Oddly, it's also a show that is very ill-suited to watching it straight through from the beginning, since "The End" is one of the weakest episodes. No matter where you start, it sometimes takes a while to get into the show because you have to learn the rhythms of the characters.
Yes, that's the classic dichotomy with Red Dwarf. It's a very hard show to get into, and I say that as a fan. It's difficult to know where to start when introducing someone to it.