Remember Max Headroom? He’s on DVD Today!

max-headroom-complete-series Shout Factory! continues to release some fun retro DVDs, and today’s installment is ‘Max Headroom: The Complete Series’ (buy it on Amazon). It even has a cool “Lenticular Cover,” and if you don’t know what that means, it’s one of those 3D type covers where he’s smiling in one instance, but if you move the cover, he’s gritting his teeth. I like the smiling version. 

I must admit, I was in college during the 1980s when this short-lived series aired on ABC, so I don’t remember much about it. Plus, it only aired for 14 episodes, but Max was everywhere at the time. The (sort of) computer-generated guy played by Matt Frewer hosted a music-video show, he starred in ads for New Coke (sorry to bring that up), and he even graced the cover of Newsweek. He was sort of an icon for the new MTV digital age.

Set 20 minutes in the future, the show follows Network 23 star reporter Edison Carter (also played by Frewer), who uncovers a deadly secret that could shake up the airwaves. The only option is to eliminate Carter before he can make his story public. After his “accident,” his mind is uploaded to create the world’s first self-aware, computer-generated TV host, known as Max Headroom.

The series also starred Amanda Pays (‘The Flash’), Jeffrey Tambor (‘Arrested Development’) and Morgan Sheppard (‘Star Trek’). Hmmm, now that the series is back out in the open, I wonder if Max Headroom will re-surface on a current show. I could see him hosting a reality talent competition or maybe a talk show.

Special features include:

  • Live On Network 23: The Story Of Max Headroom – The creative team shares their stories
  • Looking Back At The Future: An intimate roundtable discussion with members of the cast
  • The Big-Time Blanks: Morgan Sheppard and Concetta Tomei reflect on Max Headroom
  • The Science Behind The Fiction – George Stone reveals the role of technology in the creation of Max Headroom

Images: Amazon; Shout Factory!


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