''The Twilight Zone'' is an anthology television series which was constructed from September 27, 1985 to April 15, 1989. It is the first of three revivals of

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...

's acclaimed 1959–64 television series, and like the original it featured a variety of

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...

, commonly containing characters from a seemingly normal world stumbling into paranormal circumstances. Unlike the original, however, most episodes contained multiple self-contained stories instead of just one. The voice-over narrations were still present, but were not a regular feature as they were in the original series; some episodes had only an opening narration, some had only a closing narration, and some had no narration at all. The multi-segment format liberated the series from the usual time constraints of episodic television, allowing stories ranging in length from 8-minutes to 40-minute mini-movies. The series ran for two seasons on CBS before producing a final season for syndication.

Series history

After the original ''Twilight Zone'' series ended in 1964,

sold the rights to the series to CBS, which allowed for a revival of the show by the network. As an in-house production, they stood to earn more money producing ''The Twilight Zone'' than they could by purchasing a new series produced by an outside company. Even so, the network was slow to consider a revival, shooting down offers from the original production team of Rod Serling and Buck Houghton and later from American filmmaker

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

. Their hesitation stemmed from concerns familiar to the original series: ''The Twilight Zone'' had never been the breakaway hit CBS wanted, so they should not expect it to do better in a second run. "We were looking at the success of the original series in syndication and the enormous popularity of the

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

films," said CBS program chief Harvey Shepard. "Many of them (such as '' E.T.'' or ''

Poltergeist In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descr ...

'') deal with elements of the show. Perhaps the public is ready for it again." Despite the lukewarm response to '' Twilight Zone: The Movie'', Spielberg's theatrical homage to the original series, CBS in 1984 decided to move forward with a new ''Twilight Zone'' series under the supervision of Carla Singer, then Vice President of Drama Development. Writers and filmmakers involved included

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

, George R. R. Martin, Rockne S. O'Bannon, Jeremy Bertrand Finch,

Paul Chitlik Paul Chitlik is an American author, television and film writer, producer, and director. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Early life He wrote and directed his first play when he was eleven. He moved with his family to Long Beach, California, when h ...

and directors Wes Craven and William Friedkin. Casts featured stars including Bruce Willis,

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...

, Season Hubley,

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

, Martin Landau, Jonathan Frakes, Frances McDormand, Victor Garber and Fred Savage, among others. New theme music was composed and performed by

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

with Merl Saunders, incorporating elements of the classic theme to the original ''Twilight Zone'' by Marius Constant (used in seasons 2–5). Grateful Dead also provided

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

for a number of episodes. Rod Serling had died in 1975, so he was not available to narrate the new series; this was done instead by Charles Aidman—himself the star of two classic ''Twilight Zone'' episodes. The new series ran for three seasons. Most episodes presented two or three stories within the one-hour time slot. Four episodes in season 2 were 30 minutes long, and a third season of half-hour episodes was produced in 1988 to expand the series' syndication package. Robin Ward replaced Aidman as the narrator of these Canadian-produced episodes. Unlike Serling in the original series, neither Aidman nor Ward appear on-screen (Serling's image appears fleetingly in the revival's opening credits, however.) Subsequent revivals would return to having on-screen hosts; Forest Whitaker would host the 2002 series, and

Jordan Peele Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his film and television work in the comedy and horror genres. Peele's breakout role came in 2003, when he was hired as a cast membe ...

would host the 2019 revival.

Episodes

First season (1985–86)

''The Twilight Zone'' debuted the night of September 27, 1985 to a warm reception: it won its Friday-night time slot in four of its first five weeks. Episodes featured adaptations of stories by

(whose "Shatterday", adapted by Alan Brennert, launched the new series), Greg Bear, Ray Bradbury,

Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A Spac ...

