Max Headroom was an original and creative television show created in 1987 that only ran for 13 episodes, yet was beloved by the small group of fans who rallied around the science-fiction show. We’re not talking your typical science-fiction. Hell, Max Headroom was cyberpunk before the movement had really began, presenting a strange future ruled by media companies. It was a great show, perhaps too creative for its own good, forgotten by most. Now, after all these years, Max Headroom is finally making a grand return to DVD.
“Max Headroom” starred Matt Frewer as a reporter whose mind is downloaded into a computer to create a virtual clone who exists in the digital world. Amanda Pays, Jeffrey Tambor and W. Morgan Sheppard also star in the series, which ran for 14 episodes on Cinemax and ABC in 1987 and 1988. Set in the near future, “Max Headroom” depicted a world of television run amok.
Shout! Factory has a “Max Headroom” complete-series DVD set slated for August, according to a spokesperson. Episodes are being transferred from their original elements to provide the best quality, and Shout! Factory is planning a robust range of extras for the set. Bonus content may include the original U.K. telefilm 20 Minutes Into the Future, upon which the series is based, though nothing has been confirmed. Max Headroom also appeared in a series of Coca-Cola commercials in the 1980s, raising speculation such content may also be fodder for bonus material, but Shout! Factory said planning the extras is in the early stage.
