Shout! Factory and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment have announced a multi-property alliance that will finally bring some fan favorite TV series to DVD in the near future. The first two series in the initial announcement are Max Headroom and The Norm Show. Both of these series are personal favorites of mine so I am very pleased by this announcement!
For those not in the know: Starring Matt Frewer, W. Morgan Sheppard, Jeffrey Tambor and Amanda Pays, the U.S. television series Max Headroom, inspired by a British made-for-television movie 20 Minutes into the Future, aired on ABC from 1987-1988. Hailed by critics and fans as one of the most innovative science fiction series ever produced for American television, Max Headroom is considered to be the first cyberpunk television series, bolstered by its innovative premise, brilliant writing and fast-paced visual style. Unafraid to explore any subject, no matter how controversial, the series cynically tackles topical issues from the general television industry such as the exploitation of the TV ratings games, political advertising, tele-evangelism, news coverage and commercials. The world of Max Headroom is a satirically funny look at television of the not-too-distant future. There are 4,000 TV channels, cameras are everywhere, television sets can’t be shut off, ratings have been perfected to the point where programming decisions are made minute by minute, and Network 23, the ratings leader, is headed by a man who would literally kill for ratings. Enter investigative reporter Edison Carter and his alter ego, the first computer-simulated multi-media star, Max Headroom, played by Matt Frewer. Max Headroom is a production of Chrysalis/Lakeside in association with Lorimar Telepictures.
“Max Headroom is a uniquely sought-after television property, boasting a large fan following and consumer interests. We have been pursing this property with Warner Bros. for years, and we’re thrilled that it’s finally coming to fruition,” state Shout! Factory founding partners. “We’re pop culture fanatics at Shout!, and both of these shows are loved by fans of TV and are highly requested. We’ll do them justice with great extras and packaging.”
The Norm Show, starring Saturday Night Live veteran Norm Macdonald, chronicles the misadventures of former NHL hockey player turned dysfunctional social worker whose life has been thrown for a loop due to gambling and tax evasion. Brimming with edgy humor and smart repartee, The Norm Show was one of the top rated sitcoms in 1999 and ran on ABC for three seasons. The second season also brought about the shortening of the show’s title to simply Norm. The series also boasts a pedigreed ensemble cast including Laurie Metcalf, Ian Gomez, Artie Lange, Bruce Jarchow, Max Wright and Faith Ford. Norm is executive produced by Bruce Helford, Bruce Rasmussen, Rob Ulin and Deborah Oppenheimer, produced by Macdonald and created by Helford and Macdonald. Norm is a production of Mohawk Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
“It’s a privilege to partner with Shout! Factory and we look forward to combining our efforts to bring these two highly-regarded television programs to the home entertainment audience,” said Jeff Brown. He added, “We look forward with anticipation to the opportunity of creating a series of releases that will be innovative, original and stand out in the home entertainment market place.”
Shout! Factory has always and continues to release high quality fan favorite and long sought after TV series and films. Stay tuned to Pop Culture Zoo for further announcements from Shout! Factory and some looks at their upcoming sets.