The best thing about "The Ray Bradbury Theater" is its diversity: you never know what the next episode will bring you. There is sci-fi (both on Earth and on Mars), tales of the supernatural, mystery, horror, black comedy, just plain comedy, heartwarming stories, etc. The most disappointing thing is how many of the episodes don't have a memorable punchline or payoff, something that is required in this type of anthology show. Sometimes Bradbury's stories get lost in translation due to the generally dismal production values, or the usually unimaginative directors. But other times the stories themselves begin with a great idea that is never developed; too many endings make little sense or leave you wondering "Huh? Is that it?". There are episodes that make 22 minutes feel like an eternity; there are also episodes that achieve a kind of poetry. I won't go extensively into specific titles, because everyone has their individual tastes; I will just mention three episodes that I think are painfully unwatchable ("Colonel Stonesteel and the Desperate Empties" "There Was An Old Woman", "Exorcism"), and three that are clever and successful ("Touch of Petulance", "By The Numbers", "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl"). Most of the others are somewhere in between. The DVD of this show is extremely cheap (under 10 US dollars), but you'll find out why: they have stuffed all 65 episodes in 5 discs (13 in each), resulting in frequent, and distracting, pixelization. Still, you can't beat that number of episodes for that price.

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.

It was a discrete, wise, quite, charming and weird TV show.Pére Bradbury's filmed sketches were on TV during my adolescence, and they shaped my idea of a Sci—Fi show and of how it should look (and taste, as well…). That's why a later exposure to TV space operas was practically useless—I was lost for the space—opera ,and educated, as it were, by Pére Bradbury's quiet marvels and paradoxes—nice, wise ,gentle things, often with a humorous or a paradoxical side …;and by the '80s TWILIGHT ZONE (whose score still thrills me …).These humble things looked to a 13—14 yrs. old quite exquisite and stylish and even maybe somewhat sophisticated; never dull or disappointing. This was my idea of a Sci—Fi show, of vintage Sci—Fi TV. The intro was unforgettable—Pére Bradbury in the elevator, than entering his small office—the toys, the objects around his office ….We were told he never took the plane; we felt that his mind was imposing, and the oldster looked friendly and peaceful.At the same age, I had the pleasure of reading a weekly magazine that sometimes offered a Bradbury short story (it offered a short story—sometimes two, if even shorter …--each time …), and then the treat was manifold. I think that there, in that magazine, I first encountered Bradbury's literature in its printed form.I remember your TV show,Pére Bradbury,with fondness and gratitude;it was first—hand Sci—Fi.It cultivated the taste for the concise TV sketch.

I saw this on "Home Box Office" (heh! Love that...HBO now) when it first aired. Drew Barrymore's Screaming Woman has always impressed me and still does.I recently picked up the Platinum Disc Corp DVD set for this series and was pleasantly surprised by the image quality. It's has nice color for the most part but may appear too pink at other times. I doubt the source material was outstanding visually. The biggest problem is something that was not a big surprise: image tearing. This happens when there is a lot of action on screen. It's infuriating that a company does this to a series that isn't available any way else just to save a few bucks. I paid about $25 but I'd pay more for better quality spread across more DVDs. It really sucks! And they could've turned themselves around with this collection. Yey to PDC for releasing these but boohiss for dropping the quality. For that I WON'T BE buying this for Christmas for another member of the family who is a fan. :(