the time, at least. The series has featured a few downright ''[[NightmareFuel terrifying]]'' villains, like the Clown and the Nightmare Man.

* TheMole: [[spoiler: Mr. Smith, though he's back to good for series 2 as a result of a virus-induced HeelFaceTurn.]]

* PapaWolf: Alan Jackson, in spades, once he gets clued in to the situation.

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Sarah Jane's a reporter, but since she's dedicated to keeping her adventures secret, she "can't" report on any of the adventures we see on screen. We've also never seen her actually sit down and write a story (although several episodes do begin with her stumbling upon intrigue during legitimate journalism work - which was how Sarah Jane came to meet the Doctor in the first place). Nine times out of ten, the reporter thing is used as an excuse to have adventures, even in-universe. She's constantly escaping Maria's dad (and later, Rani's mum) by using an "I have to go file a story" excuse, when she's really heading off to fight an alien.

* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: The Doctor has crossed-over twice, but it really doesn't bear worth thinking why he leaves saving the world in all the other episodes up to a bunch of kids and an old woman (maybe because he knows they're capable).

** Series 2, among other things, subs out Maria for Rani.

* VitriolicBestBuds: K-9 and Mr. Smith

* 'Farewell Sarah Jane' has Rani theorise that Sarah Jane isn't dead and instead had one last adventure with the Doctor believing that they're travelling through the stars and exploring the universe forever. The story goes on forever as Sarah still has many more adventures beyond "The Man Who Never Was" and even after she's lone gone, her legacy still lives on. Rani eventually ends up inheriting Sarah's house and living there even during 2059 as shown in "The Mad Woman in The Attic".

* AdultFear: One of the only things that can truly terrify Sarah Jane Smith is the prospect of losing her son.