Red Dwarf

I saw a pretty poor copy of this but the bottom line is that it lacks the punch, clarity and humor of the original series.

The characters are thin, unbelievable, two dimensional copies of the flawed but warm and likeable characters in the original series. The only actor who came from the original series is Robert Llewellyn who tries hard but is let down by the rest of the cast and the direction.

There's something seriously wrong with the timing of the humor. It's set up as if it was a sitcom not a comedy. The timing should be quite different however the canned laughter track is timed for a sitcom not for a comedy show and thus makes all of the comedy fall totally flat.

If you like Red Dwarf, give this a miss. If you haven't seen the original Red Dwarf then beg, borrow, steal or buy the original (or look for re-runs on PBS) but give this remake a wide, wide berth.

I just managed to see the pilot to the US version of Red Dwarf, which apparently was never screened. It is almost entirely the same dialog as the first episode of the original series. There's lots of recycled footage, in fact, I didn't see any original effects. The only major difference, except for different actors, is that they introduced Kryten from the beginning. Kryten was still played by Robert Llewellyn. There was also a funny animation of the cat's evolution. I can't imagine how small the budget must have been on this pilot. I think real Red Dwarf fans wouldn't like it because it's just a rip off of the UK version. Non-fans wouldn't like it because they failed to bridge the Atlantic comedy gap, which I assume was the point of trying to make a US version of the series. If this pilot is anything like what the US version would have been, then I guess I'm glad it failed. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This version of Red Dwarf is strictly a worthless footnote. The script is almost completely cribbed from the original British episode "The End" with a poorer cast, flat performances and nothing original to speak of.

It is astonishing that Someone thought it useful to Americanize what was already a classic comedy on both sides of the Atlantic. That Someone must think all Americans are parochial morons who would be alienated by the original. This is yet another failed attempt to de-Anglicize a British hit. At least this version died before being officially aired.

You're joking right? This is an attempt at sarcasm right? Judging by the other comments and the UK's own reddwarf fan site not even acknowledging it, and possibly even Doug Naylor would say 'No Comment' if he was asked about it. The US version didn't work. Or was it really a conspiracy by the BBC to get the US to buy the original and excellent series on BBC DVD? Complete sets of the DVD's are available from most popular media stores and auction websites. :) A question though: I've not actually seen the US Pilot or Promo, and I'm intrigued and inspired to have it just so I can show it at local conventions. How do I get a copy and who produced/owns it?

Just watched a very poor quality copy. In fact I'm quite glad it was a poor quality copy because if it was good quality I would probably have been even more aware of how rubbish this was. (Kryten being the only exception).

Lister was too "Wholesome American", his character needs to be more scummy. Rimmer wasn't arsy enough. Cat looked to be reasonably well cast but there really wasn't enough of his character in the pilot to draw any real conclusion. Holly was also okay except perhaps a little too chirpy. Kryten, well Kryten was played by Robert Llewellyn so you can't really go wrong there.

If the Americans want to watch Red Dwarf why don't they just buy the original episodes off the BBC instead of butchering an absolutely timeless cult classic. I actually feel dirty, I need to watch an original episode to cleanse that detritus from my mind!