MovieChat Forums > Red Dwarf (1989) Discussion > Isn't it time Doug Naylor let someone el...

Isn't it time Doug Naylor let someone else write episodes.


Either alongside him or replacing him. In my opinion he should have done it years ago.

Just cause he and the actors are getting old it doesnt mean the scripts have to be. He has just recycled endlessly.

Series X was brilliant in my opinion he had 10 years to write those episodes the rest of the series since have been weak. =(

reply

After that many episodes, couldn't you argue that nobody knows the show quite like Naylor?

He has had co-writers over the years as well...

But I think about shows like Archer. One of the reasons Archer has such high quality, in my opinion, is that Adam Reed is the brain trust - he's the sole soul of the show. It's something I've admired about British TV for years now: they let one or two masterminds create the whole show instead of hiring a slew of writers who bring different voices to the table and make episodes swing wildly in consistency of quality.

reply

Yes.. I know of that argument/viewpoint.

I don't care, better to have a supposedly "non-pure" episodes..... than yet another bunch of weak ass episodes.

Remember this was originally the brainchild of two writers, it's like the show has lost a lung... and now the one remaining one is really clapped out!

reply

I won't speak to the quality of Red Dwarf specifically because I haven't watched every episode extensively. I'd rather weak episodes come from a similar tone than from writers who don't understand the show.

Of course, the point we're both making, I guess, is that we want high-quality episodes. As far as I'm concerned, if the show doesn't jump the shark, feel out of place/wrong, and maintains quality: who cares who's writing it?

The bottom line, then, might be that shows also need to know when to pull the plug. Maybe Red Dwarf has just run out of tales to tell and new writers won't be able to pump it up, anyway. Sometimes it's just "done". I've always held immense respect for Larry David stepping down from Seinfeld, feeling he couldn't maintain creativity. Now, I still love the show post-David, but that he could pull that (lucrative plug) is my cap off.

reply

I thought the last series was pretty good , back to basics , some of the original style of humour.
so perhaps 'recycling' is sometimes a good thing

reply