Max Headroom (1987–1988) User Reviews

Influential, and influenced by other people

[IamIAM-1 · 7/10 · 29 October 2011]

Knowing that something was "highly influential" in many ways by reputation, and actually watching something and seeing bits of various things which come before and after its creation--thus revealing the things which made this possible, and then the things which this thing made possible--are two entirely different understandings of the matter.

I watched a few episodes of Max Headroom when it originally aired, and thought them pretty good. After a while the novelty of 'Max' palled and I was watching more for the plot-lines. Watching it now reveals some fairly accurate and prescient computer technology, as well as some damned good media and culture criticism.

There's a fair bit of a down-scaling of production values from the start of the series to the end, most notably in the number of extra characters who might be of assistance to our heroic news reporter. Of special loss was the limited involvement of "Rik" the pedi-cab operator. His seeming insouciance, coupled with a contemplative nature when faced with a dangerous challenge was fascinating; yet he disappeared after showing up only three times. Blank Reg ends up being the 'go to guy' for things both technical and comedic, and he's good, but we could have done with a bit of both characters.

The episodes in the last half of the series tended to be more 'this week's issue' than the earlier ones, which tended to be more of what we would now call 'cyberpunk' but then called 'weird techno-stuff' (both are proper terms, by the way). The specificity of the attack on censorship in the episode "Lessons" seems to both looking forward in time to when those of wealth and power will control the advantages that education and its skills can provide, while also looking back to the previous autumn's episode "Deities" and the problems that must have arisen from featuring a religious leader of questionable moral fibre as a character with their own interests being placed ahead of their own teachings; including bedding the reporter (also an old flame of hers) in order to keep him busy while Max was stolen and used as a bargaining chip to prevent an exposé of the church's scam of reproduction of deceased loved ones.

Throughout the episodes a constant theme is one of examination of how technology can in the wrong hands be either used to inure the public to an increasing lack of control over their own lives and thoughts (Marshall McLuhan once saying "I'm becoming increasingly less and less private, and I'd much rather be (a village) idiot" is increasingly apt every day than when he said it), or to simply allow people to be just as venal and short-sighted as they are without the technology. What was at the time a bit of a far-fetched SF, has turned out to be more of an unheeded warning than anything else. the internet was a vague notion of DAARPA's at the time, as were computer viruses and people wanting to be anonymous 'blanks' in society, yet all of this has come to be old hat to us. Even the idea of transferring someone's memory and usual response patterns into a computer are far closer to reality than fiction; Siri... I need to hide a body...

Overrated Curiousity

[nafps · 6/10 · 17 February 2022]

Doesn't hold up well at all. At times slow, other times heavy handed attempts at satire. The wannabe MTV graphics look very dated.

But when the humor hits its target, it's rewarding.

"Remember when we yelled No Future? Here we are." "A bad credit report? That's worse than murder!"

If you're not watching it for nostalgia, be prepared for long slow stretches.

Max Headroom: 20 minutes into the future, and about that far ahead of its time.

[moshomaniac · 8/10 · 20 November 2017]

In 1985, the media group Chrysalis produced a daringly original made for T.V. movie, about a dystopia future ruled by television networks who fought a brutal battle for ratings. A new form of advertising that had the side-effect of casing spontaneous human combustion in certain viewer was uncovered by television reported Edison Carter(Matt Frewer), who discovers this insidious tool after doing some snooping in Network 23's science and development center and tries to warn the authorities. He is chased out of the Network by security, and in the process puts himself into a coma after running into a low-clearance sign. In an attempt to keep Edison on ice, a synaptic dump of his memory is performed and a computer generated replacement is created. That was the origin of Max Headroom.

I vaguely remember Max being on in grade school. I was about 6 years old when the American remake was on network television, but never really knew what it was about. But Max would appear on MTV, advertisements for soft drinks, and other forms of media. I had all but forgotten about Max until I was at Vincennes University in the early 200os, and saw the original British edition there on the video rack at the local video store, but at the time, I didn't watch it. When I was in my early 30s, and with the compliments of YouTube, I finally got a chance to travel 20 minutes into the future, and was instantly hooked. The fact I am an 80s child is not the only thing that I like about this series. It was smart television--maybe a little too smart, and daring, especially for the 'me' generation. It dared to act as a retort to the media saturated world around it, and the importance of having individuality in a world that is continually superficial. Like Howard Beale of Network, Max Headroom routinely mocked his corporate masters and sponsors with an unapologetic sarcasm.

