Amazing Stories

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NBC (ended 1987)
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Show Summary

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Amazing Stories is an incredible collection of short tales from the creative mind of Steven Spielberg. Most episodes ran in a half-hour time slot, with only a few going longer than that. In spite of the brevity of the show, each episode packs in a well-developed story, along with some subtle commentaries on human nature and morality.moreless
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Episode Guide

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S 2 :  Ep 21 Aired 4/10/87
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S 2 :  Ep 20 Aired 4/3/87
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S 2 :  Ep 19 Aired 3/27/87
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S 2 :  Ep 18 Aired 3/20/87
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S 2 :  Ep 17 Aired 3/13/87
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Fan Reviews (14)

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  • Compared to todays standards - this show is still AMAZING!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Jaykeson, Oct 04, 2010
    Why don't they make shows like this anymore?
    These days (in my opinion) there is far too much rubbish on television. Those reality shows should be culled and replaced by an interesting science fiction / horror / fantasy anthology series like this one.

    I was just a kid (maybe 7 or so years old) when I first saw this show. I'm pretty sure that it originally aired in Australia a few years later for some reason because I remember watching it around 1990 (or maybe the repeats?). I can tell you that some of the episodes really used to freak me out - but I loved it anyway! Of course, being a show created by Steven Spielberg, it had to be good stuff. I think that is why my parents used to let me watch it - even though some of the episodes weren't really suitable for young kids to watch.

    The one episode that I really remember watching was "The Greibble". I was worried that some creepy creature would break into my house and eat everything - LOL! - Well, like I said, I was only about 7 years old at the time.moreless

  • Steven Speilberg's entry into the Pre-Fox network Sunday night TV wars sounded like a good idea at the time, but turned out have more misses than hits.

    4.0
    "Poor"
    By tmkreutzer, Oct 04, 2010
    Reknowned movie director Steven Speilberg tried his hand at TV several times but, with the exception of a couple of children's cartoon series, his shows were always short lived.

    Amazing Stories tried to be a family friendly Twilight Zone and featured an entirely new story and cast every Sunday night during the "Family hour." The stories could be about anything but always ended in some fantastic way. However, unlike the twighlight zone, the mood was generally bright and tone of the programs was usually positive. The viewer was almost always left feeling upbeat. The problem with the show is that too many of the epsidoes simply did not work well. In some cases the first acts of the show created great drama and tension so when the viewer got to the campy, feel-good "fantasic" ending, it came across as ridiculous. Others were good ideas that could have worked in a 10 or 15 minute segment but got dragged out far longer than they should have.

    The show struggled through two seasons mostly based on the strength of Speilberg's name but in my opinion it never really found its voice. Overall, I think the show was good because it was different than almost anything else on TV at the time, but it never reached its potential. It would have been quickly killed in today's slick and smart Sunday night battles, hokey old-fashioned shows just don't last long these days.moreless

  • This is truely a classic show

    8.1
    "Great"
    By SiddallB, Jun 01, 2008
    I collect VHS tapes. Its just one of the things that I do. I was searching around in the local Goodwill and I found a tape of Amazing Stories, Family Dog, & Tales from the Darkside the movie. I was estatic. I couldnt be happier. This show Amazing Stories was amazing to put it shortly. My favorite episode has to be when the guy invented a goop that brings what ever is on magazine print to life. That was a great episode with a great twist. I remember watching these when I was a child. Some of them scared me and some of them just made me feel good. Good Job.moreless

  • Good show!

    6.1
    "Fair"
    By da_dunker, Sep 04, 2007
    This anthology series wasn't really all that great, but on the flip side, it doesn't totally suck either. Steven Spielberg's "Amazing Stories" tries to be a cross b/w "The Twilight Zone", early Disney films, and some magical pulp adventures from the 1930s. But a lot of the episodes are flat out boring. There was a certain ambiance that surrounded "Amazing Stories" and it's marketing back in 1985 that made you think it was an important event series that couldn't be missed. This was a especially true if you were a child a the time. Was it a movie being broadcast on network TV? Was it a made for TV movie that Spielberg dreamed up for NBC? Was George Lucas somehow involved? Or was it just a TV show? The lines of what "Amazing Stories" was often felt blurred, it was not really a sci-fi series, but more creepy tales from the netherworld. It was hard to tell at the time, but I bought it. Hook line and sinker, I was there for every episode. It also had Steven "Jaws/Indiana Jones/E.T." Spielberg's name attached to it, which automatically made people in the mid 80s think it would be awesome. The opening credits with the cavemen sitting around a fire tries to reinforce this notion that the series is telling ancient, wondrous stories but it's simply not that good. To be fair there is some magic to this show and there were a couple of stand out episodes (The Mission was one of my favorites), but I never thought it was the kind of magic that was promised in the credits. A problem I had was that the episodes often build up to what seems like an amazing climax (pun intended), but level off with corny, tacked on endings that felt written at the last minute. Many of the stories are VERY PREDICTABLE. If the series is award winning, I'm certain it's because of technical achievements. The early CGI TRON styled credits were excellent for their time. In fact I believe "Amazing Stories" was the first TV series to use computer generated special effects. The show isn't bad at all, it's just not the classic classic that some believe it is. I mean it's entertaining enough, but don't expect Rod Serling kinda story telling. Even as a kid I thought the series was mediocre. I was about in the 5th grade when this show came on, young enough to still be taken in by the premise because the show appeared to promise "Star Wars/Indiana Jones/E.T." kinda magic, but I was an old enough elementary school kid to figure out a dumb or boring story.

    Personally I wouldn't get the DVD, this show is best seen as something you would catch on the Sci-Fi channel during a rainy day. I think it's entertaining enough to watch on TV, but not to own. It is great series for mid 80s (1985/'86) nostalgia, it'll likely make you cringe at the gaudy mid 80s styles.moreless

  • Brilliant.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By oddsocks, Apr 09, 2007
    Just bought the DVD's after having Amazing Stories on Video when I was much younger. I'm glad to say that they havn't lost any of the charm, tension, excitement, and awe that I had for this series when I was five! 'The Mission' in particular is one of my favourites, starring Kevin Costner, although the actor playing the guy stuck in the turret really steals the show! Ghost Train is another favourite, and is a brilliant story for kids aged 3 - 70.
    In conclusion Steven Spielberg has produced an amazing series, and I can't think of any other series that has come since that has such well made, edge of the seat, stories. One of the best TV series ever made. Get it watched!moreless
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