Red Dwarf

Author: Doug Naylor, Rob Grant

After Doctor Who and The Prisoner, and maybe Blake's 7, it's Red Dwarf that made British SciFi into a thing for Americans who watched PBS. It told the story of a crew of a space ship. Well, almost the entire crew died, save for our intrepid hero, Lister, who was in stasis, a hologram, Rimmer, their android, Cryton, and Lister's cat, Cat, who has evolved into a human-like being. There's also the computer, who changes personality and appearance a couple of times. That shouldn't be a shock, as the series started in the 80s, but there've been wide gaps in the production timeline and only 11 seasons total. Red Dwarf goes way over-the-top with the science fiction nuttiness, sometimes diving into big concepts simply for a joke, like a visit to a virtual reality game parlor or a planet running backwards. They've played with everything from alternate reality to space-time dilation, to the Big Bang, to mystery, to love, to loss, to Indian food gags. Yep, it's that kind of show, and while it's changed dramatically more than once, it's still great fun! Why it's on the list: A prime example of science fiction comedy that plays with every concept in the book!