3 ms·

TIL that George R R Martin wrote an unproduced "Xmas" script from the cancelled second season.

• justin66 3y ago
  Holy moly, I don't know how I never knew about this. https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2017/03/30/max-headroom-returns/ https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2017/03/30/max-headroom-... Mine was supposedly to be… hmmmmm, let me see now… the fourth episode of the series. My title was “Mister Meat.” Now, TV writing in those days was a two-step process: “story with option to teleplay,” they called it. You wrote a ‘story,’ a short plot outline with all the major beats and characters. Then, when the showrunners, studio, and network all approved it, you went on to write the teleplay. “Mister Meat” never got that far, alas. The showrunners and my fellow Maxxies loved it, as I recall, but when ABC saw the story they reacted with horror. Way too disturbing and offensive, they announced, driving a spike firmly through my concept and sending me on my way. Which I why I never got hired onto MAX HEADROOM and wound up on staff on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST instead. I got a second chance when MAX was picked up for a second season, however. As a freelancer, I got the choice assignment of writing the Christmas episode. And this time I went to town. Wrote the story, rewrote the story, wrote the teleplay, revised the teleplay. “Xmas” was the title of the episode, and it got as far as pre-production… And then the show was cancelled. Rather suddenly and unceremoniously, I must say. America was spared from celebrating Xmas with Max.
  • dwaite 3y ago
    Seems right up his alley, too - star of the show was killed off in the first 10 minutes of the pilot.