Why Is The Twilight Zone So Difficult to Match?

[@daveidmarx8296]

Twilight Zone absolutely refused to dumb down to its audience, which is something you rarely find on network TV. It was a show that fearless risked alienating huge chunks of its audience by presenting progressive ideas (for its time). What writers who try to copy TZ fail to realize is that it's not just "horror" or strange beings from other planets - it get's to the monster that is hidden in each one of us.

[@nehemiahmarcus308]

Our dumbed down culture might be a rich source for a new form of Twilight Zone. The original Twilight Zone was from a time when censorship was at it's height.When the happy exterior Madison Avenue was pushing us hid a dark interior. We need to find that dark interior to make it work.

[@rhuneke]

Exactly right! Serling assumed his audience had a brain 🧠. He was a wildly talented man of great morals who would have been disgusted at the state of the world today!

[@CatLover-23]

Cool Read..... True.

[@Vadim_Slastihin]

I mean they dumbed down the ending of "monsters on mapple st". There's no need for aliens to show up and tell the viewer something like "we don't need to invade the earth, they'll kill each other". It's such a cringe. It's like telling a joke and explain its meaning right after. Dont get me wrong i lkie this episode, but it would be muuch better without this ending.

[@BrianMcClure-b7z]

Also, it has character depth, stories that are best be told, and great host/narrator.

[@AllenUry]

Great writing aside, I always believed that one of the original Twilight Zone's greatest assets was that it was shot in black-and-white. By definition, B&W is symbolic, not realistic. It connotes a "dream state" that is connected to reality, but is yet set apart from it. Shows like "The X-Files" understand this by desaturating their color and shooting a lot at night. I hope the directors of the new Twilight Zone take a similar approach.

[@silentotto5099]

Allen Ury I picked up on that too, that being in B&W added to the slightly unsettled feeling I always got watching TZ. I was struggling to figure out how to explain my thoughts on that aspect of the show when I came across your comment. "It connotes a "dream state" that is connected to reality, but is yet set apart from it." You put it better than I could have.

[@christianpaystrup4427]

Well, the reboot trailer was in black and white, so, maybe?

[@MrBROTHERFELDER]

Yeah. The film noir look is always cool. The shadows and angles of the camera are a work of art in themselves.

[@mindyp51a]

Great point!

[@jeromemckenna7102]

I used to 'watch' X-Files by listening to it on a radio that captured tv signals. Even without the visuals it worked.

[@realnumber_9]

The Twilight Zone, the original at least is one of the greatest shows to ever be produced for television. The story telling was exceptional and at a magnitude that was far before its time. It made you wonder and think beyond the conventional ways of thinking of storytelling. The show could never be duplicated

[@sc120o2]

NEVER!!

[@ZemplinTemplar]

Though I hate using this exact term, I often get the feeling the series was a bit of "killer app" of its day, in terms of television drama. Given that television was just a decade or at most two decades old at the time, and still a very young and controversial medium as a result of that young age, series like The Twilight Zone really showed what you can achieve with an interesting anthology format and thought-provoking stories of various genres. It's a simple enough idea, and it's unsurprising some of the more timeless stories in the series are genuinely timeless, while others, as Steve pointed out, are a time capsule for the era the show was made in, both on a technical and storytelling level. Overall, for the late 50s and early 60s, the format idea itself, and the care put into implementing it, must have been really groundbreaking.

[@tub3watcher]

"Black Mirror" so far has been the best Twilight Zone replacement. The new incarnation of TZ has to somehow top Black Mirror if it wants to be taken seriously. It also can't afford many bad episodes. TZ cranked out a lot of shows, mostly half-hour, so the rare bad one is just a minor speed bump in the viewing experience. Do that in today's "15 minutes of fame" atmosphere and you're cancelled after one season.

[@brandont8955]

Brilliant show

[@robincook8828]

outer limits is good too

[@stevedandy973]

Rod Serling was right - the most frightening "monsters" come from...WITHIN OURSELVES.

[@EddieLeal]

We are our own worst enemies.

[@jcavazos4145]

Steve Dandy. Yes. Human Being are the most terrifying monsters of all. Genocide. Holocaust. Mass Extinction. An animal will kill you out of instincts. A human being can kill you out of greed,apathy, hatred, self superiority, envy. You name it. A lie can kill your reputation. Your spirituality.. Your humanity. You mistreat or torture a person for so long. Eventually you create your own monsters. You have formed a person with no apathy. No feeling. No emotions. He will not have any compassion or remorse. You have made him or her into what you fear the most. Who created these monster ? They did not create themself. Who created Stalin, Hitler. or Bundy ? It was You ! Every time you mistreat someone. Every time you make fun of someone. Or you make your self out to be better than that person. Or you lie about someone or spread rumors that are false. Every time you bully someone. Or you destroy their reputation. You ! You are the killer within yourself. And, eventually it will come back to you. That's why horror movies are not scary. Reality, is the most horrifying thing of all. And withing this context (paranoia, self doubt, fears, self preservation) Rod Sterling made his living. Their is a ting of truth in each of his storys. Even if they are science fiction. P.S. I'll be seeing you ...in the Twilight Zone....🌚🌑🌒🌓🌗🌘

[@ronschlorff7089]

@Ken Hudson Yes, "Id, Id, Id, Id, Id"!! As Dr. Morbius said. Monsters from the Id,.........monsters from the subconscious,...…. our hidden evil selves!!

[@saraslightlyawkwardintuiti8055]

That was one of the most chilling episodes ever... (monsters maple st, I can't remember the name.) Like "The Shelter" So true. Favorite, episode ever. "I am the Night Color Me Black" season 5 ep. 26. BEST. EPISODE. EVER!!!

[@rp7r54]

@@EddieLeal truth true

[@ryanmaclean1720]

Boy do I feel bad for this man with his expectations of Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone. You even managed to point out why he'd never work for the Twilight Zone: Jordan Peele is the most predictable person in Hollywood, a one trick pony that many grew tired of quickly. Peele is this ages Seth McFarland: an interesting person who ran with an idea for far too long

[@apocalypseplough8089]

Here in Canada, we get The Twilight Zone on the SPACE channel. I just watched "Little Girl Lost", about a little girl and her dog who get lost in a fourth dimension. It was from 1962. Before that I watched "On Thursday We Leave for Home", about a group of people and their cult-like leader who colonized another planet and are waiting for a ship from Earth to take them home. That was from 1963. So, they were dealing with topics like alternative dimensions and space colonization almost 60 years ago. The Twilight Zone episodes, almost all brilliant morality plays, are as relevant today as they were 60 years ago. There were over 150 original episodes made. Try to remake and replicate all you want. It has never worked. I'll take the originals over tweaked facsimiles any day.

