STEVEN SPIELBERG’S AMAZING STORIES – WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH APPLE TV+’S NEW SHOW!
Back in 1985, famed director and Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg had his sciencefiction anthology, Amazing Stories, air on NBC from 1985 to 1987. The show had a total of 45 episodes and was a critical success, earning 12 Primetime Emmy nominations and winning five of them; it also received other accolades, including the Edgar Award. Still, it seemed that the audiences were not impressed with the show and NBC decided to cancel it after two seasons, when the contract expired. Still, Amazing Stories became a cult classic show with a loyal following and that led to the show’s revival in 2020.
Amazing Stories derives its name from the magazine of the same name, launched by Hugo Gernsback in 1926. Amazing Stories was the first dedicated science fiction magazine, which explains why Spielberg picked that title for his anthology series.
As far as the TV show is concerned, a revival of Amazing Stories was announced as early as 2015, when NBC announced that it was working on a reboot/revival with Bryan Fuller as executive producer and writer of the pilot episode. Universal Television was involved in the production, but Spielberg was not expected to make a return to the show. Yet, in 2017, after nothing had happened with the revival, NBC was formally notified that their rights to the show had been withdrawn and it was soon announced that Apple Inc. had obtained the rights to the series’ revival. Apple ordered a 10-episode season and began pre-production soon after. In 2018, Fuller left the show due to creative differences and a new production team was hired by Apple to produce the series. Steven Spielberg returned to the show as executive producer, although the actual extent of his involvement with the show is unknown.
It took some time before we saw the final product, but the first season finally premiered on Apple TV+ on March 6, 2020, with the episode “The Cellar”. Four more episodes aired until April 3, 2020, on one episode-per-week basis and the first season was concluded with that. As for the remaining five episodes that Apple ordered, we have no information about them, but we are certainly looking forward to seeing them sooner rather than later.
The first episode, “The Cellar”, aired on March 6, 2020, and starred Dylan O’brien, Micah
Stock, Victoria Pedretti, and Sasha Alexander. The official synopsis for this episode states the following: “While restoring an old Iowa farmhouse, Sam discovers a time portal in the storm cellar that transports him to 1919.” Episode two, “The Heat”, aired on March 13, 2020, and featured Hailey Kilgore, E’myri Crutchfield, Shane Paul Mcghie, and Ezana Alem in the main roles.
The official synopsis is as follows: “Tuka and Sterling are best friends whose bond transcends the physical world as they follow their dreams after tragedy strikes.” “Dynoman and Volt!” was the title of the third episode, which aired on March 20, 2020. The episode featured Tyler Crumley, Robert Forster, and
Kyle Bornheimer in main roles. The official synopsis is as follows: “An awkward young boy and his grandfather are transformed by the arrival of a mysterious ring ordered from a comic book 60 years ago.” As for episode four, “Signs of Life”, aired on March 27, 2020, for the first time.
This episode featured Michelle Wilson, Sasha Lane, and Josh Holloway in the main roles, with the official synopsis telling us the following information: “When her mother awakes from a six-year coma, teenage Alia struggles to reconnect with this stranger who can’t remember her old life.” Finally, the season ended with “The Rift”, the fifth episode, which premiered on April 3, 2020. It featured Kerry Bishé, Austin Stowell, Duncan Joiner, Edward Burns, and Juliana Canfield in the main roles.
The official synopsis for this episode is as follows:
“Season finale. When a WWII pilot crashes in modern-day Ohio, a young widow and her stepson are swept up in his search for a home.” All of this information shows us just how and why this show is so interesting and so important. America has a history of great anthology series – The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, etc. – and Spielberg’s Amazing Stories have been and still are part of that great tradition. In that aspect, there is no doubt that this series is a must-watch for all fans of the anthology genre, but also for all fans of the original series and science-fiction television in general. Apple has thus joined some great broadcasters who have played a role in the development of the anthology genre, and Amazing Stories is certainly a prime example of a show that deserves our attention.
And this concludes our text on Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. The first five episodes were certainly an entertaining experience and with everything we know so far, we can only say that we are looking forward to seeing more. The historical importance of Amazing Stories is undeniable, and it is certainly one of the more important anthology series in the history of American television. The production team is great and there is absolutely no reason to think that Apple’s revival is not worth watching, especially since it is based on the same foundations as the original show. That is why we cannot wait for the new episodes to come out! And with this, we conclude today’s article. Until next time!