Max Headroom is one of the bizarre staples of the 1980's that existed in pop culture well beyond the confines of his 14 episode television series. From a semi-cameo appearance in Back to the Future, Part II to the faintest nostalgic twinge of a memory at the New Coke commercials he hosted, I grew up not knowing what, exactly, Max Headroom was, but I was certainly aware that he did exist. (Confession: there was a point in my childhood where I believed that there was a connection Max Headroom and Mac Tonight) Exploring Shout! Factory's just-released set, Max Headroom: The Complete Series has, then, been a fascinating experience, blending the discovery of a truly enjoyable series with -- if not specifically nostalgia itself -- the basic idea of nostalgia.
The facts of Max Headroom are these: Based on a British TV movie from 1985, Max Headroom ran for just thirteen episodes (one unaired) in 1987. Depicting a dystopian cyberpunk reality dominated by television and advertising, the series famously took place "20 minutes into the future" and focused on the news crew of Network 23: On-the-scene reporter Edison Carter (Matt Frewer) and, back at the station, his team, including controller Theora Jones (Amanda Pays), producer Murray (Jeffrey Tambor), child prodigy Bryce Lynch (Chris Young) and, of course, Max Headroom himself, a bizarre piece of video sentience based on the brain patterns of Carter, created in the first episode.
Part of what makes Max Headroom so impressive as a series is that, more than thirty years on, it doesn't feel dated in any way. In fact, the same video look that hurts other series from the era (Star Trek: The Next Generation, for instance, which is hilariously compared to Headroom in the set's liner notes), adds to the series' post-videocalypse setting. Imagine Videodrome with cheerier disposition and you're in the right ballpark.
Max Headroom comes home to DVD for the first time ever with, astonishingly, all the original music intact and every episode looking particularly sharp for something of its day. This certainly isn't the transfer you'd get from a recent show, but is pretty sharp for a television show from 1987. Even if Max Headroom could look better (and it probably can't) it might very well ruin the video aesthetic.
The slick packaging feature three slim cases housed in a cardboard outer box that features a 3D lenticular image of Max on the front. Two of the slim cases each house two discs, containing all the series’ episodes, while the fifth disc is reserved just for special features.
Live on Network 23: The Story of Max Headroom is an hour-long history of the program and a really engaging watch. Looking Back At the Future is a half-hour series of interviews with the main cast reminiscing about the show while The Big Time Blanks is a much shorter interview with Morgan Sheppard and Concetta Tomei, who play series regulars Blank Reg and Dominique, respectively. Several shorter (but finely produced ) features include The Science Behind the Fiction, Producing Dystopia and The Writers Remember.
There are, sadly, a few omissions that would have made for excellent features, though legal issues most likely prevented them from seeing the light of day. The original British telefilm would have been a real meaty feature (perhaps the set’s success could see it released separately?) and (probably even more unlikely) the New Coke advertisements. Let’s blame that one on Coca-Cola trying to forget that New Coke ever existed and appreciate what is otherwise a jam-packed set.
Ultimately, whether you’re familiar with Max Headroom or not, Shout! Factory has turned out a set that really serves as an artifact just beyond its era. Despite the uneasy aging of a lot of its longer-running peers, Max Headroom still feels fresh, funny and -- in a different sort of digital world -- timely. It may be 30 years later, but Max Headroom still plays like something from 20 minutes into the future.
