Summary of "The Complete Series - Is it the future yet?": Max Headroom has a cult following, there's no denying that, but it wasn't quite large enough for Warner Bros to release the set on their own. Thankfully, a small title for Warner Bros turned into a big title for Shout! Factory, and the studio that does quite well with cult titles, put together another winner. The bonus material, while strictly being interviews, is all quality material. I would have loved a few commentary tracks, or even a timeline of "Max Headroom's" (the character) "15 minutes of fame."
Let's look at what's not on the set. The first obvious omission is the UK TV movie, Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future (Note: the first episode, "Blipverts" is essentially a rewrite of the UK TV movie - they're nearly the same thing, and nothing is lost story-wise from it's omission on the set). Shout! Factory intended to include it on the set, but there was a problem. It turns out Warner Bros doesn't own the rights to it. Channel 4 doesn't own the rights to it. No one Shout! Factory contacted owns the rights to it. It wasn't omitted for lack of trying, that's for sure. Another obvious omission is Matt Frewer, the star of the show. His people were contacted, and for whatever reason he wasn't interested in taking part in the interviews. It's a shame because I'm sure he would have had many stories to tell, especially since he was in the show as "Edison Carter," but also heavily made up when he appeared as "Max Headroom." Bummer. Also not included are the Coca-Cola commercials, which would have been an obvious thing to put on the DVD set due to Max's involvement with the promotion of their products in the 80s. Unfortunately Coke didn't want them on the set (could it have anything to do with the failure of "New Coke," which most of the Max ads were promoting?). At least there's a story for each thing not included; it certainly wasn't Shout! Factory slacking off.
Another wonderful cult set from Shout! Factory, and while they deserve nearly all the credit, I'd like to give a tip-of-the-hat to Warner Bros as well. I'm very thankful Warner licensed the show, the first time they've licensed a property to another company (okay, Man from U.N.C.L.E. is technically the first, but that was a different type of deal), and I hope this paves the way for more 3rd parties to release shows a bit too small for Warner to put out. It's a win for Warner, a win for the company putting the show out, and definitely a win for the consumer.
Fans of the show will undoubtedly pick this up, but hopefully other sci-fi fans see it on the shelf and give it a shot. I think they'd be pleasantly surprised. (read entire review)
Shout!'s Press Release for The Complete Series Includes Finalized Extras
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Ubiquitous, Outrageous Icon Max Headroom Is Baaack!
MAX HEADROOM:
THE COMPLETE SERIES
Starring Matt Frewer, Amanda Pays,
W. Morgan Sheppard and Jeffrey Tambor
Featuring... (read entire news item)
5/06/2010
Fun Bonus Item Available from Shout! Store for The Complete Series
Last week Shout! Factory formally announced that Max Headroom - The Complete Series will be available on DVD at last, this coming August 10th. We know many of you are placing an Amazon pre-order for... (read entire news item)
4/29/2010
We've Got Max in Mo-Mo-Mo-Motion with Animated Lenticular Package Art!
Two days ago we reported on the long-awaited release date (August 10th) and details for Shout! Factory's Max Headroom - The Complete Series DVD set. And wow, have fans responded with loud cheers! We're... (read entire news item)
4/27/2010
The Complete Series: Date, Cost, Packaging and a Hint About the Extras!
Back at the end of February we brought you the press release announcing that Shout! Factory had licensed two shows from Warner Home Video, for Shout! to produce and release on DVD. At the time, trade... (read entire news item)
2/26/2010
ABC's 1987 Series to DVD as a Result of Warner's New Licensing Deal with Shout! Factory
NOTE: Although not mentioned in the press release below, a story posted at the website of trade journal Home Media Magazine says that Max Headroom will be released on August 10th, and The Norm Show in... (read entire news item)