, Robert McCammon, and

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

. In contrast to ''Twilight Zone: The Movie'', which relied primarily on remakes of classic ''Twilight Zone'' episodes in order to tap the nostalgia market, content for the new ''The Twilight Zone'' consisted almost entirely of new stories and adaptations of stories which had never before been brought to the television screen. Animator Gary Gutierrez designed the visual images used in the title sequence, including the ghostly Rod Serling, which he created by projecting Serling's image onto nitrogen. After the images were completed, the footage was taken to a recording studio, where the Grateful Dead both composed and recorded the title music in a late night recording session. " Paladin of the Lost Hour", an episode written by Harlan Ellison, won the 1987 Writers Guild of America Award for Anthology Episode/Single Program. Executive producer Philip Deguere stated that CBS initially told him the show would air at 10 P.M., and therefore the earliest episodes were written with that time slot in mind. The late and unexpected rescheduling of the show to the 8 PM time slot (widely known as

Family Viewing Hour The Family Viewing Hour was a policy established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States in 1975. Under the policy, each television network in the U.S. had a responsibility to air "family-friendly" programming during the ...

, during which most viewers expect to be able to tune in with their whole family to shows which are appropriate for all ages) was considered by Deguere to be inappropriate given the content of the early episodes. He noted that the show dropped from a 30 share to a 22 share between episodes 4 and 5, and attributed this to episode 4 including the segment " Nightcrawlers", which he considered one of the most violent and disturbing works to have aired on television at the time. Ellison was an extremely vocal critic of television who had already published two collections of essays on the subject, "concluding that to work in television is akin to putting in time in the Egyptian House of the Dead." These feelings surfaced once again when the script he submitted for ''Twilight Zone''s Christmas special—an adaptation of

Donald E. Westlake Donald Edwin Westlake (July 12, 1933 – December 31, 2008) was an American writer, with more than a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into ...

's 1964 story "Nackles", in which an obnoxious and mean-spirited drunk frightens his children with stories of a malicious anti-

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

—was rejected by CBS' West Coast Program Practices. The segment, which was to be Ellison's directorial debut, was halted in mid-production. This cost the program between $150,000 and $300,000 and Ellison's services as a creative consultant. "

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

suggestions were vile, infamous!" Ellison recalled of his aborted attempts to change the network's mind. The "Nackles" incident generated a flurry of press which ultimately proved inadequate to revive public interest in the series. "I can see why people who were expecting ''The Twilight Zone'' were disappointed with it," said staff writer

Michael Cassutt Michael Joseph Cassutt (born April 13, 1954) is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author. His notable TV work includes producing or writing, or both, for '' The Outer Limits'', ''Eerie, Indiana'', ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', and ''T ...

of the show's low ratings. "...our show always seemed uneven to me. There were episodes perfectly in keeping with ''The Twilight Zone'' spirit, and then others that could have been from ''

The Outer Limits ''The Outer Limits'' or ''Outer Limits'' may refer to: Television * ''The Outer Limits'' (1963 TV series), a black-and-white science fiction series that aired from 1963 to 1965 * ''The Outer Limits'' (1995 TV series), a revival of the older series ...

'' or from anything." Despite poor ratings, ''The Twilight Zone'' was renewed for a second season in early 1986.

Second season (1986–87)

The series debuted in an hour-long format, but was put on hiatus only a few weeks into the season. CBS had moved the series to Saturday nights, which led to falling ratings. When ''The Twilight Zone'' returned in December, the episodes were half-hour shows, and generally contained only one story. Some episodes, such as "

The Road Less Traveled The Road Less Traveled, or simply Road Less Traveled, may refer to: Music * ''The Road Less Traveled'' (George Strait album), 2001 * ''The Road Less Travelled'' (Graeme Connors album), 1996 * ''The Road Less Travelled'' (Preston Reed album), 198 ...

", were produced for the hour format and then cut down for the half-hour broadcast. According to writer Alan Brennert, CBS was looking for a way to save the series from its ratings slump and took inspiration from the fact that the one season of the original ''The Twilight Zone'' which used the hour format instead of the half-hour format had the worst ratings of the series. The series was cancelled by February, with remaining episodes being

burned off In American broadcast programming, "burning off" is the custom of quickly airing the remaining episodes of a television program, usually one that has already been or is planned to be cancelled, without the intent to attract a large number of vie ...

over the summer as hour-long multi-story episodes. Season 2 only ran for 11 episodes; several of the unproduced episodes would be filmed for season 3. In regard to writing for the episode "The Girl I Married", J. M. DeMatteis commented "I have a feeling that the show that appears will not bear much relation to what I wrote. What I've found out is that this season—unlike last, where the script was pretty much regarded as sacrosanct—the network is really interfering a lot. ..Regardless, I know I did a good job and it was a real satisfying experience."

