The Big Picture
- Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories was a unique anthology series that offered new stories every week, combining elements of fantasy, sci-fi, drama, and comedy.
- Many of the biggest names in the ’80s appeared as guest stars or directors on the show, including Kevin Costner, Kiefer Sutherland, Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese, further adding to its appeal and reputation.
- While the 2020 reboot of Amazing Stories was a disappointment, the original series, which ran from 1985 to 1987, is still highly regarded and worth watching for its star-studded cast and talented directors.
Steven Spielberg is one of the most iconic filmmakers of all time, but he also tried his hand at the small screen with the anthology series Amazing Stories. This show ran from 1985 to 1987, and unlike most other classic anthology shows that you think of, this one doesn’t fall into the trappings of TV horror. Instead, Amazing Stories tells new stories every week that feel like mini-movies from the master himself, with touches of fantasy, sci-fi, drama, and comedy here and there. Not only that, it was also a hot commodity for actors to drop in and guest star on. Many of the ’80s biggest names have appeared on this show, to varying degrees. It might not be the most well-known series from the 1980s, but it is a fascinating one to look back on and has a lot of gems waiting for new audiences to uncover.
By the mid-’80s, anthology shows had long been a part of TV programming. What is likely the most well-known anthology series in history is also one of its earliest, The Twilight Zone. Rod Serling and his team of writers and directors told new science fiction and horror stories every week under the banner of this series’ name, but none of them were connected. The only thing that brought them together was a like-minded desire to comment on social issues of that time period… that or scare the life out of audiences. Because of The Twilight Zone, anthology shows have a reputation for getting caught up in the horror realm, but they don’t always fall that way. Some of the biggest Western shows of the 1950s and ’60s spun off of anthologies like Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theater, one that paved the way for serialized programs like The Rifleman and Trackdown. That being said, by the time Amazing Stories rolled around, most anthology shows were following the mold of The Twilight Zone, with shows like Tales from the Darkside dominating this part of the medium. This meant Spielberg had to find his own avenue to carve out in this lane of TV storytelling.
Steven Spielberg’s Road to ‘Amazing Stories’
As the world crossed over into the mid-’80s, Spielberg was well into his career as one of Hollywood’s most successful directors. He already had several classics to his name with movies like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. While his reputation hadn’t quite been cemented for decades like it is now, everyone in the business wanted to work with him — that was for certain. And while Spielberg was busy still cranking out films like Temple of Doom, The Color Purple, and Empire of the Sun, this was also an era in which he got interested in the small screen. Stories could be told in a tighter 24- to 46-minute runtime and a new tale could be told every week. Not only that, but his name could attract bigger talent than most other TV shows at the time.
Spielberg Wasn’t the Only Famous Director to Work on ‘Amazing Stories’
These reasons had to have been what led Spielberg to produce Amazing Stories. He wasn’t just occupying a producer role though, he also directed two episodes and helped come up with many of the series’ stories. This show didn’t just have Spielberg’s name on it for advertising purposes, it was the real deal. Many other filmmakers had a hand in bringing Amazing Stories to life, too. This was a show where many of the ’80s most reliable genre directors stepped in and brought their own distinct flavors, including Robert Zemeckis, Joe Dante, Nick Castle, and Tobe Hooper. Future industry veterans like Brad Bird and Danny DeVito even sat in the Amazing Stories director’s chair. If that’s still not enough to convince you that this show rocks, take it from Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese. They both made episodes! The “Spielberg” name has some real pull.
‘Amazing Stories’ Was Full of Guest Stars
Speaking of real pull, this was a show that seemingly every actor in the business wanted to get in on. If you’re firing up an episode of Amazing Stories, then you better believe that you’ll be spotting at least one familiar face before the runtime is up. Most of the time, they’re not just passing by in the background — they’re the main attraction! Folks like Kevin Costner, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Charlie Sheen, Mark Hamill, Harvey Keitel, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and many more led their own episodes of this show, kicking its reputation as one of the hottest shows being made into the stratosphere.
The Best Episodes of ‘Amazing Stories’
Amazing Stories only ran for two seasons, but it made great use of the short window that had on the air. “Gather Ye Acorns” stars Mark Hamill as a young man who decides to live a life without working, only to a lonely and empty existence in the decades to come. It might sound depressing, but this episode goes out on a pretty wonderful note, a tendency that many Amazing Stories episodes tend to follow. Scorsese’s “Mirror, Mirror” is one of the series’ few horror entries, but it’s fantastic. This one stars Sam Waterston as a horror novelist who is haunted by a spirit (Tim Robbins) in his mirror, and even has an appearance from iconic talk show host Dick Cavett!
Then, there’s “Go to the Head of the Class,” directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Christopher Lloyd. In short, it’s a pretty bizarre little episode with a wicked black comedy bite to it. Don’t miss Brad Bird’s “Family Dog,” the one animated episode in the entire series. “Family Dog” isn’t just a solid chapter in the Amazing Stories canon, it also predates Bird’s iconic animated features like The Incredibles and The Iron Giant.
The Failed 2020 Reboot of ‘Amazing Stories’
Sadly, Amazing Stories had a pretty short run that only lasted from 1985 until 1987, but the quality of this program can’t be understated. For a show that only ran two seasons, there is way too much talent here to pass up at least a couple of episodes. This series is still finding new fans, and even briefly lived on with a revival series on Apple TV+. 2020’s Amazing Stories was… not so amazing. The revival only ran for five episodes, had barely any guest stars (barring Robert Forster and Dylan O’Brien), and no big-name directors. If that was the entire draw of the original series, then why was there absolutely no effort put in to replicate that in the reboot? What a bust.
Still, if you want to relive Amazing Stories, you don’t have to worry about firing up the 2020 failure because the classic series is always there! Fans of ’80s movies across the board should give this show a watch. Almost every episode is guaranteed to have an actor that you know or be helmed by a filmmaker that you admire, and is much more positive than most other anthology series out there. Amazing Stories might not be the most well-known Spielberg property, but it just might be the one that he flexed his power in Hollywood the most.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