[@roymerritt6992]

Have you ever seen the episode "A Nice Place To Visit" featuring Larry Blyden a onetime game show host featured on daytime tv and Sebastian Cabot wearing a white suit and having a white beard who tells the Blyden Character "Rocky Valentine" whose a criminal who at the beginning of the story has been shot by a cop after robbing a pawn shop. Cabot tells Valentine his name is "Pip" and he's his guide in their present domain but is vague about the venue they are in. So what unfolds is a story where everything Valentine does is to his benefit. He wins at cards, he attracts two beautiful showgirls always hanging on his word and arm. Everything goes right for him. But he eventually wearies of the situation saying that always winning takes the fun out of taking the risk of playing whatever he may be playing or doing. He eventually confronts Pip now well aware of the fact that he is dead from the policeman's bullet. He thinks he's in heaven and some mistake has been made. He tells Pip this was "a nice place to visit" but he always thought he would go to the other place, of course meaning hell. In the climatic final scene Cabot begins laughing a terrifying laugh and informs Blyden "This is the other place." It ends with a bewildered look on Blyden's face and the sound of Cabot's demonic laughter. It was a very enjoyable and yet disturbing tale and insures that people have a varied idea of what constitutes hell in their mind.

[@privatejimmy5861]

One of my all time favorite episodes!

[@289cobra9]

From American I was born in 1962

[@Serai3]

The 80's run of the series had some truly brilliant episodes as well, on the same wavelength as the originals. Stuff by the top of the science fiction genre at the time, with some of the best directors and stars. I first saw Bruce Willis on the premiere episode ("Shatterday", written by Harlan Ellison), before he was known for "Moonlighting". Helen Mirren did a fantastic episode called "Dead Woman's Shoes". Danny Kaye's last performance was in an episode of that TZ, a beautiful one called "Paladin of the Lost Hour". The Vietnam eipsode, "Nightcrawlers", is absolutely on a par with the best of Serling's WWII episodes. I'm honestly surprised more people don't remember that series or appreciate it much if they do. It was far better than I expected it to be.

[@GabrielTheMagolorMain]

Apocalypse Plough Just a note, Poltergeist was inspired by that “Little Girl Lost” episodes. Lots of things have been inspired by TZ, but just wanted to share that with you.

[@chokkan7]

It wasn't just Serling's voice...his morality plays (a dirty word now) showed us that we are both the cause, and the solution, to most of our problems, but people don't want to hear that now...

[@massapower]

2 words "ROD SERLING" That's why !

[@sadiebeast97]

No other comments needed!

[@hungfao]

Agreed.

[@FrancisXLord]

He was an amazingly imaginative writer with great instincts and a lot to say.

[@ryodash]

Rod Serling, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson & Ray Bradbury (who inspired the style and suggested the latter two writers to Serling.) Beaumont certainly wrote some of the best episodes, too - he's highly under-acknowledged.

[@tv2109]

Yes serling was a genius for sure.

[@thelifedyslexic]

The classic Twilight Zone is a masterclass in story telling. I also think that the black and white of the original adds an atmosphere you can't quite get in colour.

[@dcta51]

Yea like noir films.

[@jordandehart6905]

James Rolfe, better known as the Angry Video Game Nerd mentioned that in one of his many (amazing) classic horror film retrospectives, that black and white films just had better atmosphere, while film of the 80s tended to have better effects and films of the 2000s tended to have better sound. It's not just in horror or surrealist media either, I sincerely think the Andy Griffith Show has a special quality that it lost when it switched to color.

[@herbivarsawus4359]

One of the greatest TV shows ever.

[@sc120o2]

Unrepeatable!!!

[@ronschlorff7089]

Yes, the fact we still discuss it, and admire it, 60 years later, is a testament to that!!

[@davidleethompsoniii8263]

Because it was the salvation of a veteran who experience War.... He had a trillion questions. The episodes were The paintings of a troubled artists.... Who became Less Troubled. Fantastic tTherapy ,,,,that we got a glimpse of.

[@keithgreen3127]

"You're a bad man, you're a very bad man!"

[@ronschlorff7089]

Man in a box!!

[@wdd3141]

I think Billy Mumy's Enfant Terrible was a reflection of ourselves in a nuclear age. We silly, aggressive, naive monkeys have released the power of the atom, a power that can destroy not just buildings, but whole cities, and we hold such frightening power over one another -- it forces us to ponder whether we have the wisdom to hold and harness such an immense responsibility.

[@RNGvideoinator]

it’s a good life was a good episode, but nothing’s as real good as anthony’s tv. anthony’s tv is real good, with real good shows.

[@counter-weightmedias2263]

The one about the astronauts has always been one of my favorites because to me, it taps into my anxieties of disappearing and being forgotten with no explanation. That or watching people around me disappear with no trace and people simply forgetting about them. I guess it’s a personal thing, because I’ve always had anxieties not about what happens to me but memories of me if things were to cause me disappearance from the people in my life

[@eichs22]

The reason why Twilight Zone is so timeless, classic, and powerful is because Rod Serling put his personal touch on every episode. Every episode, every story, every character has something in common with the feelings Rod felt for much of his professional life: inadequacy, failure, nostalgia for better times, being rejected, fighting tooth and nail in an uphill battle but still losing. I know there is some social and political commentary in the original series but those episodes lack the same magic of the true classics. I still think the best Twilight Zone episode by Rod Serling isn't actually a TZ episode, but an episode of Night Gallery hosted by Rod titled They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar. This is quintessential Serling, no real political commentary, just the sad feeling of impending doom on a personal level and everything that comes with it

[@hectorsalcido4106]

That particular episode could have easily been a TZ one.

