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Even if you didn't grow up watching "The Twilight Zone," you've almost certainly been influenced or seen something that's been influenced by Rod Serling's seminal sci-fi horror series. Aside from becoming hugely popular during its original five-season run from 1959-64 on CBS, the show galvanized its standing in syndication before being reimagined with three separate TV revivals in 1985, 2002, and 2019. There was also the cursed "Twilight Zone" movie from 1982, and the fact that individual episodes have been referenced, parodied, and used for inspiration in everything from "Child's Play" to "The Simpsons."

In the latter case, you might remember a segment from 1993's "Treehouse of Horror IV" entitled "Terror at 5+1⁄2 Feet," in which Bart is menaced by a gremlin that only he can see while on the school bus. This was just one of many reimaginings of "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," a classic "Twilight Zone" episode which has officially been remade...

Saturday Night Live, born October 11, 1975, died May 24, 1986.

That could have been the obituary for the late-night comedy institution, which nearly bit the dust after season 11, depriving America of all the SNL talents who came in later years like Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Tina Fey, Kate McKinnon, Adam Sandler, Jimmy Fallon and so many more.

Saturday Night Live’s near demise is the focus of one of the four episodes of the Emmy-nominated series SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, executive produced by Oscar winner Morgan Neville. Kevin Nealon serves as a kind of Rod Serling-like host of the episode, explaining how the show’s “weird year” marked Lorne Michaels’ return to SNL after a five-year hiatus. Michaels came in with a whole new cast.

The ‘SNL’ season 11 cast: only Nora Dunn (far left) and Jon Lovitz (far right) would survive NBC

“You had Randy Quaid, Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr. You had Anthony Michael Hall,...

You are about to enter another dimension; a dimension not of light and sound but of ink and paper. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop: Idw Comics' The Twilight Zone. The legendary science fiction anthology series is coming to the second dimension in a new black-and-white comic series, and Collider has an exclusive preview, as well as quotes from the book's creators. The first issue is by writer Dan Watters (Home Sick Pilots) and artist Morgan Beem (You Belong Here).

The preview introduces us to Edward Kane, a billionaire obsessed with conquering death. In the opening pages, which are introduced by an unseen, Rod Serling-like narrator, he visits a deluxe tropical resort, but he has much more than rest and relaxation in mind. He consults with a scientist who's developing a virus that could potentially bestow immortality on those it infects by giving the body...

It makes sense that sci-fi TV shows could be ahead of their time. The entire point of the genre is looking at the future, whether in a fantastic way or predicting what is just around the corner. True, some shows were poor and let down by bad writing and effects. However, others shine thanks to their ideas and often dare to take on a concept the public may not be ready for.

Indeed, some shows were so out there that they didn’t last long in their initial runs, yet attained a loyal following to become iconic. They also helped inspire scores of other projects that would become hits in their own right. These are 20 sci-fi shows ahead of their time, to show how some series made a mark without necessarily realizing it when they were airing.

The Twilight Zone "You Might Also Like" -- Coverage of the CBS All Access series The Twilight Zone.

You Want A Movie Where You’re Really Uncomfortable? Then head on down to ‘Eddington.’ Ari Aster once again delivers a deeply unsettling film- one that explores the “new normal” we lived through back in 2020. Spoilers Ahead: For an episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ from 1960. Ari Aster shared a list on Letterboxd of films that influenced this paranoiac modern Western. But after watching ‘Eddington’, I was surprised not to see a mention of an episode from the original ‘Twilight Zone’ titled “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.” Rod Serling’s simple but devastating parable of a seemingly tight-knit community ripped apart ends in hysteria and carnage- triggered, as the final twist reveals, by alien manipulation. Yet the aliens use no elaborate mind-control devices, only simple electrical interference that drives the townsfolk into paranoid distrust of one another by their own conspiracies and suspicions. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel,...

While he's primarily known for playing Captain James T. Kirk, some of William Shatner's best performances exist outside of the "Star Trek" franchise. Prior to joining the USS Enterprise, Shatner -- along with his fellow "Star Trek" alum Leonard Nimoy -- graced "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", i.e. one of the most influential spy TV series of all time. He's also one of several "Star Trek" actors to star in "The Twilight Zone," Rod Serling's game-changing sci-fi, fantasy, and horror anthology show that's influenced everything from "Black Mirror" to the cinema of Jordan Peele.

