Amazing Stories: Bryan Fuller is out, who can take his place?

The reboot of Amazing Stories was almost going to happen with Bryan Fuller — but if there is one thing I’ve learned re-watching Downton Abbey over the winter break…is that change happens, whether you like it or not. Get ready for it!

 Amazing Stories was a 1980’s anthology science-fiction, fantasy, and horror tv series that ran for two seasons, 1985 -1987. Produced by Steven Spielberg, it featured many successful writers, actors, and directors such as John Lithgow, Dom DeLuise, Sid Caesar, Kevin Costner, Rhea Perlman, Martin Scorsese, Richard Matheson, and Christopher Lloyd.

The original Amazing Stories had an upbeat, magical air to it; some stories were weird, but the series favored a moral ending, not unlike The Twilight Zone but way less stark, perhaps because it was intended for a younger audience.

Weird anthology TV shows fell out of favor with the public by the late 60’s but they returned for another go around in the 80’s — reboots of The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents were attempted but the ratings weren’t strong enough to keep them going.

But Tales from The Crypt was quite successful in the 90’s — and American Horror Story, which started in 2011, has been remarkably popular for the past eight seasons. American Horror Story is a yearly anthology series, a connected world of witches, warlocks, serial killers, and bloody-faces, centered on a haunted house.

The Amazing Stories reboot was about to go forward when Apple Inc. bought the rights and brought Bryan Fuller on board for a ten-episode series. But the wheel turned and Bryan Fuller stepped down as show producer due to creative differences.

Sources suggest that Fuller left because he wanted to go dark with the reboot, like Black Mirror dark, but Apple Inc. preferred to go in a different, lighter direction.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – MAY 10: Bryan Fuller speaks onstage during the Q&A after the “American Gods” advance screening In Partnership with GLAAD at The Paley Center for Media on May 10, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for STARZ)

Bryan Fuller created the wonderfully weird and fun Dead Like Me, an underrated series with a cult of underground fans that ran for two years on Showtime; although Fuller said that his experience producing the show was the ‘worst one of his life’ and he departed in the middle of season one, along with the actress, Rebecca Gayheart.

According to Fuller, he intended for one of the characters on Dead Like Me to be gay, but the studio wouldn’t let that happen, so they rewrote the storyline after he left; he also reported that MGM told him that he ‘didn’t know what a pretty woman looked like’ since Fuller identified as a gay man.

Sounds like the microaggressions that LGBTQ, women, and POC have to deal with when working with people without empathy or concern for those with less privilege than them.

Fuller went on to create and produce some incredibly successful TV shows such as Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies, Hannibal, and American Gods.

Jordan Peele is rebooting The Twilight Zone so perhaps, we are in for a number of cool reboots or perhaps an original anthology TV show or two in the future. And if, we are rebooting The Twilight Zone and Amazing Stories, how about reboots of Hammer House of Horror, or Tales From The Darkside? 

Either, or – I can’t wait for the eventual debut of Amazing Stories…although I’m sad about the departure of Fuller, but I’m keen to know who Apple Inc. will pick for the reboot.

Maybe, a talented woman or POC or another LGBTQ creator will be selected to lead the reboot of Amazing Stories. Wouldn’t that be amazing?!

Are you a fan of Amazing Stories? Do you remember your favorite episode? Let us know in the comments below!