basingstoker

[basingstoker]

They have also disappeared from Netflix. The entire I-BTE were on there, but leading into this new series they’ve disappeared. They’re still available on Netflix, with everything free to Prime users. No skin off my nose as I own all the DVDs, but still.

[basingstoker]

Also, it’s something completely different from anything on TV over here right now.

[basingstoker]

It’s a glorified soap opera that doesn’t have many of the same barriers as others. It’s something decadent that they can indulge in and have that image of days and societies past. It’s polished, too, with some often beautiful scenery. Same reason the Royal Wedding is blasted everywhere here and Matt Lauer loses his mind.

[basingstoker]

I can’t blame PBS for not picking it up, or doing it yet. I don’t think it will be a national show, but will probably be available, eventually, on regional PBS stations on a station-by-station basis. PBS, with looming threat of budget cuts, needs to prioritize. Downton Abbey has a ton of acclaim, huge ratings and a unique selling point. Plus, with ITV as a major backer, it can fulfill its Masterpiece Theatre obligations the wealthy donors associate with quality. Red Dwarf doesn’t fit in that category, sadly, and will probably fall into a regional pattern (my West Virginia PBS has a block of the classics).

If this was going to happen, the DVD wouldn’t be available before the airdate.

BBC America won’t run it because it isn’t such a good fit for them. Sure, they’ve got Doctor Who and run it endlessly, but the look of the series hasn’t dated it to be much of a problem. They scrapped older, classic comedies a long time ago. Even though Sci-Fi is big for the network, a show with a lot of backstory may not be as easy to pick up on (Doctor Who nowadays is written for every episode to be a jumping-on point).

I may be flamed for this, but Red Dwarf has been too irregular, at this point, to invest a lot of marketing money in and get a return on investment.

The sad thing is nothing could be worked out with Netflix, Hulu, etc – or some kind of an outlet that could show it (like The Thick Of It has here recently) which would deter the urge to watch it online before the DVD release.

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