Be honest now, how many people even remember Max Headroom? For those of us that do, he’s a hard one to forget since thanks to Matt Frewer and the makeup department he’s a pretty easy personality to remember given his over the top act and the fact that he did have the look of being a computer-generated program. Back in 1985 when he came out the technology wasn’t nearly where it needed to be for this effect and Frewer had to be put through an arduous 4-hour makeup process and described the effect as being inside a giant tennis ball since it was stifling and it was largely uncomfortable. But he did it all the same and he helped to create a character that was from a dystopian future where TV had taken over pretty much everything. Max was just one more symbol for the 80s and for pop culture since a lot of people took to liking him without question since he was amusing and kind of out there with his act. The thing about Max though is that eventually his act did run a bit dry and he was left behind as a relic, a throwback from the 80s that was still fairly popular in the 90s, but didn’t really make it into the 2000s in a big way since technology had taken over and things were moving ahead at a pretty good clip.
Bringing him back might be kind of interesting, but only if it really happened in the same capacity as he enjoyed before. It’s possible that Matt Frewer might be able to take up the role again, but likely only as a voice role since the actor has aged quite a bit since the 80s and a wrinkled Max Headroom would definitely be kind of awkward considering that he’s a computer simulation. But with the current technology, this is very possible since the CGI could be utilized in a very useful manner to bring back a character that was a lot of fun at one point and could be again if pushed in an acceptable manner. Creating an entire show around Max would be kind of awkward and could possibly take things beyond the point of being amusing and push them right into annoying since Max’s computer-generated stutter is endearing to a lot of people since it was a part of what made him famous, but it’s also important to realize that a movie or even a series with this character could go a long way toward ruining him altogether.
This is the most obvious downside of bringing pop culture icons back to life is that some of them won’t necessarily fit in with the current era, at least not in the manner that people are hoping. Max Headroom could find a place in the current state of pop culture, but it feels more accurate to state that he would be best as a show host or when used in commercials as he used to be. He was featured in the movie Pixels at one point as the alien herald that told the protagonists what was going to happen and why, but apart from that he’s been parodied and otherwise mimicked throughout the years, but never really brought back to any kind of prominence. He was a character that was popular for his time and that was apparently where he was meant to thrive since at this point it’s hard to see Max making a huge comeback, even if someone had enough ambition to do so. If it does happen then keeping his roles in pop culture small and confined in a way that will allow his otherwise upbeat and sassy attitude to be put to good use would be beneficial. But giving Max Headroom his own series would be something of a mistake since it feels as though there simply isn’t enough worthwhile material to make him appear popular enough to viewers.
It’s hard to think of anything that a lot of us grew up with as ‘not worthwhile’ but Max Headroom could be popular again, in a way, if he were brought back since nostalgia is still a pretty big thing right now, and it’s fair to say that people are eating up whatever they can when it’s presented to them. But it’s important to keep in mind that they’re also passing on a lot of ideas or looking at what’s being presented and enjoying it for a short while before moving on once again. The attention span of many people these days is measured in microseconds, and that would appear what Max Headroom is bound to be worth to a lot of folks. It’s not an insult to be clear, but it’s definitely a cautionary statement since bringing him back wouldn’t be all good times and laughter.Matt Frewer
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