Here's some unexpected news. Thanks to a new deal between Shout Factory (which has become the go-to people for releasing obscure TV shows) and Warner Bros, the 1980s Max Headroom series is coming to DVD! So reports TV Shows on DVD: http://www.TVShowsOnDVD.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=13399 No word whether this will include the original UK pilot movie. And don't expect a Blu-Ray, though apparently the show will be remastered (though not in the Star Trek sense). That pretty much leaves Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman and Batman as my DVD Holy Grails. (Well, Holmes & Yo-Yo, too, but I keep that under my hat.) Alex
Got an e-mail from tvshowsondvd.com about this. Which does not happen much any more, most of the shows I want are long ago on DVD. My main memories of Max are from the commercials. I use to rent a VHS copy of the UK pilot from my local video store as a teen all the time. I always wanted to see the rest. Another reason is I am a fan of Amanda Pays from "The Flash".
Thanks for the great news. I will be getting this. I watched the original and that had some influence on me as now I work everyday with professional broadcast TV cameras and journalists on-location. I also need to pick up last year release of MTV's The State complete series DVD. I will also keep my fingers crossed for a proper OCN film telecine remaster to HD of Batman 1960s series on Blu-ray.
Hells YEZ!!!! Christopher, I don't get why you want the Robocop series. At least according to my memory, that show blew. Robo goes out, gets easily, ridiculously trashed, gets fixed, saves the day. Wash, rinse, repeat. From what I recall, it had NONE of the edginess that the first, classic movie had. I have to ask, why do you want this show?
To each his own. I can understand why others might've found it cheesy, but I loved it. I loved the cast, I loved the music, and I felt that, despite the occasional excessive corniness, the writing struck an appropriate balance of humor and drama. The show got something that most RoboCop sequels missed: that it's supposed to be a comedy. True, it was less "edgy," if by that you mean less violent, but that kind of "edge" I can personally do without. RoboCop was a character who became extremely popular with children, so if you ask me it would've been irresponsible not to tone down the violence. (I recall being disturbed by how many small children were in the theater when I went to see the exceptionally violent, R-rated RoboCop 2.) Besides, it was simply more believable; proper police procedure is to use minimum necessary force, and Robo is programmed to follow proper procedure. One cool thing about the series is that its executive producer, Stephen Downing, was an ex-cop, so its treatment of the police force was more realistic (within the context of the fantasy and satire) than what the movies gave us. I also think the series made better use of RoboCop as a character than other sequels. The second and third movies just kind of gave up on the character and tried to marginalize him, focusing on other characters around him. The Prime Directives miniseries ignored what made him unique and just made him a stock wisecracking tough cop. But the series really explored him as a tragic figure, a being who still had the memories of Alex Murphy but was something fundamentally different, a man who missed his family but felt they had to believe he was dead and go on without him, a moral individual who had to struggle against the often unethical OCP imperatives that restricted his behavior. And Richard Eden did a fantastic job playing him, conveying so much with only the tiniest hint of expression or body language.
By edge, I also mean the savage satire. It's been a very long time, but I don't remember the TV show having that, either.
The TV series was definitely satirical, but in a more whimsical, less "savage" way. But I think that worked for what the series was. A regular series trying to be as hard-edged and savage as the movie week after week after week would've been too overwhelming; and, again, it was necessary to consider the fact that there would undoubtedly be children watching. I feel that the lighter style of humor and satire was an appropriate choice. I'm not saying you have to feel the same, but I really enjoyed it. It succeeded in being something that no other RoboCop sequel has been: fun.
Max Headroom had been at the top of my Holy Grails list, which includes The Six Million Dollar Man, and Jeremy Piven's Cupid, and even Holmes & Yo-Yo, but the new top spot belongs to Mann & Machine. Yancy Butler's performance was magical! Best of her career (also the first)! If they can put crap like Small Wonder out on DVD, there's no excuse anymore.
I'm waiting for a REAL release of WKRP in Cinncinnati. Also, though the release of Quantum Leap was decent, one with the original music COMPLETELY restored would be great.
In complete agreement. The only seasons I have are the 1st and the 5th which have the original music. My remaining DVD series would be - The remaining seasons of the Superboy tv series John Doe Non genre - ED - Stuckeyville's Bowling Alley lawyer. Not that talking horse show
Yeah... that was a mediocre show overall, but Butler was striking and impressive as Eve. Even if she was kind of imitating Data. But then, just about anyone who played an android after 1987 imitated Data.
Man from Atlantis would be good. Also, Fantastic Journey (Roddy McDowell really classes up the joint). Maybe the Logan's Run TV series.
Ditto. The music is as much a part of that series as anything else. Also, a Region 1 release of Blake's 7 would not be unwelcome. I want to see a DVD release of Dark Skies as well.
Hmmm, actually, she was imitating the replicants in Blade Runner (especially Pris) more than Data, methinks. There was even a nod to BR in the pilot episode, when Samantha Eggar introduces the other members of the AI team as, "Doctors Scott, Deckard, Ford and Hauer." Don't know how to describe it properly, but there was that dichotomy between her having full knowledge of police procedure, and her having an emotional age of seven. I loved how she could be calm, cool & collected in a police situation one minute, and then something tangential would grab her attention and spark her curiosity, and her face would just light up with wide-eyed, child-like enthusiasm. That right there was worth the price of admission! (I know, that phrase doesn't really work when you're talkin' about TV!) Then there was the other great little quirk she had: Whenever she was in close proximity to foodstuffs, she would poke her nose almost right into it and give it a loud sniff! Priceless! Didn't matter whose food it was: There was one shot of Mann eating a hot dog, and Eve walks right into frame and gives the dog The Sniff!
I liked Mann And Machine. Max Headroom was great stuff, compared unfavorably at the time to the British original but with the perspective of a few decades the inspired weirdness and (admittedly heavy-handed) satire wears pretty well. And like Buscemi, you've gotta respect Morgan Sheppard for his teeth.