''Perversions of Science'' is an American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

/ horror

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

television series that ran from June 7 to July 23, 1997, on the premium

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

channel

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

, lasting one season. It is a spin-off of the horror series '' Tales from the Crypt'' also shown on HBO, and its episodes are based on

EC Comics E.C. Publications, Inc., (doing business as EC Comics) is an American comic book publisher. It specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, nota ...

's '' Weird Science'', ''

Weird Fantasy ''Weird Fantasy'' is an American dark fantasy and science fiction anthology comic that was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. The companion comic for ''Weird Fantasy'' was '' Weird Science''. Over a four-year span, ''Weird Fantasy'' ...

'', and '' Incredible Science Fiction''

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

series.

Format

The format of ''Perversions of Science'' is similar to ''Tales from the Crypt''; the latter is hosted by the Cryptkeeper, a wisecracking corpse performed by

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object called a puppet to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the ...

s, while ''Perversion of Science'' is hosted by a computer-generated female robot named Chrome (voiced by Maureen Teefy). Individual episodes begin with an introduction by Chrome, followed by a main narrative. After the narrative is complete, Chrome concludes the episode by making a comment about the story in question. Unlike the Cryptkeeper, who frequently makes

pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...

s revolving around death and macabre subjects, Chrome engages more in sexual innuendo. Most episodes focused on a part of science fiction such as

alien invasion Alien invasion or space invasion is a common feature in science fiction stories and films, in which extraterrestrial lifeforms invade Earth to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it, harvest people for food, steal the planet's resource ...

space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...

. The show featured a mix of established talent and young up-and-comers. For instance, "Panic" starred a young Jason Lee and Jamie Kennedy opposite

Harvey Korman Harvey Herschel Korman (February 15, 1927May 29, 2008) was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. He is best remembered as a main cast member alongside Carol Burnett, Tim Conway and Vicki Lawrence on the ...

Episodes

Home media

The series was released in Japan (Region 2, NTSC) on March 23, 2001, across three individual DVD volumes by Pioneer Entertainment and Tohokushinsha Film.

References

External links

*
Perversions of Science
on TVShowsOnDVD.com {{HBONetwork Shows American horror fiction television series HBO original programming 1990s American anthology television series 1990s American science fiction television series 1997 American television series debuts 1997 American television series endings Tales from the Crypt Television shows scored by Danny Elfman American English-language television shows