h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Red Dwarf can actually answer this question to some degree, as for the first 6 seasons it was British, but it was bought out by an American network for it's 7th and 8th seasons. As anyone who has seen the show could tell you, the first 6 seasons, even though it was on a low budget, with a very limited cast (Lister, Rimmer, Cat, Holly, Kryten, and maybe a guest villain) was absolutely brilliant. It was funny, original. Who could forget Lister playing pool with the planets? Kryten's inability to say the word "Smeghead."

But as it entered into it's 7th season, after being Americanised, it lost somewhat of it's flavour. It's soul. Suddenly we have a huge cast. More money is being thrown into the set and the cast, but the script has lost it's edge. It has become 'just another tv show.'

I have been deprived of Red Dwarf on TV for quite some time now. It was aired on the ABC here in Australia for many years. Constantly repeating over and over... I never tired of it, and neither did many of my friends.

"Hey what's that? Oh, it's my shadow. I'm looking nice, my shadow's looking nice. What a team. We are unbelieveable. Ok team, this way."
-- The Cat

The BBC wasn't much nicer, recently randomly picking episodes to play at nigh-on midnight. But this is 1st class treatment compared with other sci-fi repeats.

Red Dwarf early episodes were great, and I agree that the last were somewhat lacking in direction and pale in comparison. My thought is that it may be due to the sucess of the series as much as the 'Americanisation' of it - suddenly everyone had to come back on board and "Do Red Dwarf" the way it had been accepted and loved, not simply see what worked and what didn't. Too much pressure, too much money to "play" with the effects so they overwhelmed the script, and too much set.

I think people are also forgetting that between series 6 and 7, Doug Naylor and Rob Grant fell out so by series 7 it was only Doug Naylor doing the scripts. It was the break up of a good writing team that brought down Red Dwarf rather than the 'Americanisation' of it.

The real Americanisation of Red Dwarf happened in 1992 when there was a pilot episode made in America starring Craig Bierko as Lister, Chris Eigeman as Rimmer, Jane Leeves (Daphne from Frasier) as Holly, Hinton Battle as Cat and only Robert Llewellyn from proper Red Dwarf as Kryten. Anyone watched it? That's how succesful it was. They tried again with another pilot episode "Red Dwarf USA" - which was only noteworthy as Terry Farrell - Dax from DS9 - played Cat.

<BB<

i agree that the last two seasons of red dwarf were not as good - but they were still funny, and it was far above the average sitcom. i still watch those (albeit not as much as the others), and enjoy them whenever they come on my pbs station where they're sindicated.

but no, they aren't as good.

and this is coming from an american.

as to the question of british vs. american sci fi, i think that they both have they're highs and lows. there is a ton of crap in american sci fi, but a few very very good points to be found, while in britain there are less bad things but also fewer especially good things. i think it's a tie.

ah ha, perfect. i seem to have landed among Red Dwarfiums

i have recently gone to MVC (music and video store in Britain) and ordered my complete season 1 of Red Dwarf on VHS to get my colection rolling. they informed me at the time that season 4 has been deleted from VHS sale but i can still get it on DVD, which is no good to me cos i don't have a DVD player at work (i work nights you see so need to watch something stimulating).

can any of you fellow hot Gazpacho eaters tell me why this is and if i am able to get the two videos that make the series from?

at a loss in blighty

creachy

You might be better off trawling the second-hand and charity shops for this sort of thing. The BBC are repeating a few of the series but I'm not sure which ones (1 and 2, I think).

PS - I thought only series 1 and 2 were available on DVD.

nah, the smeghead behind the counter told me series 4 was unobtainable on VHS but i could get it on DVD. so god knows why they erased the VHS one.

cheers for the advice i will look into them and let y'all know how it went

Stopped watching after they found red dwarf again, it was just going through the motions

Just thougt here ....

Name an American Sci-Fi comedy that didn't decend into parody (futurama okay)

red Dwarf is the only comedy Sci-Fi that I can think off that still works

What American SF comedy?

There were loads of problems with the US pilot of Red Dwarf. Lister's supposed to be the ultimate slob loser- so let's cast a really good looking guy with a well trimmed beard.

Red Dwarf is about three blokes all alone with no women- so let's make the cat a female.

A lot of the problems stem from a basic lack of understanding of the format. Like doing a US version of One Foot in the Grave with the Meldrews having kids...

I'm definately on the British side in this debate (and thats not just because I am currently sitting here and happen to have been born in this country).

I think the best comedies involve the main characters taking the mickey out of themselves and generally acting the fool. I was in America a couple of months ago for a holiday, and read an interesting article about the differences between British and American comedies.

To cut a long story short, the big problem with American comedies, is that they don't like making fools of themselves. Historically Americans have to get somewhere first, be the best, and if there is a mistake - ignore it. The British aren't perfect either, but they do tend to prefer underdogs more than the Americans.

The person writing the article admitted as much that the British don't mind making fools of ourselves infront of the camera, and that they are quite happy to let us do that.

Think of the best American comedies in recent years : Friends, Cheers, Fraser. They haven't been afraid to poke fun of themselves (at least when they have been at their best).

If you look at Red Dwarf, Black Adder, Men Behaving Badly, Only Fools and Horses, One Foot in the Grave, Hitchhikers... (the list goes on) they all have the "Underdog comes through" theme to them. There are of course many other factors, but I think this is quite an important aspect of British comedies and generally stops awful shows like "Time Gentlemen Please" from getting anywhere.

Anyway I'm in the Dr Who/Red Dwarf camp here.