2000 Plus
Science Fiction
Science Fiction
2000X.
You open a door into tomorrow. The world looks familiar. Then the machines stop, time turns against you, and being human becomes the most dangerous thing you can be. Hosted by Harlan Ellison, this collection brings speculative fiction to life through dramatised adaptations of stories by Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, H. G. Wells, Kurt Vonnegut, Octavia E. Butler and other distinctive literary voices.
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2000X: Programme Guide.
What might tomorrow reveal about the people living today? 2000X brings different writers, voices and imagined futures together in a modern radio anthology. Its changing stories invite you to leave one possible world and try another.
Broadcast history.
The Hollywood Theater of the Ear produced this NPR anthology as part of the new-millennium celebrations. The production's archived website says national broadcasting began in April 2000, with 26 hour-long programmes and expanded editions intended for the internet. It was previously called Beyond 2000.
Cast and creative team.
Yuri Rasovsky was project director and producer-director, with Harlan Ellison as host and literary adviser. The original production credits name Warren Dewey as principal sound engineer, Robert Foxworth as announcer and Jerry Summers as composer of the series theme. The wider acting company included Richard Dreyfuss, Samantha Eggar, Charles Durning and Robin Williams; individual casts vary.
Where to begin.
By His Bootstraps — Robert A. Heinlein · Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow — Kurt Vonnegut · The Thing Happens — George Bernard Shaw
All three are available in HRV. They offer different authors as entry points, rather than a ranked list or a required listening order.
An interesting detail.
A programme could contain more than one play. That matters when comparing a broadcast count with a later collection of story recordings: the number of podcast entries need not equal the original number of hour-long programmes.
Listening appeal.
Choose a story by a writer you know, then try a less familiar name. The anthology format suits sampling, and its range allows different styles of speculative fiction to sit beside one another.
Collection and date notes.
HRV lists 34 public recordings. Historical sources count the plays differently and may describe broadcast and expanded editions separately; this guide does not label the present catalogue a complete reconstruction of every edition. Modern podcast dates refer to publication of these records. 2000X is a separate production from the 1950s anthology 2000 Plus.
Sources.
Choose your next episode.
34 public recordings in this programme. Catalogue order is not a verified original broadcast chronology.
34 episodes available.
Questions about 2000X.
Is this the same as 2000 Plus?
No. 2000X is a later NPR production. 2000 Plus is a different anthology from the early 1950s.
Do I need to listen in order?
The stories are separate works. You can choose an available title or author that interests you.
Why do recording and broadcast counts differ?
Some hour-long programmes contained several plays, and internet editions were also planned. Different catalogue units should not automatically be treated as identical.