Maybe that was the biggest draw to Max: he was a rebel with a cause, and startling funny. Plus, he looked like no other media personality the world had ever seen before. The bizarre,blonde-haired stuttering CGI creation turned more than a few heads, though the character itself was Matt Frewer in heavy prosthetic make-up: the CGI in 1987 was not quite up to the standards to make a completely CGI Max, it would take another half a decade for that to be possible. Still, the series was ground-breaking in its own right, and the character was one of the most recognizable 1980s icons of the time, right up there with ALF, Mr. T, and so on. Max has all but faded into obscurity in the past 20 or so years, but the few that were there when he first breathed life(so to speak) will remember just how hip, smart, and innovative the series really was. If anything, Max is even more relevant today, in our existence where people cannot even go to the pot without their cellphone in hand. It might be interesting to see a Max Headroom reboot, but I personally think it was best in the past. The series, only 2 seasons long, began to feel tired after that short run, and I feel that a 'modern' Max Headroom wouldn't really work. But for fans of the original series, like myself, Max remains an interesting artifact from the 1980s that was every bit as important in ushering in the digital revolution at was Toy Story or Jurassic Park. Well, memories never die even if good T.V. is a dying art. I'll S-S-See you later!

Ahead of Its Time, Natch

[GalaxyGa · 12 January 1999]

Everyone seems to remember Max Headroom, the character and Coke pitchman, but a lot of people forget about the series Max was in. The other thing a lot of people forget is that Max in the TV screen was _not_ cgi; Max was pre-cgi, and Matt Frewer did incredibly good acting as Max. Besides that, Matt also was the lead in the series and did a lot of work as Edison Carter as well as Max.

The series didn't last nearly long enough for me; the original title, "Twenty Minutes Into the Future" is very accurate-- technologically, stylistically, and in terms of content and post-production, "Max Headroom" was ahead of its time. It was a mid-season replacement and never found its audience; the database lists the tv-movie, the series (14 or 15 eps), and the original talk show which started the whole thing. I'm still amazed at the wisdom (or lack thereof) of television execs who can cancel a series halfway through a season. Then again, "Max Headroom" was about television, making some eerily accurate predictions (CNN, tabloid talk shows), and television execs are nothing if not chickens.

Still, it would be too, too cool to see Max pop up to comment about the millennium...

Max Headroom...The original talking head.

[smlubecki · 10/10 · 6 September 2007]

Max Headroom was the most brilliantly written show ever to be be put on television. Set in the not to distant future amidst a semi post apocalyptic world. Reporter Edison Carter has uncovered a very scary secret. The network he works for has produced and aired commercials that kill people due to their sedentary lifestyle. This show not only hit hard against the greed and politics of network television but bit the hand that fed as well. Tackling issues such as censorship and manipulating the news to fit whatever slant the network feels fit. Matt Frewers double duty as both Edison Carter and Max Headroom was excellent and I am extremely surprised his career didn't boom because of this show ( or maybe it was doomed because of it). This was a show that was way ahead of it's time in film style, topics, and dialog and I applaud ABC for having the guts to air it at the time (it was after all the late 80's, a time when the networks pretty much dictated what you liked and didn't like). Spoiler warning During the first episode Edison Carter, a reporter for Network 23, has made a startling discovery during a news story. His network has been airing commercials that have been compressed into 30 second intervals. These "Blipverts" cause such a massive sensory overload that the viewers head literally explodes. While being chased by network thugs Edison befalls the accident that results in the creation of Max Headroom. While fleeing these thugs he hits a parking barrier that reads " Max. Headroom 5m." The executive chairman takes Edisons body to his boy genius to hook him up to a computer to search his mind to find out how much he really knows and by doing so inadvertently creates Max Headroom. By the end of the first episode Edison finally recovers to deliver the truth to the viewing audience and thus begins the next 13 episodes. This is a show that begs to be revived and taken out of the body-banks (those of you who are fans get the reference). It's content warned us about so many societal pitfalls and network manipulations that have surprisingly come to pass. Max Headroom himself went on to become something of a "15 minute" variety icon due to his quirkiness but never the less this show deserved better and I can truly say that if it was aired on a cable network it's possible it may still be on the air. Mainly because modern times have provided such great source material. If you are looking for a completely original and intelligent show to watch I can highly recommend this to anyone.

