Anyone who was alive and in front of a TV set between the later half of 1986 and the end of the Reagan era, could not possibly have avoided seeing this apparently computer-generated talking head. The funny thing is it wasn't computer generated at all. It was actor Matt Frewer under several pounds of latex. And anybody who saw Max Headroom back in the day knows he was bigger than just a 14-episode TV show. He was a pop culture phenomenon, sticking his head in everywhere from MTV music videos to commercials for that most hated of '80s icons, New Coke. He even inspired Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau to give President Reagan the Headroom treatment in the form of a video generated character called "Ron Headrest". Oddly enough, life eventually imitated art when then-former President Reagan gave videotaped testimony before Congress on the Iran-Contra scandal. By the beginning of the '90s, both Reagan and Max Headroom had largely faded away as the digital and political landscapes continued to evolve in odd and unexpected ways, some of which mirrored the TV show.
Viewing the series in its entirety over the course of a week was at once nostalgic and chilling. Its razor-sharp social commentary hasn't lost one bit of its bite. If anything, some aspects are even more relevant today. That said, it's kind of odd to see just how analog everything was back then. Set "20 Minutes into the Future," It's post-industrial, look, evoking equal parts Blade Runner, Brazil, and early MTV, is a product of its time. The production values are very '80s, and to Warner Home Video's credit, they opted to keep the original 4:3 screen aspect ratio, rather than re-cut things to fit our newer "landscape" TV screens. At the same time, it's uncanny how predictive the show could be.
During Max's heyday, I remember being annoyed by his frequent trademark stutters, ostensibly caused by his image sucking up more computer resources than were available at the time. Who could have predicted that broadcast digital TV would look just like that 23 years later! Actually, broadcast digital looks a hell of a lot worse. After watching several episodes on DVD, I was surprised by how little I even noticed his stutters.
After watching all fourteen episodes, including one that ABC failed to air in its initial network run, but later made its debut on the Sci-Fi Channel, I was left with only one question: was it low ratings that killed Max Headroom, or did he step on too many toes as he exposed network television for what it was?
All I can say is Max, I'm glad to have you back, even if it is just for a 14-episode nostalgia trip.
