Like you, I watched the whole Lexx series first. When I lived in London way back in the early 1990s, I did watch a few Red Dwarf episodes on a sporadic basis. It’s only now, with Red Dwarf recently appearing on Netflix in its entirety, that I’m able to take in Red Dwarf as a complete series and see its many similarities to Lexx.

I’m always pleased to come across a kindred spirit who has a genuine affection for Lexx, as there are so many strong opinions out there against Lexx–most of which have to do with the less-than-perfect acting, editing, and effects. You, like me it seems, can see through all that and appreciate the unique perspective Lexx provides in the character-driven sci fi genre.

Perhaps if Lexx had the full funding of a BBC production (rather than the Salter Street shoestring), its acting, episodic writing, and effects would have been more polished and on par (qualitywise) with Red Dwarf.

One of the chief ways Red Dwarf differs from Lexx is that Lexx doesn’t have a laugh track. I can’t help but wonder if Red Dwarf’s creators weren’t forced (by higher-ups in the production chain) into adding it as device to get the show to fit into the comedy “box.” Absent a laugh track, the dystopian setting comes through much more strongly in Lexx than in Red Dwarf.

Laugh tracks make a huge difference to a show–both in the viewing and the writing. Imagine what a darker show Golden Girls would have been without a laugh track. To see what I mean, check out the BBC show Him & Her. It has no laugh track (but easily could have). For some reason, absence of laugh tracks seems to keep certain scenes in these sitcoms on my brain, and I end up thinking about them later–and smiling inwardly. This is much more like real life. We don’t going around laughing at our fellow man’s misfortune as it is raining down upon him. Rather, we tend to laugh later–as it is put in the broader context of life.

Cheers from LA!

Das mit deiner Familie wird schon. Du darfst nur nicht melancholisch werden, du musst stark sein, für dich und deine Familie! Und das kannst du nur erreichen wenn sich etwas in deinem Leben ändert.