Cinemax (Thurs., July 23, 11 p.m. ET)
B-
Max Headroom has taken on more incarnations in only two years than Shirley MacLaine has in eternity. From Britain to America, from cable to network, from TV movies to talk shows to adventure series to cola commercials to books, Max has lost something in his many translations. Or perhaps, like Miami Vice and music videos, he is just a fad fading. In the first of his six new talk shows for Cinemax, Max interviews Jerry Hall and ends up looking like another talk-show host, not a parody of one. But things perk up in the next show, thanks to Mary Tyler Moore. Max and MTM not only adore each other but also barb each other. "You remind me of a young Ted Baxter," Mary tells Max. And Max asks about the too-perfect Mary Richards: "Did you ever come to the point where you couldn't stand the bitch?" These days, though, my favorite incarnation of Max is not on video but on old-fashioned paper—in Doonesbury.
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