Outside of genre fare, though, Shatner has solidified himself as a formidable force in the world of TV legal dramas, winning Emmy Awards for David E. Kelley's "The Practice" and its shorter-lived spin-off, "Boston Legal." His character, Denny Crane, is a legendary, ultra-conservative lawyer who often refers to himself...

You might know Rod Serling as the host and creator of "The Twilight Zone," the acclaimed sci-fi anthology series that has become a blueprint for the genre since it first aired in 1959. Serling's involvement with the show can only be described as intimate, as he personally drew from his experience as a scriptwriter and chose to work with like-minded artists who understood sci-fi from the inside out. All 156 episodes of "The Twilight Zone" unfurl like a morality play with a twist ending, even though the themes range from staunch critiques of capitalism to personal ruminations about the loss of childhood innocence. There are also, of course, staple genre tropes thrown in for good measure, including prescient prophecies, time travel shenanigans, alien invasions, and the human-machine dichotomy. Each one of these distinct stories, however, culminates in the titular Twilight Zone, which emerges as a liminal space that defies human comprehension and pushes us toward uncomfortable truths.

Three years ago, it was announced that Sony Pictures TV had given a two-season order for a new series from Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan – a series that was described as a “blended, grounded genre drama” that’s something along the lines of the classic Rod Serling show The Twilight Zone. Gilligan’s Better Call Saul cast member Rhea Seehorn followed him over to the new show and signed on to play the lead role… and now, finally, we know when we’re going to have the chance to see it. The show, which is called Pluribus, is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday, November 7. The remaining seven episodes will air every Friday through December 26. Deadline also shared a short teaser, which can be seen in the embed above.

According to the official description, Pluribus is a genre-bending original in which the most miserable...

"A horrifying nordic thriller that’s equal parts Hitchcock and The Wicker Man," the new comic book series Black Diamond asks readers the chilling question of how far they would go to save their own child from a sacrificial cult, making fresh tracks of terror on its trek to the peak of parental horror.

Before the first of four issues of Black Diamond hits the scare-filled slopes on September 3rd from Panick Entertainment, Daily Dead had the pleasure of catching up with writer and creator Brendan Columbus to discuss the snowy scares, occult undercurrents, and compelling conflict within the pages of his new comic book series that features artwork by Danilo Beyruth, coloring by Lee Loughridge, lettering by Saida Temafonte, a main cover by Ben Templesmith, and a Zoop cover by Shane Pierce.

You can read our full Q&a with Brendan below, and we also have a look at...

The first episode of Rod Serling's anthology series "The Twilight Zone" debuted on CBS on October 2, 1959. The episode was titled "Where Is Everybody?," and it starred Earl Holliman as Mike Ferris, a man who walks into a small, suburban neighborhood that is mysteriously devoid of people. He has no memories as to how he got there or even his own identity. He explores the town and finds no people, save for one creepy mannequin. The solitude quickly causes him to deteriorate mentally. All good "Twilight Zone" fans know the twist ending that occurs next.

By the time "The Twilight Zone" premiered, Serling was already a prolific, established TV writer, having written for hit anthology shows like "Playhouse 90," and "Kraft Television Theater." He had even written the screenplays for movies like "Patterns" and "The Rack" and was always trying to push the envelope in terms of what might be allowed on television.

Spoilers for "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" to follow.

"Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" sure loves to put Spock (Ethan Peck) in comedic situations. In season 1's "Spock Amok," he accidentally exchanged bodies with his fiancee T'Pring (Gia Sandhu) during a mind meld gone wrong. Then, in season 2's "Charades" (which /Film named the funniest "Star Trek" episode ever), Spock was transformed into a full-blooded human and had to relearn how to be a Vulcan.

Now, "Strange New Worlds" season 3 has unveiled its own comedic Spock adventure as part of its two-episode premiere. To do so, it's also brought back one of the campiest yet most powerful villains from "Star Trek: The Original Series."

In "Wedding Bell Blues" (helmed by "Charades" director Jordan Canning), Spock and Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) are getting married! Except, they previously broke up ... and Christine has just arrived on the Enterprise with her new boyfriend,...