Filmed at 30 frames a second

[dan-1315 · 10/10 · 15 July 2007]

Here's a piece of trivia. Max Headroom was filmed at 30 frames a second instead of the standard 24 frames a second. One of the reasons was so the series could more easily incorporate video with film, but a welcomed side-effect was that it gave the show a Hi-Def, futuristic look on 1980s television. It really did look different from any other show on TV.

What's interesting is that some current shows on video shoot at 24 or 25 frames a second to look more like film. It would be interesting to see what some filmed shows would look like in HDTV if they were shot at at 30 frames a second. You would get true HD.

Looking At The Past Through A Porthole Into The Future

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 20 May 2020]

(IMO) - "Max Headroom" is definitely one of those 1980s TV shows that had both its fair share of good moments, as well as its not-so-good moments, too.

I mean - This program (which clearly contained unmistakable elements of both punk and new wave) was quite obviously a product of its time. There's no doubt about that.

Set in a decidedly seedy world of a not-too-distant future (where cynicism and corruption prevail) - "Max Headroom" is certainly well worth a view for its fascination with technology of the latter 20th century where the possibility of translating people into computer data is taken very-very seriously.

What's the holdup? the most obscure is being released.

[vance_mccarthy · 10/10 · 28 February 2005]

Max Headroom was, for me, the best exciting TV series when it was first and the only time shown in New Zealand, back in 1988. It still holds up well when I view my recorded tapes off the TV every other year. The stories never let up and it would have been interesting to see what else the writers could come up with. As with other earlier shows, I like to see actors go on and handle other projects. The characters Theora and Edison seem to play some of their own personal being, as with a lot of the other players on the show. But I find now, that is what it takes to make an exiting show. Look at the X-Files. It might have taken what it took to bring back shows like 'Star Trek', it would take the same feeling and genre to show the next generation what my generation felt.

Yours, X-Files Fan.

Commercial Turned T.V. Show

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 3 December 2020]

Max Headroom started as a Coke commercial and was so hot it became a show. It wasn't the best show as you can see by its lack of longevity, but it was cool.

Cyberpunk Journalism at its best...

[slave138 · 10/10 · 20 August 2001]

This was, and still is, my favorite show to ever grace the flickering screen of my television. The visionary depiction of a TV-driven culture on overdrive piqued the imagination and served as a prophetic parody/warning to the industry that ironically gave it life in the US.

It was a near (20 minutes into the) future where TV wasn't only entertainment but required by law -- just having an off switch was a major crime -- and ratings were EVERYTHING. Hackers, brain-recorded AI, pirate TV broadcasters, TV religion, mercs selling tomorrow's top story, body banks and bodyleggers, blip-verts, cred-sticks, the mix of grit and the glimmer of neon... this WAS cyberpunk at it's purest (with the noted exception being the lack of cyberware). There has never been (and probably never will be) a show that did as much justice to the genre.

With all the drivel available on video today, I can't help but wonder when (if ever) someone will finally come to their senses and release this gem...

Ahead of its time

[safenoe · 7/10 · 2 February 2024]

It's interesting how Max Headroom, with its commentary on corporatism and the media, really has stood the test of time in this chillingly dominated world by pretty much a small number of media moguls. The fact Max Headroom debuted soon after 1984 in the sense that we have an Orwellian world where Max Headroom attempts to fight the system and stand up for the common folk against the Man and at the same time being hip, humorous and another h word I'm having trouble thinking of. Anyway, do yourself a favor and watch Max Headroom if you can to get a flavor of what the 80s produced in terms of quality TV.

The Granddaddy of Post-Apocalyptic TV

[Gravity06 · 10/10 · 17 June 2013]

Before "Revolution" ... Before "Dark Angel" ... Before "Falling Skies" and "The Walking Dead" ... There was Max.

"Max Headroom" was the first cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic TV show EVER (way back in 1987).

Max was decades ahead of its time. The show predicted such things as identity theft, the Internet, the webcam, and the fusion of media and government. (One episode even mourned the closure of movie theaters. Today, thanks to Netflix and video-on-demand, that has now come to pass.)