[@CaptGage]

Great point. A lot of writers write about their own feelings, and that's often considered an asset. Such as my space opera Ebook I'm working on. It features a totalitarian planet, as many sci-fi stories have, and friends I told about it recognized symbolism and parallels to our society.

[@Troubleshooter125]

Interesting that you mention "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar." I heard Rod Serling speak at Case Western Reserve University ages ago, and he stated it it was among his very favorite episodes. His writing and William Windom's brilliant acting made for a one-of-a-kind story for sure.

[@CatLover-23]

Rod Sterling is extremely Fascinating & Intriguing to learn about...What an Interesting Man.

[@colonelyz]

IT'S A COOKBOOK!!

[@ace942]

Yamaze Riley yeah but the recipes were terrible.

[@dbnx1701]

Yeah that was a nice episode but here's my reply, " Picture of a latter-day Flying Dutchman sailing into the Twilight Zone " . One of the few 1 hour long episodes of The Twilight Zone.

[@289cobra9]

So was last Hillary's book! 😂

[@chumptown259]

Wait, there's still more space dust

[@basedbattledroid3507]

I'm the only one left... ...Well, at least now I can read my boo- what kind of fucking Cookbook is this? It's not like I can even cook that now, I'm the only sole ingredient left... Is it the only book left on the face of the Earth too? ... No, it's not fair! There was time now! *IT'S NOT FAAAAIIRRRRR!!!!*

[@spacealienjesus709]

Twilight Zone is the greatest show to ever air.

[@TheTalonsPryde]

Night Gallery, Outer Limits, and Twilight Zone

[@sambleezy720]

what about one step beyond? i thought a couple episodes were pretty good but not like Twilight Zone.

[@rexanderson5458]

Anthony Jerome Thorn Also, One Step Beyond and the later Twilight Zone.

[@jamesmckane1205]

Night gallery was also by rod serling

[@stevelamorte6434]

I liked Ray Bradbury also

[@beautifulwoman6744]

Don't forgot Night Vision which was just disturbing and Ghost Stories (I like ghost stories because it didn't deal with ghosts it got into your mind.)😊

[@TheScavenger71]

In my opinion, the original Twilight Zone is timeless because in most of the stories there is an underlying moral lesson and the acknowledgement that there is a God without proselytizing. The successors were well written stories but without the moral compass that Serling gave the original show I don't think they will rise to the same level.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

NOT so much that there is a God so much as there are always consequences.

[@CatLover-23]

Good Point on the "God" Aspect... Cause at the end of the day and Bigger Picture,. It's All Spiritual Based.. Everything is rooted within it.. From The beginning of time til the end of time... It's All about God & God's..

[@Mr.Goodkat]

@@johnathonhaney8291 Nah, there was episodes clearly acknowledging God.

[@buckaroobanzai7063]

@@Mr.Goodkat there are also episodes acknowledging aliens, time travel, alternate universes, Voo Doo, psychic powers, sentient robots, telepathy, telekinesis, ghosts, living mannequins…etc. An episode acknowledging something doesn’t mean the show is about that thing.

[@raymondphillips7107]

The original twilight zone will never be equaled or outdone!

[@DevilDoghz]

Rod Serling was a great, possibly a genus, screenwriter, and playwright. Watch American Misters Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval(2003).

[@Michael-ci8so]

Time will tell if Rod Serling was a genius. It did and he was and still is.

[@sandrasanders706]

I did it was one of the best documentaries ever

[@stingfan16ify]

I concur with your entire comment except that Serling WAS a genius and time has proven that out.

[@ronschlorff7089]

@@stingfan16ify Yes, certainly for his timeless TV show, and how many may remember he was also a screenwriter for the Planet of the Apes, first movie? He likely had a hand in conceiving of and writing one of the most chilling and ironic endings in all of film-dom!!

[@MrDaddynomates]

Some shows only work because of the era they were made in. Like The Breakfast Club only works as an 80s movie. Imagine a remake breakfast club? All the characters just sitting staring at their phones.

[@CaptainAndy]

That was John Hughes' whole trick. Drench whatever movie you're making in music, fashion and lingo of the era and ensure your work will always have nostalgia value.

[@MichaelDerryGameitect]

Maybe, maybe not. They're in detention so take away their phones and it becomes about people learning to connect with each other and learn about themselves without phones as a distraction and filter. I'm not saying they should attempt a remake but it's not impossible to do well.

[@Rhomega]

Well all the millennials are out of high school...

[@DrewLSsix]

Actually, it could be a strength in a reboot. With the character is having their phones taken away and perhaps being forced to interact in a way that they are not as comfortable with, it would certainly play well as a modern take on the clique culture that the original was based on.

[@annapaulikonis2433]

Good point.Every story or song reflects the timrs in which they were written.A social statement if you will.

[@AmericaSpeaks1]

Steve, Serling told us what he was doing from the beginning: “It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”

[@brandonpadilla2508]

Despite having the Definitive Box Set, I still watch marathons or singles on the Scifi channel. The Twilight Zone was simply ahead of its time. It used scifi or horror as a vehicle to talk about human nature. Aesop Fables are so popular because they did the same thing through animals. At first watch or read, people think superficially about the stories but if given though Aesop and Serling were talking about us. Today with all of the advancements with TV and movie production, audiences want to be entertained. The better movies that come out these days are the ones with the messages or parallels that are trying to be conveyed to the audience. In my opinion, most productions these days are entertainment over substance. Unfortunately, I think that's what the average audience member wants right now.

[@DarkMsStress]

Happy to see this. I'm currently teaching English in China, and have been introducing Chinese students to classic TZ episodes in my classes.

[@frankpaterson2306]

DarkMsStress they will be forever grateful, Especially as time passes.

[@craftpaint1644]

That's the best culture exchange I've ever heard of. Thanks for sharing it.

[@robjones2408]

The reason why this iconic series cannot be replicated was that Rod Serling was a very fine writer. He also had the magnificent talents of Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson, who was equally as impressive. "When The Sky Was Opened", along with the episode where a fighter pilot from WW1 suddenly finds himself in Cold War America 1959 are still brilliant mini classics nearly sixty years later.

