Following the indispensable first DVD set of THE OUTER LIMITS, arguably the best sci-fi anthology series in TV history, MGM Home Entertainment recently released SEASON 2. Cut short because of plummeting ratings in the '64-'65 season opposite THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW on Saturday nights, the 17 episodes on the three-disc set (a bit steep at $69.96) nonetheless offer some series highlights despite creative compromises as a result of network interference on the part of ABC. Gone is the gothic atmosphere provided by producer Joseph Stefano and creator/producer Leslie Stevens, in favor of "The Monster of the Week," but the inclusion of imaginative and hard-hitting writers such as Harlan Ellison was invaluable.
Fans will note, in fact, that Ellison's "The Soldier" and "Demon with a Glass Hand" (which took wonderful advantage of the Bradbury Building long before BLADE RUNNER) had a very strong hand in influencing James Cameron's THE TERMINATOR, which resulted in subsequent legal haggling. In addition, the two-part "The Inheritors" offered a rare glimpse at compelling long-form possibilities.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
