Well, the show's title makes a direct reference to a state that Motorola built into the MC68000 in case the processor was in an unrecoverable state (yet another mainframe concept).
Obviously the 68K doesn't catch fire, but it doesn't do anything else either until it a reboot.
I am not too impressed with the producer's needed to hire a pretty blonde women for the lead when most computer developers from that period were scruffy looking eccentric males.