[@nightreaper1824]

I love The Twilight Zone. Ray Bradbury said, "What is the subconscious to every other man, in its creative aspect becomes for writers, the muse?" I agree that fears from the subconscious of a writer never go out of style. Being trapped. Disappearing. Making fatal mistakes. Anxiety of the unknown. Mediocre writers give the audience a safety blanket, but great writers would only provide one to take two away. They tap into the primal fears. I think that's the reason writers such as Rod Serling remain relevant in any age.

[@ArtzFenix]

Insightful.

[@binyon7]

I disagree that the War movies The World War II end movies that they are somehow anachronistic. They are very timely especially that one clip they showed where that Lieutenant becomes a Japanese soldier. That is a universal and Timeless issue.

[@jodyneal4969]

Binyon H Dean Stockwell

[@sprouting_lady]

A Quality of Mercy especially is way out of place when talking about dated episodes, it's setting of course is very specific to the time it was told but the story it tells is absolutely universal to any given war.

[@josephmacdonald8813]

That was good

[@saraslightlyawkwardintuiti8055]

Symbolically, yes. I agree.

[@collegeman1988]

As with Gene Roddenberry, Rod Serling created Twilight Zone because he wanted to be able to write stories that he could get past the network censors, and that’s why (just like the original Star Trek) they’re still appealing. To say that some Twilight Zone episodes are outdated are incorrect. The issue of traveling into the unknown still exists, whether it’s in outer space, another dimension, a new technology and its implications, or other aspect the Twilight Zone covered. Sure, it could be said that And When The Sky Was Opened is outdated because people have been in outer space, just as the Star Trek Episode The Ultimate Computer is outdated because the prototype computer during a war game between the Enterprise and other federation ships didn’t control nowhere near what a computer today could control automatically. However, those issues still exist, even though the technology or level of exploration has changed.

[@moonrock41]

What strikes me about living through the second decade of this century is how much of that science fiction has become reality and that we don't have a good sense of the weirdness of the everyday reality. In many ways, I think this is what TZ is about: confronting the shock of the present situation (like the threat of nuclear obliteration the early 60's). This is what attracted me to the series most of all; the dramatic twists and ironies made me think and were truly thrilling. No amount of visual effects, though quite "special", can replace good writing, directing and acting.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

And then there are the eldritch horrors of some episodes. "Come Wander With Me" has a similar quality to "And When The Sky Was Opened" in its ambiguity. You know how it ends, you have a general sense of what's going on but no real answers. And the title tune is one of the most haunting songs ever broadcast on television.

[@SenorZorrozzz]

You have to be a writer who is in very deep touch with his thoughts and emotions, and is very observant of others fears and worries. Serling somehow understood the characters who dwell in society’s underbelly; street types, gamblers, poor folks, people live on whatever nickels and dimes they can scrape up. My friend, something of monumental importance in that time which is now forgotten is Sputnik. Fear of Sputnik and whatever would come after it shaped a great deal of our culture for the next 15 to 20 years! Twilight Zone tapped into that! Also, a general concern as to just how far was an automated society going to get.

[@louishamilton1710]

....cause FREAKING ROD SERLING wrote or supervised the production!!!!!

[@Troubleshooter125]

As you probably already know, Steve, I grew up with _The Twilight Zone,_ and watched many of them when they were first broadcast. Even at the tender age of nine, I somehow recognized the quality of those pieces, and the impression they left on me persists, nearly three score years later. Thinking about it, I'm a little surprised you didn't mention the episode, "The Obsolete Man" in your review, which to me is among the most powerful statements Serling ever made, as well as being as timely in the age of Trump as it was disturbing when it first aired in 1961. The biggest hill to climb any reinvention of _The Twilight Zone_ must face is the fact that it *has* gone on before and left the legacy that we all know. Because Serling and Matheson and Beaumont and others did what they did and because at least a portion of the audience knows that, the deck becomes that much more stacked against any attempt to add to that remarkable history. Certainly, there have been marked successes in those subsequent series. "I of Newton," "Wordplay," and "To See the Invisible" were sufficiently impressive to me that I remember them well, even now, but something that could so distinguish itself in the here and now that it would stand apart from the original ... THAT would take something. P.S.: Check out your friend and mine, Jonathan Harris at 12:38, BEFORE he became Dr. Zachary Smith!

[@jerryshunk7152]

Troubleshooter125 Examination Day, is in my opinion, as good as any of TOS' EPISODES.

[@JDODify]

I've always thought Black Mirror is almost like a successor to The Twighlight Zone

[@CaptainAndy]

Yeah, was gonna say the same thing. I see Black Mirror as very much a 21st Century Twilight Zone.

[@JDODify]

I haven't seen the most recent Black Mirrors since it moved onto Netflix and stuff but I watched the earlier ones on Channel 4 in the UK written by Charlie Brooker - particularly episodes like White Christmas and White Bear.

[@Rickhorse1]

As Brooker himself has said, Twilight Zone was his inspiration & one of the things he loved about it was that many of the episodes had less than happy endings. Black Mirror is even more blatant in that, but if you think about it, Twilight Zone really did usually avoid happy endings.

[@matthewdalessandro5975]

I'm sorry as a fan of both shows I really don't see the similarity other than the fact that both shows are sci-fi that are disturbing or shocking in nature. In fact, it actually makes me cringe when most ppl compare Black Mirror to Twilight Zone as Black Mirror tends to put a surprising twist in the story that makes all the events that occurred in the story shocking and/or the world or society around the main character of the episode disturbing. Whereas a show like Twilight Zone was more about the real-life human (and I guess sometimes non-human) characters caught up in the mess of being in a TZ episode and the way they'd try to react to their situation(s). I've always seen the Twilight Zone as more of a show about the nature and behaviour of human beings rather than a typical sci-fi show that would focus on societal and moral issues... Black Mirror isn't a bad show or anything but comparing it to the Twilight Zone is like comparing the Black Keys to Led Zeppelin because some of their songs kinda sound raunchy and bluesy like early Zeppelin; sure they're similar but the subtle nuances that truly made Zeppelin incredible aren't there with the Keys, they're still a good band with good songs but making that comparison is one sided at best and leaves the audience member expecting something they're not going to get.

