--- title: "Red Dwarf" year: 1988 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/red-dwarf" fi1m_score: 80 critics_reviews: 3 published: "2026-09-16T20:50:43.464952+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T20:50:52.276105+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Red Dwarf (1988) Created by Doug Naylor, Rob Grant · 30m · MPA TV-PG · Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics: 3 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* The universe has plenty of room, yet Lister and Rimmer still manage to get on each other’s nerves > Craig Charles and Chris Barrie give *Red Dwarf* a comic partnership worth returning to. The science-fiction sitcom has an uneven run, but its strongest stretches make petty quarrelling funny enough to justify the cosmic surroundings. ## Synopsis In outer space, Dave Lister (Craig Charles) and Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie) have trouble putting up with each other. Cat (Danny John-Jules) and Holly (Norman Lovett) are part of their company. Science-fiction predicaments give Lister and Rimmer fresh things to disagree about, without settling any of their existing differences. Everyday irritations persist through changes in their circumstances, and neither man readily makes allowances for the other. Their adventures take them through absurd situations and occasional drama, with their difficult relationship remaining central. ## Review *Red Dwarf* gives science fiction a useful problem: people who cannot stop being irritating simply because their surroundings are extraordinary. Creators Doug Naylor and Rob Grant understand how much comedy can come from keeping incompatible personalities together, then allowing their grievances to survive every change of circumstance. We recommend it, with a warning that the standard varies considerably across the run. At its strongest, the programme makes the next exchange between Dave Lister and Arnold Rimmer as enticing as the next science-fiction idea. Craig Charles and Chris Barrie are the main reason. Their exchanges have the accumulated impatience of people who already know what will annoy them and still cannot resist responding. We laughed at the Lister–Rimmer bickering because both actors make the irritation seem involuntary; even before a joke lands, the reluctance to concede anything is funny. There is warmth in that recognition, too, and it makes the more absurd material easier to care about. Danny John-Jules as Cat and Robert Llewellyn as Kryten help prevent that central pairing from exhausting itself. The pleasure comes from the different comic rhythms: the supporting performances give the bickering time to pause without making us impatient for it to resume. Norman Lovett’s Holly fits this company well, with a delivery that makes the absurd seem scarcely worth remarking upon. The occasional movement towards drama works because spending time with these characters has made their company matter. The cinematography credited to Ed Moore, Peter Morgan and Andy Martin is most effective when it leaves the actors to carry a scene. The visual approach rarely needs to be elaborate for the comedy to work. Production designers including Paul Montague and Mel Bibby give the science-fiction settings enough substance for the petty disagreements to feel at home in them. Some of the effects have dated, and their limitations can distract from a good idea. The pictures usually give us enough to understand the absurdity without requiring us to admire the technology. The editing is less consistently helpful. Editors across the run include Mark Wybourn, Graham Hutchings and Perry Widdowson, and the variable pacing is noticeable when a promising exchange carries on after its funniest moment. Music credited to Howard Goodall and Clement Ishmael helps the programme move between silliness and more serious scenes without making the latter feel unduly solemn. But there are passages where the wait for the next good joke feels longer than it should. As a science-fiction sitcom, it gets something important right: the speculative ideas give the characters fresh ways to bother one another. Those ideas can also be interesting enough to occupy us beyond the jokes, which helps the programme survive its rougher patches. The most reliable stretch is series three to six; the earlier material establishes the relationship that makes those episodes rewarding, while later series ask more of our goodwill. Its willingness to change format is welcome, though some of the changes weaken the character comedy. Start at the beginning and allow the central partnership time to settle; skipping straight to the strongest stretch costs some of the pleasure of knowing these people. Expect uneven episodes as well as jokes worth repeating, and allow yourself to be impatient when familiarity is doing too much of the work. We would happily spend another half-hour with them. *Fi1m score 80, published 16 September 2026.* ### Reviews we read (3) - **The Guardian** (85/100, inferred): The critic praises Red Dwarf as one of the most imaginative and funny British sitcoms, highlighting the chemistry between Lister and Rimmer and the first six series as the show's peak. The box set review singles out the sharp banter and relatable character dynamics set against cosmic backdrops. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/nov/19/red-dwarf-space-jokes-meteorites) - **The AV Club**, Alasdair Wilkins (70/100, inferred): The critic presents Red Dwarf as one of the few successful sci-fi sitcoms, noting it is not quite top-tier British comedy due to roughness but excels when firing on all cylinders in seasons three through six with hilarious and thought-provoking episodes. The piece highlights the show's willingness to change formats and its enduring appeal despite later seasons being a step down. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/how-red-dwarf-blends-sitcom-with-sci-fi-in-just-10-smegging-episodes-1798233909) - **Vulture**, Curtis Gwinn (70/100, inferred): The writer recounts discovering the series as a perfect follow-up to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, praising its absurdist British sci-fi comedy, odd-couple dynamics between Lister and Rimmer, and unique mercurial tone that shifts toward drama. Modern viewers may find the effects and pacing dated, but it remains well worth watching. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2010/10/hands-up-who-likes-me-filling-the-void-with-some-good-smeg.html) ## Details - **Created by:** Doug Naylor, Rob Grant - **Creator:** Doug Naylor, Rob Grant - **Director:** Ed Bye, Doug Naylor, Andy De Emmony, Juliet May, Rob Grant - **Writer:** Doug Naylor, Rob Grant, Paul Alexander, Kim Fuller, Robert Llewellyn, James Hendrie - **Cinematography:** Peter Morgan, Ed Moore, Andy Martin - **Editor:** Graham Hutchings, Ed Wooden, Peter Oliver, Nick Ames, Mark Wybourn, Perry Widdowson, Sam Seal - **Music:** Howard Goodall, Clement Ishmael - **Production design:** Mel Bibby, Stephen Bradshaw, Paul Montague, Julian Fullalove, Michael Ralph, Keith Dunne, Mark Harris - **Costume design:** Howard Burden, Gill Shaw, Jackie Pinks, Jane Batt - **Producer:** Ed Bye, Doug Naylor, Rob Grant - **Cast:** Craig Charles as Dave Lister; Danny John-Jules as Cat; Robert Llewellyn as Kryten; Norman Lovett as Holly; Chloë Annett as Kochanski; Chris Barrie as Arnold Rimmer / Ace Rimmer; Hattie Hayridge as Hilly; Don Henderson as Rogue Simulant - **Runtime:** 30m - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-PG - **Release (the US):** 15 February 1988 - **Genres:** Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy ## Where to watch in the US - BritBox: streaming, hd - Pluto TV: free - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - Apple TV: add-on, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Apple TV: buy, sd - Amazon Prime Video: buy, sd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AU, CA, GB, IE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy* (1981): Another universe in which human exasperation survives every advance in technology. - *Dark Star* (1974): A scruffier space comedy where boredom becomes a serious occupational hazard. - *Galaxy Quest* (1999): Affectionate science-fiction comedy built around a group spectacularly unsuited to responsibility. - *The Bothersome Man* (2006): Deadpan absurdity turns ordinary frustrations into something colder and more unsettling. - *Detectorists* (2014): For the prickly companionship and patient jokes, with considerably less space travel. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/red-dwarf