It only seems like last week that we were being told that classic UK SF sitcom Red Dwarf would be returning for a special one-off hour-long episode to be filmed next month (oh wait: it was last week). But now that plan seems to have been replaced by four half-hour episodes of new and old material. This doesn't necessarily sound like a good thing.According to The Sun,
Bosses at digital channel Dave have ordered four 30-minute shows for next year, which will take viewers on a trip down memory lane. They will see the stars pull on their old costumes for some original sketches and also feature some of Red Dwarf's best bits.
I think I join with almost every fan of the original show in being disturbed by the use of the words "original sketches." Red Dwarf was many things - amongst them inventive, purile, and the show that introduced me to the real meaning of the insult "smeg head" - but it was never really a sketch show, and the idea of mixing new sketches with the "best bits" of the original series sounds... well, like four episodes of filler. The Guardian's Daniel Martin shares my concern:
It sounds a lot like those special episodes of 80s US sitcoms where they'd run out of budget and the characters would be forced to sit round a table and reminisce about the events of the series.
Well, that or special features for an upcoming DVD re-release of the original series. Are the rumors of a reunion really going to turn out to be nothing more than a glorified commentary track? Red Dwarf in TV Comeback [The Sun]