Finally: Max Headroom Coming to DVD (1 Viewer)

[kemcha]

Excuse my exuberance. But, I have just one thing to say: Hell, Yeah! Max Headroom is coming our way August 10th.

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Max-Headroom-DVDs-Planned/13399

 

[cineMANIAC]

HELL YEAH! BRING IT ON --Holy crap 2010 already rocks!!! Max Friggin' Headroom

 

[kemcha]

I always enjoyed watching these episodes when they were first being broadcast. I considered myself lucky enough to remember watching these episodes during their original broadcast on network TV, long before Comcast came into the picture with cable television.

 

[NeilO]

Originally Posted by Joseph J.D /forum/thread/298495/finally-max-headroom-coming-to-dvd#post_3664916

Unbelievable! Wow! This is exciting news.

 

[Dan Lindley]

Happiest news in a long time!

Could this provide hope/inspiration for Batman!! Please!!!!

 

[LizH]

First Birds of Prey, now Max Headroom.


I'm on a roll!

 

[Neil Brock]

With all of the great shows Warner owns, this is what they license? Curious to say the least.

 

[DeWilson]

Originally Posted by Neil Brock

With all of the great shows Warner owns, this is what they license? Curious to say the least.

Perhaps the "good" stuff is being held back for the archive or WHV release?

Wonder if SHOUT! might be looking at MadTV? I've heard there were some clearance isues with some of the episodes - but how about "Best of" compilations - I'd buy a "Best of Ms.Swan" with commentary by Alex Borstein,or a MADTV Animation Compilation.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Originally Posted by Neil Brock

With all of the great shows Warner owns, this is what they license? Curious to say the least.

How is this curious--it's a huge cult favorite on more than one continent. Makes a lot of sense to me--and look at all the wishlists from this forum over the years; how many times did people ask for this show?

I hope they don't do it without Matt Frewer's participation; also hope they interview Chris Young, Jeffrey Tambor, Amanda Pays...everybody!

 

[Corey3rd]

Originally Posted by Neil Brock

With all of the great shows Warner owns, this is what they license? Curious to say the least.

it's a great move, a short series (14 episodes plus the english 20 Minutes) with a cult following. what in the warner vault is more tempting and marketable?

 

[Neil Brock]

Originally Posted by Corey3rd




it's a great move, a short series (14 episodes plus the english 20 Minutes) with a cult following. what in the warner vault is more tempting and marketable?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe something that didn't run when everybody had VCRs. To me this just seems like the type of show that has a strong and vocal minority of supporters but that doesn't have a widespread appeal. If it did, then maybe the show would have lasted longer than a short spring tryout and a cancellation after 5 episodes in the fall. I'm just happy to see Warner is finally coming on board with licensing. Too bad this comes as the whole TV on DVD craze seems to be dying. Would have been nice if they did this five years ago when these things actually were profitable.

 

[Ric Easton]

At long freaking last! LIVE and Direct! Just for fun, I did a search... I started asking about this show over 7 years ago!

 

[David Lambert]

Quote:Originally Posted by Neil Brock

https://twitter.com/BWard028/status/9641999420

 

[Corey3rd]

Originally Posted by Neil Brock




Oh, I don't know. Maybe something that didn't run when everybody had VCRs. To me this just seems like the type of show that has a strong and vocal minority of supporters but that doesn't have a widespread appeal. If it did, then maybe the show would have lasted longer than a short spring tryout and a cancellation after 5 episodes in the fall. I'm just happy to see Warner is finally coming on board with licensing. Too bad this comes as the whole TV on DVD craze seems to be dying. Would have been nice if they did this five years ago when these things actually were profitable.

So you can't name that title from Warner Brothers that you're dying to see released on DVD that you swear will sell better than Max Headroom? This seems to be the only title left in the Warner vault that I want after they put out Kung Fu, Superman, Gilligan's Island, Wonder Woman and F Troop.

The TV shows on DVD craze isn't dying. People are still picking up certain titles. Even during the "height" of the crazy, everything wasn't selling a million - otherwise Fox would have rushed out Mary Tyler Moore faster. The perception was there because there was a need for titles on the shelf.

This is a one and done project for Shout! Factory. They don't have to count on X number of people buying Y numbers of season 2 and keeping the trend going to season 10. Fans don't have to worry what will it take for Shout! to finish the series. We don't have to see posts from the "I won't buy a show that I think is going to be abandoned" crowd. You want Max - here it is. This is a perfect situation.

And I don't think people will sit there and ponder digging through the closet to watch a 25 year old EP speed VHS tape versus paying for the upgrade with cool bonus features. people had no problem grabbing Miami Vice, X-Files or a little canceled show that stunk it up in the ratings called Star Trek.

Also this is a show that appeals to people on the internet - thus they know it'll move good numbers at the online shops. they also know they can reach this audience with online action instead of trying to ponder how to tap into an AARP member who might remember a Western from their youth.