Whether it be a Palme d'Or, an Academy Award, or even an induction into the Criterion Collection, there are all sorts of honors that can be bestowed upon a popular filmmaker. One of the smaller, yet significant, ones is your last name becoming a lexicon among the general public. Hitchcock, Kubrick, Lynch, Scorsese, Wachowski, and Kurosawa (take your pick) are but a few of many names that immediately conjure images of their cinematic trademarks. In terms of instant recognizability, few hold the industry-wide prestige of Steven Spielberg. The influential filmmaker is not only responsible in forming the template of contemporary blockbusters countless times over ("Jaws"), but has ingrained himself into all sectors of the entertainment industry. But of course, it takes time to achieve that kind of notoriety.

Spielberg had to do what just about every other aspiring filmmaker went through, and he built his credibility from the ground up.

It's not a stretch to say that "The Twilight Zone" is one of the most groundbreaking and influential shows in the history of television, both in its challenging material and sophisticated filmcraft. What's perhaps more impressive is that it did so while also being pretty economical to produce. Of course, part of that is due to the fact that TV production was somewhat simpler in an era when much material was shot on sets, special effects were more rudimentary, and film equipment wasn't nearly as advanced. Even so, the price tag for the first season of "The Twilight Zone" looks like a bargain when adjusted for inflation.

According to data gathered in Martin Gram's "The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Doors to a Television Classic," Rod Serling's seminal science fiction series cost less than $2 million in total for its inaugural 36-episode season, coming in at $1,955,399.41. That includes everything from...

Fans of Disney’s Tower of Terror — formally named The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida (and formerly Disney’s California Adventure) — are going to have wait a little bit for the film adaptation. Scarlett Johansson is set to star in and produce the project, but she recently told Entertainment Weekly that “Tower of Terror” as a movie was “a hard nut to crack.”

“Harder than you think, because the ride itself, there’s some lore to it, but it’s… I don’t want to say thin, but it is, kind of!,” Johansson said of the ride’s plot, themed after the legendary anthology Rod Serling-created series (plural) “The Twilight Zone” — which itself became a notorious, lore-filled ’80s flick. Riders of the attraction are taken to the Twilight Zone after lightning strikes the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

While Johansson said there...

Marvel Cinematic Universe star Scarlett Johansson opens up about her upcoming Tower of Terror film.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Johansson said of the hotly-anticipated Disney World drop ride adaptation, "It's a hard nut to crack. Harder than you think, because the ride itself, there's some lore to it, but it's... I don't want to say thin, but it is, kind of!" Johansson went on to note that the ride itself "doesn’t have so much to dig into" in terms of narrative. "That's part of the mystery of the ride. It's been a fun project to work on, because it's a blue sky project. It has also proved to be a hard nut to crack. But, we'll crack the case of it. It's taking shape!"

While talks of a modern Tower of Terror adaptation have been reported on since as early as 2015, it wasn't until 2021 that Johansson became an integral part of the production.

Four years later, Scarlett Johansson is still stuck in the Twilight Zone while trying to figure out her Tower of Terror update.

After Deadline announced in 2021 that she’ll produce a new film inspired by the Disney World ride and written by Josh Cooley, the 2x Oscar nominee recently teased that the script is “taking shape” as they attempt to flesh out the narrative of the attraction.

“It’s a hard nut to crack,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “Harder than you think, because the ride itself, there’s some lore to it, but it’s… I don’t want to say thin, but it is, kind of!”

Despite the 1997 Wonderful World of Disney movie starring Kirsten Dunst, Johansson explained the ride “doesn’t have so much to dig into” in terms of a film narrative, noting the brief story works better for the spooky theme park attraction.

“That’s part...

As part of Disney’s never-ending quest to adapt its iconic attractions into live-action movies, Scarlett Johansson is diligently working to bring Disney World’s Tower of Terror drop ride to theaters. She’s determined to give audiences the thrill ride of their lives, but one thing is keeping the film from going to the top of her production list: the story.

“It’s a hard nut to crack. Harder than you think, because the ride itself, there’s some lore to it, but it’s… I don’t want to say thin, but it is, kind of!” Johansson told Entertainment Weekly about the challenge of elaborating on the ride’s thin narrative.