In a word, Max was prophetic. The hip, trendy post-apocalyptic shows that you're seeing today owe a great debt to Max Headroom.

Welcome To Network 23

[strong-122-478885 · 5/10 · 19 October 2017]

Set "20 minutes into the future" - Max Headroom is a short-run, 1987, TV series that posed the possibility (as far-fetched as it sounded) of actually translating people into computer data.

Yes. Today - 30 years later - That potentiality does convert into old news. But, back then - It really sparked the interest of many-a-viewer who religiously tuned into this program like total fiends.

With its episodes rarely ever being shot in natural light - Max Headroom's vision of the future was, indeed, a decidedly cold and callous one where cynicism and corruption prevailed on every street corner.

Injecting elements of both punk and new wave into its 1-hour episodes - This surprisingly short-lived series certainly had its fair share of good points, as well as its not-so-good points, too.

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

[A-Ron-2 · 28 June 2000]

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.

Maximum Future

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 21 April 2020]

The power of the media and communication can be a funny thing as we rely on it to supply us with information and answers to what is going on all around us. But also, what makes it interesting is how much not just the information itself but the presentation of it and how much it can affect our lives and the lives around us.

This show is another of my favorite sci-fi TV shows, it's also a show that is under the radar. Well not totally as this show did have popularity and was a moderate hit but as time went on it's became forgotten. Which is weird to say considering the character "Max Headroom" whom you can say has became even more popular than the TV show itself. The show is also a childhood gem as I remember the figure Max mainly from the Coke a Cola commercials; he was even parodied in an episode of "Family Matters".

This show no doubt was ahead of it's time, there really isn't a show like it nor ever since. I really like the fact that this is one based on news, which is cool as that's my field of expertise, let alone there really aren't many TV shows based on news reporting and TV stations. Let alone the fact this all takes place in the future which makes it even cooler. The show also predates the DC Vertigo comic series "Transmetropolitan" which is slightly like this show.

Though there are some things that might date the show like the fact that some people still use floppy and hard disks, VHS's are still around, let alone the fact there is no internet and streaming/download digital network in this future. But you have to understand this show was made in the 80's so like with some sci-fi films and TV shows of yesteryear there are always going to be a few inaccuracies, let alone certain things unforeseen, but it's what it gets right is what counts. However if you think about it more (or at least roll with), it sort of makes sense as the future is supposedly came from the aftermath of some war which could possibly mean certain resources and technology has been lost so we had to resort to some of the old tech.

I really like this world of tomorrow, really like the design of the city which is slightly like "Blade Runner". This world is both fascinating but at the same time a little dangerous. It is a world that is both technologically and media driven. Corporations and media organizations rule this future and are at constant competition against one another to make big fast profits and keep their rule. There are a lot of fancy toys and shiny futuristic things, however this city isn't perfect as there is poverty, violence, and most places still war torn.

The interesting thing about this future is that it's actually slightly close to ours, because most of what goes on in this world is actually happening right now, as it's is prolific on our information age we're living in right now.

As we've became overly saturated with info and has become more accessible than ever. We're starting to become technologically dominated as there is almost not one person that takes their eyes off the screen of their phone, computer, and tablet. Media becoming more accessible as we can create and distribute our own videos. CGI and all the animated moves we've now created with that tech. Certain corporations becoming big and dominant as they supply us with most of what we need, you name it it's there. Watching this show now at times feel like your looking at a mirror and realize we are close or are even living in Max Headroom's world now.

Characters are good; I like some of the supporting characters like Blank played well by William Morgan Shepard whom I remember as Doctor Zito in "MacGyver" (classic version). He's a fun character that is rough, wild and fiercely independent, he runs an independent MTV like network, what I like about he's a guy that doesn't care what people thing and he's not in the networking game for fame and glory, he's doing it because he enjoys the career field and loves to just do his thing.

He's also person also from a time long gone as he's a middle aged rocker fan and that's part of his other reason for doing what he does to keep that part of history and the memories of it alive; which I feel is true with all of us that get older and are trying to live in the present while retaining remnants of the past.

Bryce he's another interesting character, he's a whiz kid that is pretty much the tech and science officer of the station. He's a person that beats to a different drummer as he's constantly inventive and a doer there is just never a moment where he does nothing, each episode starts out with him on a project or having fun of some sort; that I can emphasize with as I'm that way myself. He's dryly funny as he's a person that is guilty of anti-social behavior, though that's not totally his fault as he's sort of a product of his own time.

