Max Headroom: The Complete Series

Max Headroom, a “virtual personality” created in 1985 as a quirky TV host, headlined his own American TV show in 1987–88: a science fiction satire (set “20 minutes into the future”) that was remarkably prescient in its put-down of advertising, news, and the media landscape in general (“Since when has news been entertainment?” “Since it was invented”). While many viewers believed that Max was a digital creation, he was really actor Matt Frewer under prosthetic makeup and lighting designed to evoke a computer avatar (with editing that give him a stutter to enhance the illusion). Frewer stars as both reporter Edison Carter and his alter ego, Max, who's created by whiz kid Bryce (Chris Young) after an accident temporarily sidelines Carter. Max quickly becomes artificial intelligence run amok in cyberspace, popping up on video monitors to offer skewed commentary and offbeat assistance, despite the efforts of both his controller at the station, Theora (Amanda Pays), and TV producer Murray (Jeffrey Tambor) to keep him in line. Although it lasted only two short seasons, the show won Emmy awards for its art direction and sound and has earned a cult following. Compiling all 14 episodes of the American series (but not the British telefilm that introduced Max), DVD extras include a documentary on the character's creation and evolution, a roundtable discussion (with costars Pays, Tambor, Young, and Concetta Tomei), and interview featurettes with cast and crew (although Frewer is disappointingly missing). Recommended. (S. Axmaker)