Now, I am the type of person that gets easily obsessed. Like, really SCARILY obsessed. And I forget this. A lot. So when I typed "Red Dwarf" into my Kindle Fire a couple of weeks ago, I had no idea what the result would be.
It was really interesting.
See, I got into "Red Dwarf" kind of by accident. I was in a show over the summer and one of my fellow cast members kept saying "smeg" whenever he screwed up. When I asked him what that meant, he gave me a look and said "It's from Red Dwarf." I then got a ten minute crash course one the show--which I didn't understand at all--and from then on sort of got what "smeg" meant. When I moved back to my apartment in August, I was still kind of curious, so I stayed up until 10:30 on a Saturday night just to watch one episode. The episode was called "Backwards", and even though I'd had a crash course on the show, I still didn't entirely get it. My first impression was that it was a sci-fi comedy about a robot, a dead guy, a cat, and a monkey floating around in space(yes, I totally thought Lister was a monkey, which is why part of me REALLY hopes no hardcore RD fan reads this because they might shoot me.)
Flash forward to end of this month(January 2012). I have seen all nine series of RD, put my favorites on my Youtube channel, read every single article I can find, and am currently waiting on pins and needles for the next series (RD X) to air in Sept-Oct of 2012. On a side note, I am working my way though the series for the third time in almost as many weeks. Can you say OBSESSED?! And the next series airs in EIGHT MONTHS AWAY, WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?
Good question. Here is my answer: "Coronation Street"
Now, I will be the first to admit that I am not a soap fan. This could be because I was raised on US soaps(which--in my opinion--are REALLY BAD). However, I am a fan of Craig Charles(yes, that guy who plays Lister on RD, and who can blame me, that guy can act! Plus, he's forty-seven and STILL looks pretty good ^_^) Anyhoo, I typed his name into IMDB, because that's what I do when I really like actors and shows and things(I did the same with Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules, and Robert Lllewellyn), and "Coronation Street" popped up. I looked it up, but didn't really watch any episode until I stumbled across and article that Craig Charles wrote with regard to a particular episode in which he gets into fisticuffs with another character. Now, this is something I wanted to see. I spent the next hour on Youtube trying to find it. When I did, I ended up watching the next four episodes(for anybody familiar with "Corrie", it was the epic tram crash of December 2010) and got hooked. This show isn't like the soaps I'm used to. It's not just drama, and screwed up love affairs and stuff. It's actually heartwarming and funny. There are REAL people in this show, not one-dimensional over dramatized soapsuds(no offense, just my opinion).
And Craig Charles is in it. Playing a totally different character to the one he is in "Red Dwarf." But he's gone for a little so he could film RD 10, so in the meantime, I can catch up on the show til he comes back( 3 more eps of 2011, and then I can start on 2012. I'm only a month behind!). But not only is Craig Charles in this, but there are a lot of other really awesome actors in it. Simon Gregson, for example. I'd never heard of him before, but now I really wish he did more than "Corrie", cause DANG is he really talented.
So, my plan is to continue watching RD(all the episodes available anyway), and "Corrie" on Youtube over the summer. Then, I can still see a good show with a good actor while I wait for my favorite cult series to return. And then I will buy it on DVD, just like I bought the others, so I can own all of the episodes and watch it whenever I want (Red Dwarf, not Coronation Street. That's what Youtube is for.)
Wow. I really need to find a new obsession.
