M-M-M-Max Head-Head-Head-Headroom
(Thanks to Keltik Danger)
[All images are owned by Lorimar-Telepictures. Please don’t sue or cancel me]
First, a bit of history...
In the early 80s, a sub-genre of science fiction known as “cyberpunk” was created. The overall theme of the genre was a dystopian future where corporations have more authority than the government (why does that sound eerily familiar?). Most of the more popular source material includes a world where all computers are connected via a nebulous network known as “cyberspace” (OK, this is getting a bit too close to home...) where artificially intelligent entities evolve and potentially begin to take over (Now hang on a minute!). Most stories revolve around a street-level “hero” struggling against the status quo to try to give some power back to the little guys.
Over the next few years, it started becoming more mainstream, including the films Blade Runner and The Terminator.
Which brings us to this review...after a bit of backstory.
The British network Channel Four wanted to create a music video show starring the first-ever “computer-generated host” known as Max Headroom (played by Matt Frewer, who would later play Moloch in Watchmen), but first they had to explain where this entity came from. So they produced a TV movie called Max Headroom, 20 Minuted Into the Future, where Frewer played Edison Carter, a reporter who was comatose after running his motorcycle into a sign labelled “max. headoom 2.3 meters” (in the UK, they use “maximum headroom” as opposed to “maximum height” in the US) The network uploaded his brainwave patterns in an attempt to gain whatever information Edison nearly died to obtain, and those brainwaves created...
Max Headroom (whose program glitches frequently, making him seem like he has a stutter and, despite being the intellectual property of whatever network created him, is very anti-establishment, often insulting the very sponsors who pay for his continued existence. Ironically, his image was heavily merchandised and he was the spokes-being for “New Coke” (nowadays known as “Coke II”)
After The Max Headroom Show was cancelled in the UK, US producers were eager to bring the concept to an American audience. However, instead of Max being a DJ, the producers decided to create a series around the concept of 20 Minutes Into the Future.
Max Headroom is set, naturally...
It is a world where there are a huge number of television stations, all vying for as big a slice of the rating pie as possible, keeping the masses as entertained so they stay docile (Now hang on!) while buying things their sponsors pay big money to advertise.
Frewer returns as Edison Carter, an investigative reporter for “Network 23″. Edison exposes social injustice on a daily basis on the Network 23 news, as well as his own show. His reports uncover a great deal and make many powerful entities nervous...yet Network 23 refuses to silence him (No, Network 23 isn’t morally better than the others; Edison’s broadcasts bring huge ratings (and huge ad dollars) so they give him a lot of leeway) Edison is constantly going out into the field to get his reports armed only with his video camera (and not even a cameraman for backup) In the pilot episode, Edison pissed off the wrong people and ran into a certain sign while escaping, which led to the chain of events that created Max.
Edison’s handler is Theora Jones (played by Amanda Pays, who would later play Tina McGee in the 90s version on The Flash.
Edison’s producer is Murray (not sure if that’s his first or last name), played by Jeffrey Tambor, who played the Director of the BPRD in Hellboy. Murray is constantly pushing Edison to get to the bottom of whatever story he’s chasing while trying to keep the Network execs off of Edison.
Speaking of Network execs...
The Chairman of the Network is Ben Cheviot. Unlike the rest of the Board, Cheviot tries to do the right thing, but ratings (and profits) are still a priority for him.
Bryce Lynch is a prodigy who is the head of R&D for Network 23 and the person responsible for creating Max after Edison’s accident.
The show tackles subject matter that is a cross between pure science fiction (advertisements that could make viewers explode) and totally plausible (terrorist organizations selling exclusive broadcast contracts to TV networks) to relevant even today (TV editing content to fit their narrative)
(Thanks to BRND MYR)
As always, if you would like to see an episode reviewed, please let me know!