[@angelagonzalez8250]

They are both great shows

[@auditedpatriot6376]

The Twilight Zone was a series of teleplays made for a sophisticated and educated audience. People who understood the archetypal themes of Shakespeare and the Bible. It was as described the "theater of the mind." Modern audiences are easily bored, less educated, and less interested in the state of humanity.

[@gregorytyson995]

Serling was a reader. He aimed his magnum opus at people who read too. Sadly, no one reads anymore.

[@skyblazeeterno]

@@gregorytyson995 --- also its important that Serling honed his craft of writing tight concise stories PRIOR to TZ

[@stevedandy973]

The "Golden Age of Television" (of which Rod Serling and TZ were in the forefront of) will never be "recaptured" or "duplicated."

[@nehemiahmarcus308]

I think I can explain it. There is a story beneath the story in the Twilight Zone. If you recall, Rod Serling had trouble writing hard-hitting dramas because network censors and sponsors didn't want to be controversial, especially in the Bible Belt South. To get those stories out, they were under the surface of the story put out front. Quite a few of the stories were about the anxieties and conflicts of the Man in the Grey Flannel Suit of Madison Avenue that may not have played well in middle-America but they were all dressed in universal stories all people could relate to. With many of the reboots of the modern Twilight Zone stories, it seems that the stories produced are simple direct stories without the under surface stories hiding beneath. The original Twilight Zone had some complexity to it that the modern reboots do not.

[@joshcrow777]

Black Mirror is the closest we've gotten to this level of writing as far as anthology series go. But I'm hopeful for the new TZ under Peele's guidance.

[@skyblazeeterno]

I think Tales Of The Unexpected is possibly closer to the spirit of TZ than BM is

[@Me-wk3ix]

Exactly what I was going to say, couldn't agree more.

[@johnellizz]

Most Black Mirror episodes are excruciatingly boring.

[@eduardo_corrochio]

@@johnellizz I tried the first six or seven episodes of Black Mirror and promptly cast it aside because it bored me. No spark, no allure.

[@Mr.Goodkat]

Black Mirror completely undermines the whole appeal of anthology, which is variety, imagine if every episode of TZ was about technology being bad or gone array, the same message over and over again using a format perfectly suited for variety.

[@ComdrStew]

Rod Sterling in WW2 was in a squad called "The Death Squad" which was called this because of the high mortality rate. He saw a lot of friends die and I am sure he walked through Hell itself. I think most of his ideas came from this place where he probably felt like he was in The Twilight Zone.

[@wellingtonsmith4998]

"The Silence" omg, what a hook and then that switch, I think about that episode all the time. damn consequences of decisions made without proper information!!!!!!

[@SteveShives]

It's also one of the relatively few episodes to not have any elements of sci-fi/fantasy/speculative fiction, just a strange premise with a cruel finish. Another of my favorites, "Nick of Time," is like that, too.

[@mutableintellect7624]

@Steve Shives: Thanks for the upload. It was well-conceived and thoughtful without any unnecessary flair. Did you know that miraculously, the Twilight Zone was actually born of comprise? The now legendary Rod Serling, having no previous background or even interest in sci-fi at the time, created the entire concept as an "end around" encroaching censorship...... And how grateful are we for his efforts.

[@stephenstott9690]

Great segment Steve. The orginal Twilight Zone is great TV.

[@Orlor]

I just watched the first episode of the new one and I am underwhelmed. Not going to pay CBS to see it.

[@gideonjones5712]

The nervous man in the four dollar room is one of my favorite stories ever. The Twilight Zone was one of, if not the best TV shows ever made. The things that may be out of date today are like an amazing history lesson. Edit: and that episode you talk about with the disappearing astronauts, the fear in that episode for me comes from the fact that none of it can ever be explained. They are simply vanishing and being forgotten, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. No one who will remember the fear and pain they went through. If that isn't scary, I don't know what is.

[@michaelkenner3289]

I agree that lacking a resolution wasn't a mistake. That's practically the definition of cosmic horror, in the Lovecraftian sense. Any explanation or even ending to the story would be a relief to the audience and reassuring. Instead they're given a mystery without a solution and a creeping sense of dread. It's why most horror movies, well before sequel-baiting became standard practice, end with a scene showing the monster's eggs or similar things that say "It's all over now... or is it?"

[@johnathonhaney8291]

THANK YOU! I have been arguing the cosmic horror angle on that episode for a while now. Another Lovecraftian story from the Twilight Zone IMO is "Come Wander With Me". You know how it'll end. But you never understand why any more than you do at the end of "And When The Sky Was Opened".

[@thelocustgod9098]

Night of the Meek will always be my favorite episode. Watch it every year now around the holidays.

[@daveidmarx8296]

I'm not often moved to tears by television. But that episode does it to me. Every time. Art Carney was absolutely perfect in that role. The speech he gave in the department store is one of my favorite moments of television, period.

[@Kenny-The_Wine_Guy]

Same here, every holiday season I must watch Art Carney become St. Nick! It wouldn't be Christmastime without it.👍

[@Troubleshooter125]

And who would have thought that Art Carney was the perfect choice for the lead role? Most excellent.

[@coyoteboy5601]

@@daveidmarx8296 I just re-watched 'Meek' a few days ago, and yes, that speech Is SO powerful. Carney's delivery was amazing.

[@stingfan16ify]

Couldn't agree more. This is my favorite episode. Tears every time!!!

[@kazilziya830]

As a 68yr old i have watched every episode dozens of time and still have my favorites , especially how prophetic so many of the episodes are. Rod Serling was definitely a ground breaker.

[@BelievingRebel]

Chuck Beaumont was a wonderful writer, and he died so young. A lot of the later episodes were written by others but credited to Beaumont. No one can replace Rod Serling or the great writers.

[@himoverthere6716]

People also fail to mention that the show being in black and white gave it a eerie character that the others (in color) did not.

[@MadTheDJ]

The closest Twilight Zone revival we've had I think is Black Mirror. One of our biggest points of cultural existential dread lies with personal technology (smart phones, the internet, drones, social media, etc.) and BM frames those anxieties now just as well as TTZ did for its period anxieties. I think it's a mistake to use The Twilight Zone as a title because the original was so unique and so impactful that it works against a revival series. Black Mirror and The Outer Limits are better remembered (well BM is still going, but *will* be better renembered) because they attempted to be their own thing, sharing the spirit of TTZ, but not the expectations of the name.

