Hold on to your childhoods boys and girls, for we’ve have a glimpse at the long-awaited reboot of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. The original series, which aired on NBC between 1985 and 1987, ran for 45 episodes across two seasons.
While this short, 83-second tease doesn’t give us much by way of what to expect from each episode, it does lean heavily into its roots, by tapping into elements from the most memorable episodes from the original run: fighter pilots, UFOs, and grandfathers. Throw in some of that magical John Williams music and what you have is weaponised nostalgia.
The original Amazing Stories, named for Hugo Gernsback’s iconic pulp magazine, while not necessarily a critical darling, did find something of a cult following. They were 30 minute science fiction parables, that proved to be something of a testing ground for high concepts and grand ideas. The 1987 science fiction film Batteries Not Included was originally intended as an episode of Amazing Stories, but Spielberg liked the idea so much that he decided to make it for cinemas instead. And the short-lived cartoon series Family Dog was based on an Amazing Stories episode (its one and only animated offering) by Brad Bird.
Where the original series stood out, in contrast to shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, wasn’t just that it skewed a little younger, but in how it always maintained a “Spielbergian” view of the world. Every story was rooted in a sense of wonder and hope, and often told with a child’s point of view. The title of the show really does give it away. These were “amazing” stories. And unlike, say Black Mirror, their aim isn’t to make you want to kill yourself, or burn down the world around you.
Looking back at the series now will leave you in awe at the sheer talent that made its way through those 45 episodes. Bob Balaban, Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Sid Caesar, Harvey Keitel, Sam Waterston, Tim Robbins, Martin Scorsese, Irvin Kershner, John Lithgow, Timothy Hutton, Danny DeVito, Patrick Swayze, and Robert Zemeckis were all some way involved either in front of or behind the camera.
We know very little about this new Apple TV+ offering, but I for one am hoping for that same heady mix of science fiction, fantasy, horror, drama, comedy, and adventure that made the original an unforgettable part of the childhood I spent growing up in front of the television.
Amazing Stories premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 6, 2020.
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