Third season (1988–89)

CBS replaced the original production team, and set out to do thirty 22-minute episodes for the third season; this way they could have enough episodes to sell the series into syndication. Robin Ward replaced Aidman as the narrator of these Canadian-produced episodes, and he also re-recorded Aidman's narration when the CBS episodes were edited for inclusion in the syndication package. To lead the writing team, the producers brought in a new group led by executive producer Mark Shelmerdine (I, Claudius) and supported by story editors

, Jeremy Bertrand Finch, and

J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series ''Babylon 5'' ...

. Straczynski authored more episodes that season than anyone else on staff. The producers named Straczynski the sole story editor following the release of Chitlik and Finch. Harlan Ellison was coaxed back to ''The Twilight Zone'' in the third season, and wrote what would be the third-to-last episode of the series, titled "

Crazy as a Soup Sandwich "Crazy as a Soup Sandwich" is the sixty-third episode, and the twenty-eighth episode of the third season (1988–89), of the television series ''The Twilight Zone''. The episode was written by author Harlan Ellison. In the episode, a mob boss con ...

Home media

Image Entertainment has released ''The Twilight Zone'' on DVD in Region 1. Season 1 was released on December 28, 2004 and Seasons 2 and 3 were released together in a 7-Disc DVD on June 28, 2005. Image re-released all three seasons together with the remastered original series in a 41-disc box set on August 26, 2014. On February 7, 2017, CBS Home Entertainment (distributed by Paramount) released "The Complete 80s Series" 13-disc box set. In Region 2, Cinema Club UK has released all three seasons on DVD in the UK. Season 1 was released on September 19, 2005 on 6 DVDs, Season 2 on December 23, 2005 on 4 DVDs, and Season 3 on May 12, 2006 on 4 DVDs. In Region 4, Shock Entertainment has released the entire series on DVD in Australia. All 3 seasons were released on June 1, 2011. On October 3, 2012, Shock released a complete series box set. Alan Brennert, one of the writer-producers who contributed to the series, wrote that the picture quality of the DVD set was "NOT a 'bad transfer'" but rather that the episodes were "shot on film, but edited on video. In other words, the raw footage was 35 mm film, which was then transferred to videotape. Editing, dubbing, special effects—everything was done on video. We were in fact the first drama series on television to do this. So unlike the original Rod Serling TZ, there are NO original film negatives from which Image could strike new prints for transfer. All that exist are the old one-inch master tapes, and the unfortunate reality is, videotape does deteriorate some over time. Image has, in my opinion, done a superb job packaging our series, and it is to them that I award the five stars in this review! If not for their interest in bringing this show to DVD, those one-inch masters might eventually have eroded into so much static (as my 3/4-inch tapes of the show already have)." He concluded by saying "If you enjoyed this series, just be grateful it's been preserved!"

References

*Ellison, Harlan: "The Deadly 'Nackles' Affair". ''The Twilight Zone Magazine'', February 1987 *Graham, Jefferson: "The Twilight Zone Returns". ''The Twilight Zone Magazine'', April 1985. *Zicree, Marc Scott: ''The Twilight Zone Companion''. Sillman-James Press, 1982 (second edition)

External links

Postcards from the Zone
(Extensive episode guides, including photos)

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Twilight Zone, The 1985 American television series debuts 1989 American television series endings 1985 Canadian television series debuts 1989 Canadian television series endings 1980s American anthology television series 1980s Canadian anthology television series CBS original programming First-run syndicated television programs in the United States The Twilight Zone American horror fiction television series Canadian horror fiction television series Television series by MGM Television Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Alliance Atlantis 1980s American science fiction television series 1980s Canadian science fiction television series Television series reboots English-language television shows Television series created by Rod Serling Science fiction anthology television series 1980s American horror television series Television shows filmed in Toronto