[@PaulKyriazi]

The best TZ analysis I've seen or read. 'And When the Sky Was Opened' was the first episode I ever saw and still a favorite. I had no problem with the idea of 'an unknown source setting things right.'

[@bishlap]

coming off ww2 the Korean war and in the midst of the cold war, the Twilight Zone was in the perfect place and time. Rod Serling's specialty were episodes dealing w/ war and its aftermath.

[@jasonnorton2821]

Nice homage to my all-time favorite show! Well done!

[@vitoguttilla2926]

You can't re make a classic.

[@ronschlorff7089]

so true, but they keep trying and keep failing. It must be terribly frustrating!

[@lauriem5751]

I am a child of the 50s. I grew up in the middle of the Cold War and the beginning of the Space Program. The Twilight Zone was a mirror for those times and like a lot of other shows that were on TV then it had a moral. Every episode had a theme that drove it. I could watch it forever. Like the Outer Limits, it made us look at ourselves and our fears. Both programs had a pool of young actors who went on to make brilliant careers in movies and television.

[@wildbill4476]

To me what made Twilight Zone stories work in addition to Serling, which can't be replicated, is that they tapped into more base fears and aspirations, the things that drive our actions when things get to the edges in a more relatable context. He found another way to tell many of the stories that have been around since the Greeks. The second big part was a very effective use of the twist, even when there was not a twist you were looking for one, the twist caused you to become an active participant in the show, same as a mystery only with a twist. I think it would be possible to do a new one but I think the chances are low, sadly the focus these days is on the special effects and raw gore. They need stories that are scary to our minds and not to our eyes so to speak and most of all they need stories we willingly participate in, we think about it as we are watching it. They also can't dumb it down too much, it will be no fun if we get it before the end every time.

[@annapaulikonis2433]

I agree with you.

[@mikebasil4832]

Thank you, Steve, and especially for your most educational words on And When The Sky Was Opened. Because it's one of my favorite episodes from the classic Twilight Zone and the performances of Rod Taylor, Jim Hutton and Charles Aidman remain timeless.

[@eweiner14]

Wow, this is probably the best analysis of TZ I’ve seen. And I love your voice, Steve!

[@aplicqu8761]

Serling's consistently fine writing and his choice of other excellent writers like Richard Matheson. His choices of theme: man against man, man against fate, man against himself, man against nature. Surprize endings. You just never knew how anything would play out. Thoughtful, funny, exciting, scary. Adult drama that interested all ages. Great actors. If we get that combination of consistent talent, we can launch a modern version.

[@MalachiFrazee222]

It's real. That's why. Rod Sterling had PSTD and that is what the Twilight Zone is. Writing was how Rod Sterling coped.

[@depaola63]

" The Passerby " too, very touching ! I am almost 56 and LOVE this classic series ! Rod was way ahead of his time ! ...how many movies have taken his ideas ? !! ...." The Hunt " my favorite ! .....The After Hours " , " Howling Man "..." Night Call "..." Jess Belle "...." Nice Place To Visit ".... All CLASSIC!!

[@TimeandMonotony]

The Twilight Zone is my favorite show of all time! I think Black Mirror is a worldly successor, but as it focuses on technology, it'll be interesting to see Peele's likely more generalized speculative fiction anthology (though nothing will ever top the original series.)

[@imocchidoro]

Rod Serling - Great stories and writing - good actors - no cgi - black and white.

[@jeffsmith2022]

The sheer quality of the writing for one and being filmed in black and white as well...

[@davidrust3169]

"Five Characters In Search Of An Exit": truly amazing, minimalist story-telling!

[@ACanuckNamedTex]

the thing that fascinates me about The Twilight Zone is that show has pretty much everything. These other anthology shows tend to have a narrow theme that it sticks with.

[@dcta51]

Yup

[@CatLover-23]

Right......

[@6catalina0]

Twilight Zone, the 1960’s Star Trek … The Beatles albums and personalities … Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon … the book Lord of the Flys … the movie The World, The Flesh, and The Devil … are timeless. Each on of these art forms deals with human emotions common to all people of every decade.

[@privatejimmy5861]

Rod Serling was an excellent writer & narrator; and the timing...black n white with so many great upcoming actors. Timeless/classic episodes, always wanted to own every season and episode. Its the best show ever produced if you ask me.

[@garynelson561]

A lot of the Twilight Zone's ability to endure was the fact that there wasn't an extant tribe of trolls seeking to undermine it. Any new series which touches on anything political is going to get buried in and by social media. You can do a new "sort of" Twilight Zone, but political commentary would have to excised, or a decision made that we're going after this or that political faction. Response is too immediate and sponsors too cowardly.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

The sponsors were no less cowardly in Serling's day. That's why most of his stories were sci-fi or fantasy. And the trolls could and did make themselves known. In response to the episode "He's Alive" about a neo-Nazi, they got a slew of letters that went LEAGUES beyond hatemail. Remember this lesson from the Twilight Zone: nostalgia is a cunning liar.

[@skyblazeeterno]

interesting point. Also interesting is that probably only a handful of episodes in the first incarnation are actually great Eye Of The Beholder, To Serve Man, Five Characters In Search Of An Exit, The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street as examples ...a handful in 100(?) odd episodes

[@asnrobert]

Serling ran into those problems himself. According to Marc Zicree's Twilight Zone Companion, he wrote two different plays for anthology shows about the Emmett Till case (Till was a black boy who was murdered by a white man who was subsequently acquitted by an all white jury). They were both hacked to pieces by network censors to avoid "offending" anyone. Another play that he wrote was "The Arena", which took place in the US Senate. That script too was butchered because if he wrote about one issue, he was seen as pro-Democrat, or about another issue, he would seem as pro-Republican. Serling remarked it would have been better off if he has set the story 100 years in the future and populated the Senate with robots (which is probably one of the things which prompted Serling to create TZ, as it enabled him to make social commentary in a more oblique manner).

