Hyperdrive

I can't believe how many very lazy reviewers here are comparing this show negatively to Red Dwarf. Just stop it alright? Nothing except Red Dwarf will ever be as good as Red Dwarf. Having said that, the characters in this show are based a good deal less on stereotypes that those in Dwarf. The humour is frequently more zany than Dwarf, the stories are less predictable than Dwarf. One or two story ideas do fall a bit flat, but many are very funny, especially the shows that feature the alien race Queppu. Overall the humour here is very Brit, which is why I think many Americans just don't get it (which is fine by me, I don't laugh at The Big Bang Theory). The actors are all very good TV actors (Craig Charles was more of a poet than an actor when he started in Dwarf) and have been well cast for their roles. Nick Frost is of course well-known, but at least two of the others have had their own comedy shows. It's a shame this only got two series, but I'm grateful for them and it still makes me laugh on rewatch.

The crew of the ship Camden Lock search the stars on behalf of Great Britain to represent it as a country and promote the country as a great place to do business. Promoting places like Tipton and Milton Keynes was never an easy task even on a national level but on a galactic level it is even tougher. To carry out this task a brave crew is assigned led by the Brentish Commander Henderson. He is supported by the warlike and slightly insane First Officer York, the Commander-adoring Teal and the offhand Jeffers with only the remote guidance of Space Commander Clarke.

I'll leave all the comparisons to Red Dwarf to the army of fans that can do it much better than I can but suffice to say that personally I don't bend myself out of shape comparing two things that happen to share a genre. This sci-fi comedy uses the basic frame of the British ship in space to create something that is much closer to the downbeat humour of The Office than it is Red Dwarf. It mixes the British sense of the downbeat with the exaggeration of the sci-fi and I found it quite amusing even if it is a bit inconsistent. The plots are more like a series of ideas cobbled together rather a solid series narrative but it doesn't really matter because I was laughing just about enough to make it worthwhile. The general air of amusement carries it more than anything because I was never rolling with laughter but I did chuckle quite a lot.

The cast are mixed but are mostly good enough to do the job. Frost is funny but at times he is too close to David Brent for my taste at times. That said his was still a good character and I enjoyed the very British sense of bad management that he gave. Eldon may have a similar character but it worked for me and I was amused by him throughout the series. Hart, Antopolski, Evans and Massey are solid enough and Joseph made for quite a famous face in a minor role. Generally the cast all buy into the material and their delivery compliments the material even if it rarely lifts it. The effects are pretty good for a BBC2 comedy and Henderson has a healthy feel for the genre.

Overall this is not a great comedy but I found it consistently amusing. The cross between sci-fi and The Office isn't exactly original or inspiring but it does work for the most part and produces a very British sense of humour. The cast match this and compliment the material without really making it better than it is. Generally though, an amusing British sci-fi comedy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this show. The characters were engaging and likable, the situations were amusing, and the sets and effects were fine for what the show was trying to do.

I am interested in how much British viewers dislike it. Their main complaint seems to be that is not Red Dwarf. I have seen Red Dwarf and found it funny enough, but not something I really cared much about one way or the other. Not being a fan of Red Dwarf, I must say I don't see any similarities at all. The situations are very much different, as are the characters. I'd agree with someone here who ventured that Hyperdrive really is more a comedy version of Star Trek. I can understand that dedicated fans of Red Dwarf would like more, but shouldn't this show be judged for what it is, rather than for how it fails to meet your expectations?

I'd watch another season of it if it's made.

On first pass, this sci-fi comedy immediately invites comparisons with Red Dwarf, Star Trek, and even The Office. However, Hyperdrive is really just the everyday working class gone forth, not so much boldly, but just... there.

The commander of the Camden Lock, Henderson, played warmly by Nick Frost, dreams of doing something great for Britain as he commands his ineffectual crew, ineffectually. His intentions overreach his ability, but he's no smarmy David Brent. This is a bloke who shoulders his responsibility, but could easily end up down the pub with the rest of the crew on a Friday afternoon.

This is a good role for Frost, who has previously played second-fiddle to Simon Pegg in such fan-boy classics as Spaced and Shaun of the Dead. Frost proves he is capable of gentle comedic moments, inhabiting his role with subtlety. This may be lost on some of the more rabid sci-fi crowd, who may be irked to find that this is a very different beast than say, the abrasiveness of the Rimmer/Lister relationship from Red Dwarf. It may be a stretch to say that the crew-mates of the Camden Lock enjoy each other's company but they don't actively hate each other.

The rest of the crew is rounded out nicely by Teal, the Alien Liaison officer, who has a crush on Henderson. First Officer York is gleefully homicidal, and Jeffers is note-perfect as the ship's Tech Officer, who displays just the right amount of contempt and long-suffering for his fellow humans. Sandstrom, the ship's "enhanced human" and Pilot (an obvious stab at such pilot roles found in shows like Andromeda or Farscape) provides a little mystery, and curiously, a strange eroticism. Her vacant smile is stunning.

Overall, Hyperdrive is a rewarding comedy, if you're willing to let go of hyper-critical thinking and allow yourself to enter into a far-flung universe that seems more close to home than you may think. Despite some rather average (and rare) script moments, there's enough of a foundation here to build a show that could yet become as revered and loved as a certain crimson miniature.

I have long been a fan of Red Dwarf. Compared to the very best of Red Dwarf (3rd and 4th seasons) Hyperdrive does not measure up. But there are not a lot of comedy writers out there who could follow the team of Grant & Naylor and expect to compare favorably.

As many here have already observed Hyperdrive does not attempt to be the same sort of comedy as Red Dwarf. I find it to be a send up of the pomposity found in the Star Trek universe. If you come to the show looking for that kind of satire then Hyperdrive will prove to be very very entertaining. At least watch it long enough to see the Cadet Ball scene. You'll see what I mean.