I discovered Red Dwarf back in my high school days and have been a loyal ‘Dwarfer’ ever since. I started watching Red Dwarf during the middle of the 4th series and, ever since, have waited in anticipation for every new series. The antics of Lister, Rimmer, Cat, and Kryten were some of the greatest I had seen. More series came, but the time between each grew longer. When series 8 finished, fans thought it was done with; all we had were the hopes of a long rumored movie. Years later we were treated to the 3 part mini-series Back to Earth. That series brought the Red Dwarf crew back to our universe’s Earth where Red Dwarf is an actual television show and the crew are actual characters from that show. Fan reaction was mixed; however, I enjoyed it, but wished there was something more to give the series an ending it deserved. Now, 3 years later, the Red Dwarf crew is back for a 10th series, which is quite a feat for a show that began 24 years ago.
The premiere episode for Red Dwarf X is called Trojan, which is the name of a derelict ship the crew comes across. The episode begins like any classic episode of Red Dwarf; Cat and Lister are sitting around watching infomercials wondering how people can buy the junk they try to sell. By the time the commercial is over they are both running for the phone trying to order a Stir Master. This leads to a great running joke throughout the episode that had me laughing quite a bit.
I will try not to give away too many spoilers, but the biggest revelation in the episode is the discovery of Arnold Rimmer’s brother, Howard. His ship is in distress and needs help, but Rimmer decides he can’t face his brother as a mere vending machine repair man. No, he needs to pass his exams to become a Captain before he can help his brother. The only problem is he has 17 hours before it’s too late for a rescue.
The 10th series is the first time in a long while that the show has been filmed in front of a live studio audience instead of the fake laugh track used in the last few series. It made the premiere episode feel all that more like a classic episode. I can’t wait to see the remaining 5 episodes of the series.
Unfortunately, as of yet, there is no release date set for the U.S., but you can go to Dave TV’s official website and watch it for free. I would highly advise you to go and enjoy the show.