Maybe there wasn’t anything wrong with your television set, but what were the network executives thinking? It’s hard to believe that a show as influential and as well known as The Outer Limits never made it to the end of its second season. The original Outer Limits was cancelled just 17 episodes into season 2. Like Star Trek after it, this short-lived show found its footing in later syndication and revival projects. It is fortunate indeed that today’s general rule of 100 episodes to qualify for syndication did not exist in the 1960’s. Now a complete series on DVD, this is an important release. Sci-Fi writer Harlen Ellison made his TV writing debut with two of the most famous Outer Limits episodes : “Soldier” and “Demon With A Glass Hand”. The writing was top notch even if the “monster of the week” was not.
Audio
The audio is an adequate Dolby Digital 2.0. Of course, the original was 1960’s TV mono so don’t expect much. Credit MGM for doing a decent job of cleaning it up and making it stereo. I don’t understand why any DVD is still released in mono. Occasional distortion and weak low range are unfortunate by-products of the show’s original production. Still, you won’t find any defects glaring enough to spoil your enjoyment of the shows.
Video
These Outer Limits episodes are presented in their original black & white full screen formats. Once again occasional scratches and print defects can’t be helped. Some episodes are much better than others. MGM should still be congratulated for obviously spending some time and money on the prints.
Special Features
The biggest disappointment is the complete lack of any bonus material at all.With a show this important, it certainly deserved at least a token commentary track.The menu is easy to navigate with an interesting DVD spin on the original “controller’s” warning not to adjust your set.
Final Thoughts
Buy it. The Outer Limits belongs in any genre fan’s collection. It is likely this stuff might be unavailable 10 years from now, so don’t hesitate. It’s also fun to see so many “before they were stars” actors like William Shatner, Robert Culp, Leonard Nimoy, Ted Knight, and Adam West just to name a few. This set truly “reaches from the inner mind to the outer limits”.