Bryce is heavily invested in technology and science which is both a strength and weakness despite highly knowledgeable and his rapid-fire trouble shooting, he's empathy circuit don't fire properly as he's a little detached from both people and reality. However, with some time with Carter, Max, and the rest he gains some education in social science and does what's right for them and himself.

Matt Fewer an actor I really like that I think is underrated, he is just excellent as both Carter and Max Headroom. The Carter character is pretty much the straight man in this entire crazy future, I really like that he's a guy that is in pursuit to report and find the truth; he doesn't care about the corporate TV station he serves and their ambitions as their not their own. He's a guy that just wants to do his job and help people by telling them the truth and protect them from all the lies that come faster than he can switch on a camera.

Really like the design of his split ego Max, he looks like Matt but at the same time doesn't as he has a sort of talk show host look with that hair slicked back and the smoothness of his face. Max actually isn't a CGI character but was what you would call pre CGI as they did a simple make up job on the actor and just used green screen background graphics to give the illusion that Max is a digital character which I'll admit was amazing and prolific on the characters that are now pure CGI.

The Max Headroom character is a lot of fun, this is my favorite role from Matt. This character is energetic, aggressive, quirky a real attention getter as he is constantly traveling the networks which works to his advantage as it give him access to unlimited info and broadcasts himself whenever he wants, which is what makes him a valuable ally with Carter's network.

But other than that the character is just a lot of fun as he's got some of the best lines, even like that little glitching which adds to the comedy showing he's not all perfect but also shows a bit of his quirky side as that glitching is just music to my ears.

The dynamic between both Carter and Max is interesting, it's sort of your buddy buddy dynamic which is cool as buddy cop films like "Lethal Weapon" and "48 Hours" were a big thing at the time. But in this show they do something different with it as it feels like it could in a way be sort of like something from a Cronenberg movie as his films dealt with duel identities. But it's also just simply fun seeing both play off of one another, working together but also clashing a little at the same time.

But of course what really powers this show is in it's wicked satire as it deals with lots of issues, like unregulated progress, media manipulation, consumerism, capitalism, technological colonization, social detachment, addiction, blurring the line between reality and non and other issues we have going on now.

In the world of Media and the future, anything goes, and anything is possible.

Rating: 4 stars

So glad Shout Factory brought this back!

[marksdavid33 · 10/10 · 15 May 2014]

Max Headroom was a show WAY ahead of its time. The blipverts episode is just one example of how prophetic this really was. Max as a character steals the show. There's something about him that glues you to the screen. The music score is cool too (soundtrack anyone). My biggest complaint is that the DVD didn't have the original feature or any of the New Coke commercials. That being said, I was all to happy to really care since the DVD looks great. A lot of people may shrug their shoulders at this odd gem, but for sci/fi fans, its a real treat. Some of the miniature work looks dated, but in my opinion it only adds to the shows charm .I feel bad that a show this great has been forgotten for so many years. It really should have a bigger audience than it does. Hopefully the DVD release will give it a new life for the younger generation to appreciate it.

What the hell was going on during the time this show was on? some war i guess.

[TheAlShow · 10/10 · 10 November 2018]

Anyway, im watching the episode you did with william shatner, it looks like a talk show!

That needs to come back in the form of a tonite show. The world is still into computers!

My Fellow 40+ Americans... Do You Remember Max Headroom?

[kiliian · 10/10 · 15 January 2024]

After being born in '76 i basically was a latchkey kid and grew up on American television. I VIVIDLY remembered Max for years (even his Coke ads and short-lived 'Max For President' campaign). Unfortunately, even today i can't find the British versions of Max's stories nor can i find the talk-show format!

So, when Amanda Pays showed up on 'The Flash' (the 90's one AND the Arrowverse one) and Matt Frewer popped up on 'Doctor Doctor', i was each time quite happily reminded of my first exposure to 'post-apocalyptic storytelling'.

Grunge, angst, ennui, 'down with the man', 'shock the system' in the 90's? Max did it dirtier and earlier. Parallel with my now 30+ year love of anime, Max was one of those shows that... showed me visual storytelling could be even more compelling than novels.

