SciFiNow-August2018

072 | W W W. S C I FI N OW.CO.U K

OPINION

MASHING TOGETHER COMEDY
and genre is a damn tricky business. For
every Red Dwarf or Rick And Morty there are
a legion of TV shows that get that
fi ne balance wrong. But rather than
remembering the failures, we’re here to
celebrate the very best in sci-fi /fantasy/
horror comedy series...

JONATHAN HATFULL
RED DWARF
At its very best (and there is a lot of
that, by the way), Red Dwarf has always
remembered that it is, fi rst and foremost,
a sitcom. The sci-fi trappings are essential,
of course, and beautifully done, but the
relationships between the crewmates are
what really make it work. It’s brilliantly,
impossibly funny as it confronts its four
characters with scenarios that range from
terrifying (the shape-shifting genius of
‘Polymorph’) to the deeply irritating
(Rimmer cloning himself and realising
he is insufferable in ‘Me2’). As ludicrous
as things got, Red Dwarf was always
oddly relatable and it’s still
fantastically rewatchable.

Red Dwarf I-XII are available from 2entertain
and airs on Dave.

ABIGAIL CHANDLER

THE GOOD PLACE

Not only does The Good Place hit all

the right notes as a hilarious, surreal,

character-driven comedy, it also creates

a genuinely good fantasy world. It starts

off focusing on a dead woman who ends

up in heaven thanks to a clerical error,

but that’s really just a springboard to

launch viewers into a memorably

bureaucratic and weirdly inventive

vision of the afterlife, in which everyone

who has ever had a personalised number

plate goes straight to hell. It manages to

be funny, gripping and moving, and it

gleefully throws the status quo out of the

window every few episodes.

The Good Place Seasons 1-2 are available on

N e t fl i x n o w.

POPPY-JAY PALMER

PSYCHOVILLE

Psychoville’s tie-in websites may have

won a Best New Media BAFTA (whatever

that means), but the actual show itself

doesn’t get nearly are much love as it

deserves. It’s hilarious from start to end

and the mystery at the centre is riveting.

But really, its greatest strength is Series

One, episode four. The whole series is

worth watching for that episode alone.

Taking inspiration from Hitchcock’s Rope,

it’s shot on one set in just two takes, and is

a testament to just how damn good Reece

Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton are at

ma k i n g tel ly.

Psychoville Series 1 and 2 are available on

Blu-ray and DVD from 2entertain.

RACHAEL HARPER

RICK AND MORTY

Some TV shows just tick all the right

boxes. How can something be funny, gross,

heartwarming and entertaining while also

being mind-bogglingly clever and at the

same time appeal to pretty much everyone

and their grandmother? I don’t have the

magic formula for that but Rick And Morty

certainly seems to – it is a genuine genre

comedy animation that surprises at every

turn. Adult Swim obviously feels the same,

ordering a staggering 70 more episodes

of the series, which is helpful as Rick And

Morty is what binge-watching dreams are

made of...

Rick And Morty Seasons 1-3 are available on

N e t fl i x n o w.

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