[@showtale8325]

Its about the writing...and the casting...essentials to great drama.Serling had access to a multitude of future a listers for his show

[@Passionate4music1]

Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone are my favorite classic sci-fi show and he was a freaking genius. I've got ALL 5 seasons on DVD.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@ThoinFrostaxe]

Time Enough At Last is my favorite episode of any series ever. The Twilight Zone is my favorite show, and in my opinion, one of the most lasting, impactful, and ever enjoyable shows ever.

[@gregorytyson995]

If there is a "Great American Episode of TV" "Time Enough at Last" is it.

[@numerousfrogsinacoat607]

I’m 14, and the twilight zone has been my favorite show since the 6th grade, I’m glad my mom makes me watch old movies and shows. It’s so amazing and unique and I wish we had more shows like this today, at this level of story telling quality

[@kingbeauregard]

I get the feeling most "Twilight Zone" remakers have never seen the original series, or are too dumb to understand it. The main thing to understand about TZ is it character-driven, where it's about human beings in unlikely situations, and not so much about the unlikely situations. The basics of human nature and dramatic conflict are central to TZ, whether or not, say, the ghost of Jonathan Winters appears and challenges you to a game of pool. Watch that episode (called "A Game of Pool", helpfully enough), and you'll see it's all about Jack Klugman's hunger to be the best at something no matter what it costs, and Jonathan Winters is the wiser voice of wisdom and experience advising him to find more to life. There's little about the episode that requires it to be about pool, or a ghost for that matter. People think TZ is about twist endings, but it's really not for the most part. Most of the "twist endings" are just the story taken to its logical dramatic conclusion,. Like the twist at the end of "A Game of Pool" wasn't a twist so much as spelling things out for the 5% of the audience too dull to get what was happening. But like I say, most modern writers are too dim to understand old "Twilight Zone". Like "It's a Good Life", with the omnipotent little boy (Billy Mumy) bossing the town around. The original episode was about how you deal with such a situation, and will you summon the courage to stand up to him just to give other people a chance to stop him? But the remake in the movie was about a woman persuading the omnipotent little boy that indiscriminate killing is wrong. Jesus Christ. The 80s really was the bullshittiest decade.

[@Troubleshooter125]

The truly neat thing about "A Game of Pool" is that there were TWO proposed endings, each of them wonderfully well-conceived by Rod Serling and George Clayton Johnson, and both realized on the small screen, though arguably not as well in terms of the acting the second time around. To me, THAT is the real brilliance: an either/or ending where BOTH possibilities make their own powerful statement. How often do you see that?

[@patrickdodds7162]

I have to agree with your statement. There have been few modern stories that I've encountered that seem "Twilight Zone"-worthy. One that first comes to mind is "Unbreakable" (before Shyamalan's work turned to shit). It's a deeply character driven story about broken people groping to find their identities. It has pretty good dialogue (though "The Twilight Zone" had EXQUISITE dialogue) and the twist in ingenious. And the thing is "Unbreakable" is wholly re-watchable even after knowing how it ends--a trait of the best of the "Twilight Zone". If Jordan Peele can at least match the quality of "Unbreakable" (which shouldn't be a problem for him), I'm sold!

[@CanItAlready]

The 80s? Really? 🤔

[@massapower]

kingbeauregard Well Said !

[@rhuneke]

The Twilight Zone isn't all about flash and dazzle the way a lot of "sci-fi" shows are today. It cut down into the core of people's fears and anxieties. It did this without relying heavily on special effects. In truth the effects could be kind of cheesy sometime, but that was due to budget constraints and lack of technology we have today. They therefore relied on character and story, which was serendipitous. The Twilight Zone is just damn well written, produced, directed, and filmed. It has a weird atmospheric look in episodes like say, "Third from the Sun" or "The Obsolete Man". It was also filmed in black and white, which although at the time was a contemporary choice for most shows coming before 1965 (and Serling said he always wanted it to be black and white anyway). The Twilight Zone made you THINK, something precious few people nowadays want to do with regards to watching TV. It had a charisma to it that is very hard to capture in an age of instant gratification and smart phones. The characters were sensitive, flawed, angry, but you felt for them. The show had depth and an ability to affect us on a more visceral level. That's why it' endured for 60 years. I hope this new iteration makes a serious effort. But I'm pretty sure no version will ever beat the original. It is imprinted indelibly on our psyche. It was THAT GOOD!

[@tr0ublerising]

I swear, every time I watch your videos, you talk about exactly what I was talking about that week with someone and say what I have said, just better.

[@lisastone4549]

Great commentary, Steve. I have long considered Rod Serling to be one of the very best writers of the twentieth century, American or otherwise. Perhaps one day he will be given his rightful place on the mantel of "All Time Greats." Regardless, thanks for the thoughtful review of "Twilight Zone," a true American original which, thanks to outstanding writing, directing & acting, will always stand the test of time ! Shalom to All 🌟

[@livinginvancouverbc2247]

Steve, this is a very enjoyable and well-done episode. Excellent commentary in your analysis. I was born 1960 (Oct 4th, today!) I loved The Twilight Zone from the very start. Blew my mind as a child. It was TV of the highest quality. Rod Serling gave it an aura that no one else can reproduce.

[@Blacksheepishot]

Left out the most powerful episode # 8 of the entire series which has never been matched. The one were Rod introduces his T. Z audience to the god of the old testament via "IT'S A GOOD LIFE!" 61...

[@michaelbaughman8910]

I be live my favorite episode is the one with Anges Moorehead and the spaceship. She spoke not a word,yet the acting was sublime. And the ending what a hoot.

[@Troubleshooter125]

"The Invaders" ... astonishing work by Ms. Moorehead!

[@normanbuchwald]

The 1980s one wasn't bad at all, especially the first season. It included Harlan Ellison stories and did have "Her Pilgrim Soul" (I believe my mother still has my video recording of that one as I left a note not to tape that one over from back when. I did get the DVD set for the first season just for that episode and the Harlan Ellison stories and directing). But nothing compares to the original, I agree. The challenge is so much of TZ being TZ IS Rod Serling, even if he was narrating one of Charles Beaumont's classics. The movie was disappointing, the real life tragedy accident in filming not withstanding, and last decade's was disappointing including the "It's a Good Life" sequel (granted, I only watched a few of those episodes).