I'm quite glad the DVD scans of Max's 14-episode US broadcast TV series have made it onto 'the grey web video streaming sites'. That was where i just (about an hour ago) finished enjoying the 'finale' about in-vitro babies grown in 'vats/bags' and custom 'built' to satisfy all the parents' desires for their child. The mommy doesn't even need to provide her own uterus or a surrogate one!

A very apt and forward-thinking episode hmm? With CRISPR vaccines and GMO fruits n veggies on the market right now and in-vitro fertilization/implantation of ovum and genetic predisposition testing available to many parents today 'flagging' potential genetic disorders if a couple wishes to procreate. Will we have 'true test-tube custom grown kids' someday?

Max also predicted massive multi-media conglomerates proliferating 'their views' everywhere. The blurring lines between education/entertainment and the dumbing down of the 'have nots' so that 'those who have' can keep it. Brain scans so intricate and detailed we can almost see and record what somebody is thinking. Real-time telecommunications with text and data and audio and visual information beaming across the world. AI able to censor media in real-time and make decisions for humans. Max Headroom was the '1G' of the Vocaloid age, a computer-generated intellectual property existing to entertain and interact with the masses using human-level AI.

What were the creators of Edison Carter thinking of when they named him? The man who brought electricity and lightbulbs to the world? Also, perhaps Edgar Rice Burroughs' character who traveled to Mars?

Take some time and look back at this forward-thinking show someday.

The most brilliant TV series ever made

[mkham6 · 17 May 2003]

Anyone who has Taped episodes, contact me. This was on FX?? When?

This was the most clever, prescient, witty, well produced, and subversive TV series ever created. I saw some of the shows, but then was expeditioning and missed many. MAX HEADROOM (the 85-86 TV series- I'm not familiar with the other permutations)was brilliant on 5 levels at once, like old Firesign Theatre skits, where one can watch again and again and see different levels each time. The money and production values were unprecedented (now each ER costs $14mil, God nows what Friends runs) in it's sly depiction of a media controlled hilarious nightmare world. Gonzo droll Matt Frewer did bang-up work as both a real TV reporter, controlled by the lush Amanda Pays via continuous links, and the sly double-entendreing computer generated Max. This was a searing critique of media run amok- everything was some brilliant trashing of some current or future trend (with Fear Factor losing me forever at the bull penis eating portion, they were prophetic). It saddens me that Frewer is trapped in lame para-psychological claptrap when he was so good in this unknown gem. Mike Hammerschlag

Not Mindless Pap

[Darguz · 12 November 2004]

Which is, unfortunately, mostly what succeeds on TV these days. Shows such as Max Headroom are just too intelligent, and go over the head of Average Joe TV Viewer (or Average Joe TV Executive). With all the proliferation and specialization of TV channels these days, maybe some day we can have an "Intelligent TV Channel" where shows like these can flourish and those too dim to "get it" can just remove it from their channel rotation.

Max Headroom was brilliant. One of the most spot-on and funny pieces of satire ever produced. The fact that it was satirizing the very medium that produced it probably had something to do with its short life, as well. I mean, when you're satirizing stupidity, obviously stupidity is going to react, just by definition.

Any TV producers out there reading this -- there's an idea for you. Create an "Intelligent TV Channel", and give us shows like this, or Key West, Brimstone, Cupid, etc. You could even call it that, as a dig at the mindless drivel that pours off the screen most of the time.

every thing max did should be on DVD

[fish4spider-1 · 19 December 2005]

there are so many good shows that should be on DVD and are not why, max should be on DVD this start's of with a remake of the original uk movie which was brilliant. there are two versions of the uk movie the 60 min version and a 100 min version which is the same movie it has more of max and music video's it an half hour show edited in to the movie the 100 min version was made for the us so the us can understand why max had his own show

the remake had some change's one of them is bryce he turns out to be a friend of edison's and not a little brat like in the uk version we don't see big time TV until later, the ending is different max stay's with network 23

its a shame the uk movie was never continued as uk series i would have loved to have known what happened to network 23, max with blank reg and bryce,grossmen or the us version just continue from the uk pilot the series as very good but it lost what the uk version has i think what i liked about it was it was in the future and there are not many shows around like this maybe we might see a new max headroom TV series or movie or even see max v j ing again one day

So much for biting the hand that feeds.

[LegoMovieMan · 17 July 2004]

Max Headroom. What can be said about him? Ahead of his time.

