There have been countless science fiction books, movies and television programs that depicted spacefaring cultures involved in noble, visionary and culturally diverse endeavors. And then there was BBC Television’s Red Dwarf, which is to Star Trek what Spaceballs is to Star Wars.
Okay, they score one out of three — the crew of the namesake interstellar mining ship was as diverse as it gets: The sole surviving member of the original crew (and possibly the human race), a hologram of his dead roommate, a neat-freak android, a bumbling supercomputer, and a humanoid that evolved from a cat (with a dose of James Brown apparently thrown in for good measure).
Make what you will of that motley assortment, but the sitcom was a big success for much of its 1988-99 run, and found a new audience when it was re-aired in America.
Now, 21 years after the show hit the airwaves, a special, two-episode reunion will be aired over Easter Weekend on the digital channel Dave in the U.K. Red Dwarf: Back to Earth will feature the original cast, according to an article on the BBC News website. The article says the broadcast will also include a “no holds barred episode without sets, special effects or autocue,” and a “making of” special. Doug Naylor, co-creator of the show, wrote the episodes.
During its run, Red Dwarf drew eight million viewers in 25 countries worldwide, and seven million DVDs and videotapes were sold, BBC News reports.
So, will American fans of the series get to see their (and we use this term very loosely) heroes in action over Easter Weekend or afterward? Sadly, no. A BBC America spokesman said there are no plans to air Red Dwarf: Back to Earth on the network at this time.