These days, you can generally find HBO’s prestige TV and premium content on the streaming platform owned by the same parent company, HBO Max, but there are a few hidden gems that the streamer doesn’t host. It’s an odd reminder of the network’s past and how its reputation has evolved, especially now that the HBO Max brand represents everything Warner Bros. Discovery has to offer. Fortunately, one of HBO’s best deep cut shows just became available to stream on Peacock instead.
The series is called The Ray Bradbury Theatre, a sci-fi anthology series that adapted many of the titular author’s best stories for the screen. Bradbury wrote all 65 episodes of the show himself, occasionally taking the chance to update or remix elements of his work in the modern era. The show aired from 1985 to 1992, but HBO canceled it in 1986, and it was picked up by USA Network for the remainder of its run. This might be part of the reason it doesn’t air on the network anymore, and doesn’t stream on HBO Max.
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Now, fans can find all six seasons of The Ray Bradbury Theatre on Peacock, and it’s worth a watch for all sci-fi fans. Bradbury was one of the most acclaimed sci-fi authors of the 20th century, and seeing him bring his skills to the screen is a delight. The show worked with some of his most notable stories, including “A Sound of Thunder,” “Marionettes, Inc.,” and “The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bow,” among others. Bradbury was known for brevity, and the show reflects that — each episode is less than half an hour long, and even then, some stories needed to be stretched to fill the runtime.
Bradbury even appears on screen himself in some episodes, providing some introductions or transitional monologues between stories. The author was born in 1920 and was already a household name when the show started in 1985. Bradbury continued to attend science fiction conventions regularly until 2009, and continued publishing new works as well. He lived to the age of 91, passing away at his home in June of 2012. Bradbury suffered an unspecified lengthy illness, and was survived by four daughters, as well as a grandson.
The Ray Bradbury Theatre is streaming now on Peacock for those interested in this unique perspective on his works. Bradbury opposed ebooks, but reluctantly agreed to let his work be published that way around the time of his death, so you can find most of his work now in print, digital, and audibook formats.