Just as an aside: The Max Headroom this section of IMDb refers to is the 1987 short-lived ABC series, as opposed to the original Channel 4 British 2-hour TV-movie, which aired in 1985, and was subsequently released on home video as "Max Headroom: The Original Story."

Well, that was a long sentence.

Now then, Max Headroom. It was a show that followed the exploits of one Edison Carter, the intrepid reporter, as he tried to uncover the shadier sides of a corporate future (20 minutes into the future, to be exact) where success is measured in ratings. From advertisements inducing epileptic (and explosive) seizures, to in vitro babies being stolen for their high intelligence, Edison covered it all for 12 actually aired episodes (14 total), before being cancelled.

Of course, in doing this, Edison Carter naturally unearthed the corruption of the networks that were often partially responsible for such wrongdoing. And since Max Headroom (the show) was so spot-on in it's predictions of where television was taking society, it was seen as both a breath of fresh air for the viewers who got it, and a slap in the face for the 'real' networks, who realized "hey! They're making fun of us on this show." Perhaps the best example of this from the series is in one episode where Edison Carter, in one of his usual outbursts, asks producer Murray, "Since WHEN has news been ENTERTAINMENT??"

Murray calmly looks at him and, very reasonable, replies:

"...Since it was invented?"

This is all fine, but I'm forgetting one important part of the show: Max himself. Max Headroom is a computer generated character based on the memories and mental functions of Edison Carter. In the SPOILER first episode, Edison SPOILER gets knocked out in an bike accident whilst trying to uncover *something*. In order for Network 23 (who was, of course, behind it all) to keep Carter's reports coming in, but keep Carter himself out of commission, they have the head of Network R&D, Bryce Lynch (who is, of course, a teenager) create a computer-generated version of Edison Carter, and feed Edison's mind into this CG creation. Of course, the CG-carter doesn't work correctly, and upon activation, begins stuttering "M-m-max Headr-r-room," 'Max Headroom' being the last words Edison saw in the parking garage before getting knocked unconscious.

OK, well, I've said enough now. Max Headroom. An excellent show for all the reasons above. It'd be nice to see him make a reappearance, now that many of the show's prophesies are coming to light.

The "future" of media that has now become real

[cadfile · 15 January 2005]

I happened on the "Max Headroom: 20 minutes into the future" film on the cable channel Cinemax by accident in 1986 or so. The story, the setting, and the characters drew me in and I was blown away. Then I found out ABC would be doing a version with 3 of the main characters from the UK film - Matt Frewer, Amanda Pays, and William Morgan Sheppard as "Blank Reg".

While the ABC version was a good copy, like any copy, it just wasn't the same. The UK film, talk show, and ABC version spawned Max as a celebrity. He was everywhere including being a pitchman for Coke.

If you want the best "Max Headroom" experience, see the 1985 UK film. But if they ever broadcast the ABC series, see it.

What is ironic is that the motivation for the evil deeds of the corporate owners of Network 23 is what did in this series. It was put up against ratings giants "Dallas" and "Miami Vice" and canceled midway through their only season.

Max Headroom..

[Absolutredskin · 31 October 2005]

It "dawned" on me finally where I had seen the actor named "Frank" (Matt Frewer) from "Dawn of the Dead" (2004) and all these memories of my childhood came back (born in '79). I remember I watched it faithfully and although I was way too young to actually understand the satyric nature of the show, I was mesmerized by the early use of CG on the idiot-box. I can still see that guys head and the way the computer used to "chunk" when he talked. Funny how now, almost two decades later, we're still dealing with chunking in streaming audio and video feeds. Somebody knew which way the world was headed. Just a great show and I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane

bad critics for american heavy broadband style

[Alfons-2 · 19 February 1999]

as a child my brother and i used to sneak down to our cellar and watch unattendedly TV. in a "kunststuecke" (a tv series where they show movies normally not shown) we just by accident saw the original max headroom uk1995. man. it took us not even a thought to quickly make a philosophy out of it and to take this as our new expectation standard for this genre.

but boy, we never saw it again (not a single video-store holds this) and we were quite nervous when the remake (tv series) was announced ... what a disappointment! with their cold blooded commerciality they made a perfectly clean familiy movie out of the bleak retro ambiance of the original 57 min trip. worst, these are the versions the video-stores are filing.