[@Melvinshermen]

Norman Buchwald rip Harlan ellison

[@Melvinshermen]

Norman Buchwald 2002 was meh i thought sequel of it good life was pretty good in my opion Did not remake monster of maple Street is was kinda boring is werid Word sort proto sjw Dream lover was oh come on fucking really That was the one 2002 twilight zone that i watch

[@DannyAlderson]

SO MANY GREAT ACTORS GOT THEIR START ON TWILIGHT ZONE , MORE THAN ANY OTHER TV SHOW !!!

[@neilengel3715]

What made original Twilight Zone terrific is that it actually made the viewer engage his brain. Modern television hasn't done this in decades.

[@parsifal40002]

Could not agree with you more! Rod Serling was an absolute genius!!

[@sabrinaloizides-merideth9874]

The Talking Tina episode scared the shit out of me as a child!

[@annapaulikonis2433]

Me too ! Those damn dolls !

[@tub3watcher]

They say that a problem with a lot of today's hacker movies is the audience isn't given the opportunity to purge (yeah, yeah I know that's a series of horror movies, ha ha). Think of something like Poltergeist, with the creepy doll coming out from under the bed to attack the kid, and he rips the thing to shreds, essentially purging the horror for the audience. But in something like SAW or Hostel we go from gruesome horror scene to the next gruesome horror scene and the audience gets no relief.

[@jamesmckane1205]

Ahead of his time and a Binghamton boy never will be duplicated

[@MisterJell]

If anybody needs to know why I admire Rod Serling so much, all they need to do is watch his Mike Wallace interview (available in various qualities here on YT). I hope the new series can finally do the original -- and Serling -- justice.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

I had an old VHS set called Treasures of The Twilight Zone that had the full interview in uncut form. Serling really came across as passionate, principled and a little irked at being told he was doing kids stuff.

[@tricivenola8164]

Thank you. I was nine when The Twilight Zone came out, and lived for it. I've always been grateful that I got exposed to that so early. It opened my mind to all sorts of possibilities. I'm glad to see it so well remembered, respected and reborn.

[@EchoWaveSound]

Willoughby!! Next Stop Willoughby!!

[@Troubleshooter125]

A classic among classics, and a great favorite of mine!

[@faelwolf1177]

It may be dated, but "Time Enough at Last" is still iconic

[@MarkHyde]

The original The Twilight Zone series shows and demonstrates the value of true storytelling on television as a media format - it doesn't seem like it was a 'branded' show alone, heavily consumerised. There were some misses but even they were made so well. We've lost this quality somehow with television over the last 30 years. It's back via streaming services - Black Mirror etc etc but The Twilight Zone did it first.

[@mistamemewide]

“No one can make a perfect series that makes us question, feel uncomfortable and make a well-done stories!” Rod Sterling: *_Puts down Cigarette_* “Hold my Dimensions.”

[@AABowser]

ah oh my god this made my day... twilight zone is such a powerful show! And When The Sky Was Opened is such a powerful episode! the look of abject horror on the guy's face at the end is just priceless. one notable episode you didn't mention that really stands out to me is The Obsolete Man. it's about a dystopian future where humanity has done away with basic human rights, and people are executed the moment they no longer can contribute to the community. a society that renders its people obsolete is in and of itself obsolete... another episode, I forget what it's called, is about a man who dies and goes to hell, but is fooled into believeing he is in heaven. he spends the bulk of the episode doing everything he has ever wanted to do until he exhausts success and becomes bored with it. after a thousand jackpots in a row, they lose meaning. it reminds me of a lesson from a certain russian video game, that perfect happiness is flawed and undesirable.

[@MisterMasterShafter1]

"Look, someone must have made a mistake! I don't belong in Heaven! I want to go to the other place!" ------ "Heaven?! Whatever gave you the idea you were in Heaven, Mr. Valentine?! This IS THE OTHER PLACE!"

[@scottuehlinger7887]

The Heaven/Hell episode was "A Nice Place to Visit". Obsolete Man was great......the Judge reminds me of AOC......Serling reminding us of the evils of Socialism and Totalitarianism.

[@supa_sets8636]

I don’t know if I can agree with anything you said, what I like about the show is that is ominous and at least to me (except a couple episodes) it does not feel dated in the themes at all. “A quality of mercy” needs to be played in every high school to understand we are all humans. The morals through the show and the lessons will never be dated and that is what makes it so special.

[@Nerdcoresteve1]

The original Twilight Zone always freaked me out. 😄

[@StevenSeven]

I have been a BIG fan of the Twilight Zone my whole life and I am looking forward to this new series as well. Like yourself, I am hopeful. Thank you for this look back and forward to an iconic one-of-a-kind series. 😀

[@MegaBearsFan]

Tell the people of Hawaii that the threat of an imminent nuclear missile attack isn't relevant or current...

[@ahouyearno]

Yeah, the election of Trump made me fear for nuclear war for the first time in my life and that fear hasn't gone away.

[@MegaBearsFan]

Yep. As long as there are nuclear weapons, there will be fear of nuclear war (and/or nuclear terrorism).

[@hectorsalcido4106]

Reagan was a docile puppy , compare to the senile and demented Trump.

[@John-gr4td]

Not to mention the great casting! The star power before they were huge stars was AMAZING! Burgess Meredith, Lee Marvin, Robert Redford, Charles Bronson, Elizabeth Montgomery, Claude Akins, Dennis Weaver, Don Rickles, Art carney, Jack klugman, Just to name a few.....

[@THE-HammerMan]

There is only ONE correct answer... ROD SERLING!

[@himoverthere6716]

Even though a few of them address issues of that time, but there was always a moral aspect to the episodes that keep them relevant.

[@ronkkrop]

I'm surprised you haven't spoken about 'black mirror'

[@gordonwiessner6327]

I doubt modern TV can recreate this series. Not only the writing but the intensity of the actors, the directing and enveloping atmosphere generated. Thanks Mr. Serling and all those associated with the great era of entertainment.

[@markg7030]

Mr. Chambers! Don't get on that ship! The rest of the book, "Make America Great Again" it's a crook book.

[@michaelbaughman8910]

LOL😜😜😜

[@BasementBerean]

The episode "The Lonely" is getting more probable. With robots becoming more and more like people, there may be a time when people bond to them like family, or even a spouse.