To me it feels like the entire show has basically become a parody of itself now, it's like a standard run of the mill sitcom version of Red Dwarf. Like how they suddenly have a convoluted way of starting Starbug we've never heard of before, that of course ties into the a plot point, just so cliche.
None of the crew really feel like actual characters anymore, it just feels so artificial. In earlier seasons they were more like real people with personalities, now it's more just repeating a few character traits for the fans and the rest is a lot of bad jokes.
I know I sound very harsh but I just find it so sad what's happened to the show.
It just feels like people have a very low standard for what they feel is good, same thing happened with the new X-Files, a lot of people loved it but I thought it was quite bad.
Can't agree on the last part. I think the general consensus on the new X-Files is different to the general consensus on X and XI. Season 10 of the X-Files got pretty awful reviews across the board (Darin Morgan episode aside), where as X and XI generally got good reviews because whatever else you can say about them, they were *funny*.
I see where you're coming from with regards to the Flanderisation of the characters, but I don't think it's entirely bad. Cat became less and less of a Cat, and I don't think it really helped the show even if he seemed to have 'grown' while becoming more 'human'.
For me, seeing them all still acting like children now they're all clearly getting on works rather well. If they'd grown up much, I'm not sure how I'd like the comedy.
There's been some episodes that have shown growth in the characters too, although that was probably more common in X than XI (the father's day episode for example).
Maybe it'll never be brilliant sci-fi, with great characters and good comedy again... but I'll keep watching the show so long as it can keep presenting interesting sci-fi ideas like the karma drive and the 'cured' versions of histories greatest monsters, in a way that continues to make me laugh.
Ideas made up for one episode, for a joke, and then discarded... I mean again I get your point, but it's hardly a new thing in Red Dwarf is it?