It's interesting to note that in terms of using original cast members decades after the show began, Red Dwarf is in a class only with Star Trek TOS.
There have been a few other cases. There was a long series of
Perry Mason TV movies from 1985-95 that brought back Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale from the original series; that was a much longer interval between original and revival than
Red Dwarf had. One could make a case for
The Sarah Jane Adventures as well. There was the '88
Mission: Impossible revival that brought back Peter Graves, though other original cast members only made occasional guest appearances. And there was a '60s Gene Barry show called
Burke's Law that had a one-season revival in the '90s with Barry resuming the lead role, now teamed with his character's son.
Other, briefer examples: There were three TV movies/backdoor pilots bringing back the cast of the bionic shows from the '70s, and three
Gilligan's Island reunion movies/backdoor pilots with most of the original cast, and three
Incredible Hulk revival movies (two of which were backdoor pilots, but for other Marvel superheroes). And there have been various one-shot TV movies (often from the same producer as the bionic ones) doing the same with other old shows like
The Man from UNCLE, I Spy, McCloud, and the like.
Get Smart had three separate revivals which all starred Don Adams, a feature film, a TV movie, and a short-lived FOX sitcom, though the TV movie was the only one to bring back the entire surviving cast.
