Just watching the episode of The Big Bang Theory where Leonard terminates the roommate agreement with Sheldon. (C'mon, you must've seen that one: this show's been repeated more times than the Zapruder footage.) Note how the latter tries to win back their friendship by offering Leonard a Red Dwarf box set.
This got me thinking about the character connections between the two shows. Sheldon is Rimmer, the anal and socially inflexible authoritarian; Leonard is Lister, the straight man who recognises a world outside his lifestyle but still navigates it on his own terms; Howard, like Cat, is a deluded egotist with quixotic loyalties; and Raj is Kryten, socially-awkward and consumed by self-doubt. Penny on the other hand is effectively Holly: although less intellectually able than the others, she operates as the brain and central nervous system of the group's social life. Perhaps there's a little bit of Kochanski in there, too... After all, the seemingly impossible romance between her and Lister was a major part of the early seasons in Red Dwarf.
Now before anybody starts firing off angry missives, I'm not saying Chuck Lorre and co. were ripping off Rob Grant and Doug Naylor: this is just a random observation. You've got to admit, though, it's a bloody good one.
For any academics, TV historians and/or critics reading this - all cheques made payable to Richard English, yeah?
