To say that the TV series Max Headroom was way ahead of its time might be trite and completely cliche. It would also be true. There is also no small amount of irony in the fact that one of the show’s conceits was that networks needed to savagely fight (sometimes literally) to maintain audience interest and sufficient ratings to stay on the air and the series itself had a losing battle with ratings almost from its premiere. Born out of a desire to really do something different for television, both the series and the character of Max Headroom were literally like nothing that had ever been seen before. The show combined concepts like the then-new cyberpunk genre with some blatant social commentary and was a bold addition to ABC’s primetime lineup, but ultimately proved inexplicable for mainstream American audiences. Twenty years later Max Headroom could have easily found a home on a number of cable channels, which again is ironic in the context of the series itself.
Max Headroom burst onto UK television in 1985 and no one seemed to know what to make of him or what he was. Many assumed he was somehow computer generated, but the technology was way too young at the time. After a successful telefilm and a video/chat show, ABC in the US took an interest in the concept and ordered an ongoing series based on the original film. It was obvious from the outset that Max was somehow based on Matt Frewer, who played Edison Carter on the show, but exactly how this was accomplished was a highly-debated mystery. As everyone now knows, it involved prosthetics on Frewer as well as clever editing to mimic CGI, but it looked damn cool and new back then. It’s very possible that the character itself became more interesting to the public than the storyline in the series or the semi-dystopian futuristic setting was too jarring compared to Max’s fun-loving impish behavior elsewhere. At any rate, Max Headroom has maintained a loyal fan following despite being rarely aired and no availability on home video – until now.
SHOUT! Factory presents Max Headroom – The Complete Series on DVD and it is a fantastic set that is sure to please fans of the show. The DVDs themselves are in slimpacks that fit into a case and that has a slip cover that features an awesome lenticular cover of max himself. There is a twelve page booklet that has an introduction by The Middleman creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach and an episode guide with nifty trivia. All 14 episodes are presented uncut and cleaned up, including the fourteenth episode that was never aired during the original ABC run. Even nearly twenty-five years later, these episodes are fun to watch and hold up very well. They may have been set “20 years into the future”, but the multi-network wars, while exaggerated, are definitely here. The future is now.
Once again SHOUT! Factory has gone all out with the special features for this set. “Live On Network 23: The Story Of Max Headroom”, “The Science Behind The Facts”, “The Writers Remember” and “Producing Dystopia” all featuring in-depth interviews with creators George Stone, Annabel Jankel and Rockey Morton as well as producers Peter Wagg and Brian Frankish as well as writers Steve Roberts and Michael Cassutt. Although these are mainly “talking heads” pieces, they are pretty riveting and cover the creation of Max from the germ of an idea through the creation of the show. “Looking Back At The Future” is a fun roundtable discussion between cast members Amanda Pays, Jeffrey Tambor, Concetta Tomei and Chris Young and lead by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. Watch this immediately as it is lovely to see this guys interact and reminisce after all these years. Young confronts Tambor about being snubbed by him years after the show and Tambor’s reaction and chagrin is priceless. As great as all those featurettes are, my favorite bonus feature is “The Big-Time Blanks” wherein Morgan Sheppard and Concetta Tomei reflect on the show and their personal friendship in the years since. Sheppard is one of my favorite actors, so seeing him relaxed and mischievous is pretty cool and the deep friendship between the two actors is a treat to see.
SHOUT! Factory has once again outdone themselves and I highly recommend you pick up Max Headroom – The Complete Series as soon as possible. 20 minutes into the future has never been more enjoyable.
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