"There wouldn't have been a Series 6, 7 or 8…"

[Me Own Stunts]

Whenever I watch the ‘Dwarfing USA’ feature on the Series 5 DVD, this line from Craig pops out. He says that if the USA series had gone ahead, there wouldn’t have been a Series 6, 7 or 8. And then I wonder if I would miss Series 6, 7 and 8 being removed from the Red Dwarf canon.

Yes, Series 6 is amongst many people’s favourites, but it ends on a cliffhanger that pulls with it Series 7, which in turn ends on a cliffhanger which pulls in Series 8. It sets in motion Rimmer being a hard-light hologram, which some might argue should never have been a long-term thing. And it swaps character-bound comedy for quick-fire one-liners, which are great when they are funny, as they are in Series 6, but the rot sets in once they’re not funny in Series 7 and 8, and you’re left wondering why on earth the reality of the show is bending around the world of Beadle’s About (Lister initially doesn’t recognise Kryten in a prank scenario because the latter is wearing a disguise).

Then I think back to the early 90s, when we got all our Dwarf news from the Smegazines, and that’s when we first learned about a possible American series. At that time all we heard was that they were trying to get things moving, and then a few issues later we discovered it had all collapsed into a heap of arse.

Here’s something: I always felt that Series 6 came too soon. I loved the world of Series 3-5, with all the walls cream coloured and the crew living in the Officers Quarters; I think they got everything right then, the design of Red Dwarf’s interior, and the balance between time spent onboard Red Dwarf, Starbug and exploring beyond that. I could have stayed a little more in the world of Series 5, but they decided to strand them on Starbug in Series 6. An altered Starbug that lacked the claustrophobic potential of the Series 3-5 one.

The first American pilot used modifications of the Series 3-5 sets, but had a shit script and everything went wrong. We know this.

So here’s a little proposal for you. Would you trade Series 6, 7 and 8 for an unknown number of American Red Dwarf seasons? We’re of course talking about an alternate dimension in which the pilot had succeeded, which means the pilot had all its problems fixed, and the show had potential to be good.

Here’s what you get if you accept:

1) Series 6, 7 and 8 removed from history, so that UK Red Dwarf of the 90s ends with ‘Back to Reality’.
2) Your memory of these are removed, so you will never know that Series 7 and 8 were shite, and instead are left with the high of ‘Back to Reality’ before the US series took over. In the back of your mind you could be wondering ‘what if’ about the UK series just as much as you currently wonder ‘what if’ about the US one.
3) An unknown number of US seasons. First season probably six episodes, then over a dozen for each season after that. The quality of these can’t be foreseen, but we’re talking about a parallel dimension in which the pilot worked sufficiently for the series to go ahead. Maybe five seasons would be made, but you are trading for something unknown here.
4) This trade doesn’t effect the Dave era of the show, except that Chloe Annett wasn’t cast as Kochanski in the 90s, so there would be no reason to cast anyone but Claire Grogan in Back to Earth. Back to Earth also wouldn’t feature call-backs to Kryten doing his jealous shrieking thing. A 2009 special would focus on however many years had passed since Series 5 rather than since Series 8, and Series 10, 11 and 12 would be called Series 6, 7 and 8 respectively.

Yes or no then; come on.

Topic

[International Debris]

Yeah, that’s a pretty cheap shot of a joke really.

[Jonsmad]

A cheap rim shot.

[flanl3]

My phone’s being an ass and won’t let me copy things so I’ll just assume you know what post I meant to quote.

Nobody in Back to Earth called series X the best yet.

[Me Own Stunts]

> Hang on. Do people really think series X is named X because IX is meant to be the lost series, and not because Back to Earth *is* IX? Even if you consider the director’s cut the definitive version of BTE, it was originally broadcast as a series of three episodes, and it was the ninth one, so it’s series IX. Doug has stated that BTE isn’t Red Dwarf, mind you, but this lost series thing is bollocks, surely?

I was personally clarifying that if we had no Series 6, 7 and 8 in the 90s, a special made in 2009 with, at first, a name rather than a series number, would retrospectively be considered Series 6, with the current Series 10, 11 and 12 (although they would differ from the “current” versions for reasons already outlined in posts above) being Series 7, 8 and 9 respectively.

[Seb Patrick]

>Doug has stated that BTE isn’t Red Dwarf

No he hasn’t. He’s said it isn’t “series 9”. Which it isn’t, because it’s a special.

[(deleted)]

(it is though)

[clem]

> No he hasn’t.

I’m almost certain he has, in that interview with Dan Clark.

> He’s said it isn’t “series 9”. Which it isn’t, because it’s a special.

It’s series

[clem]

Sorry, that was meant to say “It’s a series of specials, though, isn’t it?”

[JamesTC]

The correct way to refer to Back to Earth is clearly 3,000,000 AD.

[Lilly Queen]

An American Red Dwarf would have been excellent if helmed by David Mirkin and David X. Cohen. Mirkin is one of the few American producers who understands what made British comedies like the Young Ones great. Has a sensibility for rapid fire jokes and breaking all the rules of television. Cohen knows how to marry strong sci/fi ideas and comedy. And they both know the importance of giving depth to their comedy characters.

[Jonsmad]

David X? Instead of Dave series x? I’m confused?

[Ben Saunders]

Doug said something along the lines of “it’s not [really] Red Dwarf”, yes, but I doubt he writes it off completely – he seems very aware of fan reception and takes their criticisms on board, but it’s not like BtE was utterly incoherent, devastatingly shite trash. But then, people can’t “like” or “dislike” things anymore, they have to be the greatest or the worst shit of all time

[Ben Paddon]

I rather like BTE. Can VIII not be Red Dwarf instead?

[Me Own Stunts]

> Can VIII not be Red Dwarf instead?

Only if you also lose Series 6 and 7. Them’s the rules.

[Pete Part Three]

At least one member of the production has to disown it. You could try Watchdog, but they’ve got bigger fish to fry.

[Author]

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