Series synopsis
Max Headroom is an American drama sci-fi & fantasy television series that premiered on ABC on March 31, 1987. It ended on May 12, 1988. It was created by Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton. It stars Matt Frewer, Chris Young, Jeffrey Tambor and William Morgan Sheppard.
Television networks battle one another in an unrelenting ratings war. Whoever controls the airwaves controls the dystopic world in which they broadcast. So when Network 23's star reporter, Edison Carter, uncovers a deadly secret that could shake up the station's dominion over its viewers, the only option is to eliminate Carter before he can make his story public. After Carter's "accident," his mind is uploaded to create the world's first self-aware, computer-generated TV host — Max Headroom! But ...
Premise
Television networks battle one another in an unrelenting ratings war. Whoever controls the airwaves controls the dystopic world in which they broadcast. So when Network 23's star reporter, Edison Carter, uncovers a deadly secret that could shake up the station's dominion over its viewers, the only option is to eliminate Carter before he can make his story public. After Carter's "accident," his mind is uploaded to create the world's first self-aware, computer-generated TV host — Max Headroom! But will Max bow to his creators? Or will he be the key to his human alter ago bringing down a network superpower?
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Matt Frewer as Edison Carter / Max Headroom
- Chris Young as Bryce Lynch
- Jeffrey Tambor as Murray
- William Morgan Sheppard as Blank Reg
- Concetta Tomei as Blank Dominique
- Amanda Pays as Theora Jones
- George Coe as Ben Cheviot
- Lee Wilkof as Edwards
Guest cast
- John Winston
- Carol Mayo Jenkins
- Billie Bird
- Dayle Haddon
- Richard Frank as Biller
- Andreas Katsulas as Mr. Bartlett
- Ron Fassler as Grieg
- Bill Maher as Haskel
- Sandra Sexton
- Rosalind Chao as Angie Barry
- Charles Rocket as Grossberg
- Hank Garrett as Ashwell
Episodes
This series spans 3 seasons with 26 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 12 | April 4, 1985 | April 4, 1985 |
| Season 1 | 6 | March 31, 1987 | May 5, 1987 |
| Season 2 | 8 | September 18, 1987 | May 12, 1988 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future In the post-apocalyptic future where television sets are more important than food, TV ratings are the all important currency of the nation. A new technique of preventing viewers from channel surfing proves somewhat detrimental to particularly sedentary couch potatoes. The top studio becomes concerned: dead viewers make for low ratings. Edison Carter, top news reporter, is sent to find out more. After a motorcycle accident, his mind is preserved by wizz-kid Bryce and becomes his wise cracking, computer generated alter-ego: Max Headroom, who manages to boost ratings above those of any live hosts to date. This made for TV movie was later remade (sanitized version) as the first episode of the series. |
April 4, 1985 |
| 2 |
Live on Network 23: The Story of Max Headroom The biography of Max Headroom, including interviews with creators George Stone, Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, executive producer Peter Wagg, producer Brian Frankish and writers Steve Roberts and Michael Cassutt. |
|
| 3 |
Looking Back at the Future: A Cast Round Table An intimate roundtable discussion including cast members Amanda Pays, Jeffrey Tambor, Concetta Tomei and Chris Young focusing on Max Headroom - the character, the series and beyond! |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Blipverts In the near future, when TVs can't be shut off and ratings are all that matter, investigative reporter Edison Carter and his computer-generated alter ego Max Headroom battle to keep the "blank" generation informed. In the opener, Carter stumbles across his own network's cover-up of a sometimes deadly new form of TV advertising called "blipverts". |
March 31, 1987 |
| 2 |
Rakers Theora goes AWOL when she learns her estranged brother is involved in the brutal and dangerous ""sport"" of raking, which the promoters are trying to have legalized and televised. |
April 7, 1987 |
| 3 |
Body Banks Breughel and Mahler are stealing live bodies from the Fringes and selling them to Nightingales Body Bank. The wealthy Plantaganet wants pituitarys from the bodies for an operation which could save his aging mother. While Carter races to save a Fringer girl's life, Cheviot is more concerned that Max is offending Network 23's biggest sponsor, ZikZak, who have decided to buy him. |
April 14, 1987 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Academy Network 23 becomes the victim of signal zipping - illegal interruption of their satellite feed. When Bryce tracks the zipping to Big Time Television, Reg is arrested and sent for trial by gameshow on ""You the Jury"". Meanwhile Edison and Theora trace the real zippers to the Academy of Computer Sciences, and Bryce's old schoolfriends. |
September 18, 1987 |
| 2 |
Deities The Vu-Age Church is running a phony resurrection service, claiming to be able to store cortical scans of its members and keep them on-line for the day when cloning is perfected and their personalities can be placed in new bodies. Edison is reluctant to pursue the story because Vu- Age's leading televangelist, Vanna Smith, is an old flame. |
September 25, 1987 |
| 3 |
Grossberg's Return Rival Network 66 attempts to defeat Network 23 in a ratings-based election by introducing a ""watch while you sleep"" device into its programming to cause people to leave their TV sets on all night. |
October 2, 1987 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ABC |
|---|---|
| First aired | March 31, 1987 |
| Last aired | May 12, 1988 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Thursday at 20:00:00 |