CREDIT: BBC
It's a British great that's slipped beyond the radar - time to dig up Red Dwarf.

British television has found explosive popularity in North America— Doctor Who is no longer relegated to PBS syndicated broadcasts. We all know the greats: Doctor Who, The IT Crowd and Sherlock. But one particular cult favourite that’s slipped under the radar of North American audiences is the greatness of Red Dwarf.

The future isn’t all it’s cracked up to be for David Lister and Arnold Rimmer, two lowly technicians constantly at loggerheads with each other, aboard the asteroid mining ship Red Dwarf.

Already suffering from a complete lack of respect from fellow crew members, things don’t get any better when a radiation leak aboard the ship kills everyone. That is, except for the slovenly Lister, saved by the stasis module he was frozen in as punishment by the captain due to insubordination.

Unfrozen three million years into the future, Lister; the resurrected hologram of his worst enemy, Arnold Rimmer; a humanoid creature called Cat, which is a descendent of Lister’s black tabby Frankenstein; and the ship’s senile computer Holly, drift aimlessly in space, uncertain if humanity even exists any longer. It’s a comedy, by the way.

Britcoms are famous for their off-kilter sense of dark comedy, and Red Dwarf delivers just that.

Even in the face of despair, slob Lister and neat-freak Rimmer manage to embody an Odd Couple- in-space feeling that gives the show its charm in spite of its drab, low-budget visual design. Plus, the loose but definite sense of continuity gives the show something other sitcoms sometimes lack: a sense of meaningful character evolution.

Lister, a perpetual slob, matures emotionally over time from the man-child he once began as. Rimmer – his hologram anyway – goes from being a spineless rule-fanatic to being relaxed, even open towards his shipmates. Cat’s cat-like airheaded vanity occasionally takes a backseat for some braveness or sudden ingenuity.

Red Dwarf is cheesy science fiction at its best, and there’s plenty of it. It’s nine seasons and has a miniseries special; a new series called Red Dwarf X; along with novels and merchandise. It’s comic science fiction with a fully fleshed-out word, with those seeking something with enough backstory to warrant hardcore fandom.

Red Dwarf is long-running but always funny, introspective and just plain entertaining sci-fi junk-food.