My only request is that they have the "20 Minutes" as part of the package. Plus maybe some of the soda ads and the Art of Noise video.

This will be selling as many copies in August 2010 as it would have in August 2005.

The fact that Shout! is putting out Max Headroom and the complete Larry Sanders this fall should be a reason to rejoice and start saving your pennies.

 

[David Lambert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corey3rd

My only request is that they have the "20 Minutes" as part of the package. Plus maybe some of the soda ads and the Art of Noise video.

When I first got the press release (days prior to the public reveal), I inquired with Shout! about which versions of Max they specifically have the rights to, and presented a list of options: the original 1985 UK film ("20 Minutes Into the Future"), the 1985 UK spin-off of that telefilm ("The Max Headroom Show"), the 1987 ABC series ("Max Headroom"), and the 1987 Cinemax adaption of ABC's series ("The Original Max Talking Headroom Show"). Shout! very specifically replied "This is the Max Headroom 1987 ABC Series". It does not sound like they have the rights to the UK telefilm, or any other version of Max.

And, despite a trade journal (HMM) initially reporting that bonus content on the DVDs could possibly include the Coca Cola commercials which featured Max, I have already heard (albeit from a non-Shout! source, so take this with a grain of salt) that Coke has already turned them down for rights to include those ads as extras on the DVD set. Bummer.

But even if the Coke ads and the hour-long original UK telefilm aren't included in the set, cheer up! Shout! says they are lining up all kinds of other extras, including participation by cast and crew. And the IMDB's trivia section says this about the UK film (they say "blipberts" there; they mean "blipverts"):

• "Remade almost scene-for-scene as the first episode of 'Max Headroom' (1987). Only Frewer, Pays and Sheppard appeared in both versions. The obese TV viewer's death by 'blipberts', and Carter's reaction to it, as well as the live TV doctor's topic on colon health were discarded."

I have no idea if the Art Of Noise video has been considered, but I'm shooting a note right now to pass that suggestion along (giving credit to Joe Corey for bringing it up).

 

[kemcha]

Hopefully, Shout can get the rights to other versions. My first introduction to Matt Frewer came with Max Headroom. Other than that, or before that, I didn't know who Frewer was.

 

[Neil Brock]

As with most television shows, you had to be a certain age. I'm not part of the "MTV generation", so this show held no appeal for me, then or now. Good for the people who want it to be getting it. Personally, I'd prefer something like Harry O myself. Or some of the sitcoms, like Mayberry RFD or Courtship of Eddie's Father. The important thing is Warner is finally opening the vaults and letting another company have at it. Too bad Shout seems to be the only independent doing anything these days, except for Timeless and their westerns.

 

[LizH]

Originally Posted by David Lambert /forum/thread/298495/finally-max-headroom-coming-to-dvd#post_3665089

 

[Ethan Riley]

Originally Posted by Neil Brock

As with most television shows, you had to be a certain age. I'm not part of the "MTV generation", so this show held no appeal for me, then or now. Good for the people who want it to be getting it. Personally, I'd prefer something like Harry O myself. Or some of the sitcoms, like Mayberry RFD or Courtship of Eddie's Father. The important thing is Warner is finally opening the vaults and letting another company have at it. Too bad Shout seems to be the only independent doing anything these days, except for Timeless and their westerns.

I like certain tv shows from the 1950s to today. I don't subscribe to any particular genre or style or time frame. Good tv is good tv. If you look at my tv-on-dvd collection, you'll find yer 50s sitcoms there, headed of course, by "I Love Lucy." Then you'll find my favorite westerns "the Big Valley" and " Bonanza." Moving on to 60s sitcoms like "Bewitched" and "The Flying Nun," through "Star Trek," shows I enjoyed as a kid like "H.R. Pufnstuf," popular 70s and 80s sitcoms, loads of primetime soaps (all of the ones produced on dvd so far, in fact), ad ending with lots of popular modern shows like "Lost," "Heroes" and "Desperate Housewives." If I think it's good, I watch it.

Max Headroom was a brilliant satire of its day and was probably over the heads of most people, so it went away. But it probably holds up well even today; because if anything, tv is probably more cutthroat and ruthless than it was in the 80s. And we do have about 5 zillion channels now, and they do cancel shows more quickly than they used to (some shows get filmed and then cancelled before they even air! Look up on imdb Randy Quaid's 2002 sitcom "The Grubbs" for a good example). I think it's important to have another look at this show because our media kinda sucks right now--technology is changing too fast and a lot of people are losing money and are terrified and making bad corporate decisions. Max knew all this had happened before and would happen again, and he presented it as a cautionary tale with a satiric bent; but he had a lot of fun doing it, I should add.

 

[Corey3rd]

There was a piece last year about how Clear Channel was selling what amounts to Blipverts on their radio stations giving a 3 second slot to say the products name at random times during the day. The show did have a vision of the future we're stuck inside.