Because I review a whole tv series rather than individual episodes, there is a chance of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the whole series yet, stop reading now!

Red Dwarf X had “mistake” written all over it! Any comedy show struggles to recapture what made it so good when it comes back after a long hiatus. Only Fools and Horses and The Royle Family are two examples that come to mind immediately and usually their resurrection for “one last special” actually tarnishes the decent reputation a show had.

It’s also the case with sitcoms that they usually out-live their best years rather than bow-out gracefully. They have two or three seasons at the end of their run where they are clinging on to faithful fans rather than people watching the show because its quality television. Unfortunately, Red Dwarf fell into this trap.

The final seasons were too different to what made the show unique and funny. Changing the format, expanding the cast and getting slightly too “silly” practically killed the show and certainly caused the BBC to give up on the series.

Even when the satellite channel Dave brought it back for a three-part, one-off special, the show still went too crazy and felt like it lost its roots and what made it so funny, unique and brilliant in the earliest seasons. It meant I watched the first episode of the fully commissioned, tenth season, with some understandable trepidation.

Although it took some time to find its feet, I was luckily very surprised to find that it felt a lot like the show I used to love. First of all, it was back to the original and simple four cast members. No huge ship full of crew, not even Kochanski. The show had gone back to basics, which was the best thing for it.

It also felt much more sitcom than sci-fi. The show was always at its best when it was more about Lister and Rimmer being trapped together. A true odd couple, a pair that hate each other but also need each other to survive and stay sane. The science-fiction was always present but most would agree that some of the funniest moments came from the “bunk-bed” scenes that were simply shared by Craig Charles and Chris Barrie’s characters.

In fact, one of the other keys to the shows success is how good the cast were. You wouldn’t believe that they had any break at all. Charles played Lister effortlessly, Barrie is naturally Rimmer, Kryten felt like the same robot from season three and most accomplished of all was Danny John-Jules ability to slide and twirl around as Cat after all these years. A show with a minute cast was going to live or die on how well they played their classic characters and they didn’t disappoint.

The stories that they had to play through also felt like classic Red Dwarf. Red Dwarf’s episodes were at their best when they played with a very simple idea or twisted logic slightly. Backwards is a great episode with a simple premise, as is Polymorph, which saw the crew lose certain emotions. Season 10 has episodes that are just as clever but simple, like Fathers and Suns, which sees Lister giving parental guidance to himself. Its brilliant and very funny.

It is a perfect example of why keeping a show simple and taking it back to the roots that made it so popular is sometimes the best idea. Rather than expanding and evolving the show to keep it fresh, the best thing Red Dwarf needed was to return to the simple but unique formula that made it so brilliant in the first place.

Overall, Red Dwarf X is a return to form for the sci-fi sitcom. The cast slip back into their roles effortlessly and the stories are as clever and funny as they were in the first few seasons. Red Dwarf X proves that some comedies can be brought back and re-ignite the spark that made them so successful in the first place.

Best Episode – Fathers and Suns: The scene where Lister is talking to himself via a recording is one of the best in the whole season. Classic Red Dwarf.

Best performance – Craig Charles as Dave Lister.

Should there have been another season? – If they keep it simple and much more like classic Red Dwarf then definitely.

Season Rating – 4

(1 – Awful, 2 – Average, 3 – Good, 4 – Great, 5! – Must See)