"Max Headroom" (1987) TV series 1987-1988

Directors:

Janet Greek
Victor Lobl

Writers:

Howard Brookner (writer)
David G.B. Brown (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

31 March 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In the near future, an intrepid investigative TV reporter does his job with the help of his colleagues and a computerized version of himself.

Plot Keywords:

Television | Totalitarianism | Television Flop | Cyberpunk | Artificial Intelligence

Awards:

Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Matt Frewer	...	Edison Carter / ... (14 episodes, 1987-1988)
Amanda Pays	...	Theora Jones (14 episodes, 1987-1988)
Chris Young	...	Bryce Lynch (14 episodes, 1987-1988)
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Murray (14 episodes, 1987-1988)
George Coe	...	Ben Cheviot (14 episodes, 1987-1988)
Lee Wilkof	...	Edwards (14 episodes, 1987-1988)
William Morgan Sheppard	...	Blank Reg (7 episodes, 1987-1988)
Concetta Tomei	...	Blank Dominique (7 episodes, 1987-1988)
Virginia Kiser	...	Mrs. Formby (6 episodes, 1987)

Also Known As:

Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into the Future (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

60 min (14 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L (season 1)

Company:

Chrysalis/Lakeside

Trivia:

All of the PCs at Network 23 were Commodore 128s (That's 128 *Kilobytes*. At the time, they were top-of-the-line machines.)

Quotes:

Max Headroom: Converts are the worst bigots.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#26.26)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Golf

Absolutely one of the best shows on TV... ever!

I rarely gush about TV shows, especially when they haven't been on in over a decade, but I gush about MH. This show was beyond cool, it was beyond hip, and it was far too intelligent to have been on the air in the late 80s. I was lucky enough to be able to catch MH in sindication on cable a few years ago and to validate my high opinions of the show. It was still brilliant. A few episode summaries might help to clarify:

Blank Reg (a blank is a person who has been removed from the corporate system, they have few rights, but the 'powers that be' can't easily find them) is put on trial for hacking (a major crime). The court is a gameshow with gameshow host for a judge and an opinion poll for a jury. I am glad to see how far off this is from reality - sarcasm :(

Another episode involved a sport called rake-boarding, where skateboarders would attempt to disembowel each other while performing nifty stunts. Thank god mass media has not opted for gladiatorial shows...

My question was never why this show got cancelled, but who the hell got the idea to put it on the air in the first place. I mean, this was a show whose primary entertainment value was in skewering the very medium which presented it. I can't believe that the mucky-mucks even allowed this to be seen, nevertheless broadcast.

Each show was intelligent, witty and eerily prescient. I suppose the final irony was that the show itself was cancelled, but the problems that it warned us about have come true. If you get the chance to see the extant shows, see them. They are among the only truly visionary and artistic and entertaining things to have been on stupid-box since its inception.