The Ray Bradbury Theater

Ray Bradbury will doubtless be remembered as one of the 20th century's most brilliant writers. This series captures some of his best short stories, including some fairly obscure ones, quite well. In many episodes, Bradbury does a special introduction, giving the viewer a tidbit of background about the story, which is a nice touch.

If there is one major flaw in this show, it is the production values. The show was an independent production, shot on a modest budget for cable TV. The first few episodes were done for HBO and the remainder for USA Network. The visual effects are lackluster, even for the time in which it was produced, and many of the episodes seem a bit dated--not exactly modern but not quite vintage either. Still, Bradbury's amazing ability to spin a yarn comes through to save things. Had the show been based on material from a lesser writer, it would have been unwatchable.

What makes this series fun is its low budget. but they do have really good actors on the show and I like watching it. What's hard to believe is that the show lasted for six years.

I have always been a huge fan of shows like The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Hitchhiker, Night Gallery, Outer Limits, and of course The Ray Bradbury Theater. The stories in The Ray Bradbury Theater are extremely well written, intriguing and enthralling. His writing pulls me in and keeps me fully invested in the characters of each story. They chose the perfect actors/actresses for each role. You can tell a show is genuinely good when its (sometimes for this show) very low budget but the writing and acting is so well done that you are able to completely overlook that huge detail. I only wish there had been more than 6 seasons.

Every episode (totally 65) in this TV series is based on a short story written by Ray Bradbury. I have seen most of them and I am more than happy on the way Bradbury's stories are presented on screen. The lack of budget for some episodes at least does not get in the way and the presentation exposes sufficiently well Bradbury's imaginative power.

Bradbury is one of my favorite novelists. He is (perhaps) mostly known for his science-fiction novel 'Fahrenheit 451' and the compound stories of 'The Martian Chronicles'. Nonetheless, his strength I think lies to his short stories that contain a rich blend of many themes ranging from lighthearted comedies to horror stories of the macabre. These episodes (for the most part produced for cable TV) do a more-than-decent job of introducing us to Bradbury's universe and can be an ideal starting point for many viewers to discover Bradbury. 'The Ray Bradbury Theater' is a must for fans and highly recommended for everybody.

Each of the 65 episodes divided into 6 seasons, pose the problem and solution in under 30 minutes.

As you hear the introduction you will recognize many of the novels the teleplays are based on.

We get many famous actors of the time period that the presentation from 1985 to 1992 are present in these productions. We even start off with Leslie Nielsen playing a straight man as in Planeta prohibido (1956) as opposed to the joke in Aterriza como puedas (1980).

Do not get distracted by the ancient technology as devices and transportation of the time. They have something called computers in some of the series.

You will need to watch them all to find your favorite. I can only imaging having to wait for each one for almost a decade.

Different episodes may be of different values to you but the series in general is top notch.