It’s a classic sci-fi comedy but is Red Dwarf season 13 going to happen anytime soon? Red Dwarf is a sitcom inspired by the likes of John Carpenter’s Dark Star and Alien tha debuted on the BBC in 1988. The series follows Dave Lister (Craig Charles), a lazy slob aboard the mining spaceship Red Dwarf who is sentenced to suspended animation for bringing his pet cat on board. He awakens to learn an accident has wiped out the rest of the crew, he’s stranded in deep space and that three million years have passed. The crew now consists of Lister, a hologram of his snobby, career-obsessed bunkmate Rimmer (Chris Barrie, Tomb Raider) and a creature that evolved from his cat, fittingly named Cat (Danny John-Jules); they’re later joined by service mechanoid Kryten (Robert Llewellyn).
Red Dwarf became a cult sensation thanks to its sharp comic writing and the talent of its cast. The show ran for eight seasons on the BBC, before creator Doug Naylor focused on trying to make Red Dwarf: The Movie a reality. After years of development and rumors of big cameos from stars like Madonna (Die Another Day), funding couldn’t be secured. The show eventually returned a decade later with miniseries Red Dwarf: Back To Earth on UK channel Dave, which is considered the ninth season. Dave would bring the show back for another three seasons, with the most recent airing in 2017.
The show has endured for over 30 years now, so when can fans expect Red Dwarf season 13 to land?
Red Dwarf Season 13 Isn’t Happening… Yet
While cast members like Robert Llewellyn and Danny John-Jules (Blade II) teased Red Dwarf season 13 was gearing up to start shooting in late 2019, this ultimately didn’t come to pass. Fans needn’t worry about the future of the show, however…
Red Dwarf Will Return For A Feature-Length Episode
Instead of Red Dwarf season 13, the cast will instead reunite for a two-hour special set to air on Dave in 2020. The special was set to start recording in December 2019, but a cast member falling ill pushed this date to January 2020 instead. There’s no word on what the story of this special will be and while its not quite Red Dwarf: The Movie, it will be interesting to see how it functions in feature-length form.
There’s no word on when or if Red Dwarf season 13 will happen in the future, but it seems so long as the cast and Doug Naylor have fun making it, the misfit crew of the titular ship will keep floating in deep space for years to come.
Next: Stargate Universe Season 3 Updates: Will It Happen?