The Tower of Terror, located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios park in Orlando, Florida, is a haunted hotel with a drop mechanic as the main attraction. It hails from Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone Universe and revolves...

I don't know if you folks have heard this or not, but the British anthology series "Black Mirror" is heavily inspired by the 1960s American anthology series "The Twilight Zone." Sure, the former may not have its creator stopping by twice an episode to narrate like the latter (something Rod Serling actually hated to do), but it's still easy to see the connection between the two. Both show use their speculative one-off premises to explore the darker sides of the human psyche, feature a different cast each episode, and are unafraid to end things on a bummer note.

That's why it's no surprise that "White Bear," an absurdly bleak season 2 episode of "Black Mirror," was at least partially inspired by "Judgment Night," a dark season 1 episode of "The Twilight Zone." They're different enough that most viewers won't notice, but there's undeniably a ton of overlap in their themes and plot beats.

This post contains spoilers for season 1, episode 18 of "The Twilight Zone."

"The Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling opens "The Last Flight" with his telltale narration, setting the stage for one Terry Decker (Kenneth Haigh), a flight lieutenant who is "hopelessly lost." This season 1 episode dabbles in yet another unwitting act of time travel, much like the Russell Johnson-led episode "Back There," which emphasizes that only small fragments of the past can be changed. Terry, however, isn't stuck in the past, but transported to the near future after he passes through a strange cloud while flying. When those in the future detain him after being baffled by his identity and outdated uniform, Terry learns that he is currently in 1959, not 1917. Although the aerial base's commander and his men are suspicious of Terry's sudden appearance, the episode's core conflict is purely internal, as Terry must reckon with the past to deal...

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Rod Serling's anthology series "The Twilight Zone" nailed it. Serling not only had a boundless imagination as a writer, but he was also knowledgeable enough of the then-contemporary sci-fi scene to tap some of his generation's best sci-fi authors to contribute to "The Twilight Zone." In the end, he and his creative team were able to construct 156 miniature morality plays -- and 156 ironic twist endings -- over the course of the show's five-season run. Serling also attracted a plethora of notable actors to "The Twilight Zone," each one giving an intense performance in a (very often) well-written episode. One wonders how Serling and co. managed to create such a gigantic volume of TV episodes in such a short amount of time.

As it were, it was far from a walk in the park. Serling was working under an intense TV schedule,...

Comedian Roseanne Barr alleged that God made her post a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, the senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, in 2018.

In late May 2018, Barr was labeled a racist after she tweeted a since-deleted post in which she wrote “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes had a baby=vj,” alluding to Jarrett.

After the fallout, ABC cancelled the Roseanne reboot, with former ABC Entertainment chief Channing Dungey announcing, “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.”

During an interview with Variety published last Friday, Barr stated that she was “already having nightmares about never going back to that show, and God woke me up” from a sleep that the outlet described as “Ambien- and alcohol-fueled.”

“I had my laptop there in bed, as always, and I opened it, and there was [an X post with] a picture of Valerie...

In the "The Twilight Zone" episode "The Purple Testament", an American soldier named Lieutenant "Fitz" Fitzgerald (William Reynolds) fighting in World War II suddenly develops the ability to see when someone is near death. He can look at his compatriots and see an eerie glow coming from their faces. Given that this is wartime, Fitz will have plenty of opportunities to see people shortly before they die. Fitz initially tries to warn the soldiers that they are fated to be killed, but his declarations (as one might expect) prove to be damaging to the troops' morale. The story will end when Fitz sees an eerie glow coming from his own face. He drives off in a jeep with two other soldiers ... whose faces are also glowing. On the battlefield, death is inevitable. 

Then Rod Serling appears to deliver his closing monologue, explaining the episode's title. He says: 

"From William Shakespeare,...

Groundbreaking sci-fi-horror TV series The Twilight Zoneis getting a highly-anticipated comic book revival courtesy of Idw Publishing, and it has been officially revealed that the upcoming anthology series will be illustrated in black-and-white, in a throwback to the late 1950s/early 1960s origins of the classic Rod Serling show.

As revealed in an exclusive by Entertainment Weekly, The Twilight Zone #1 will hit shelves this fall, featuring the story “Blanks,” written by Dan Watters, with art by Morgan Beem.

The issue promises a spooky story that evokes the familiar tenor of an original-era Twilight Zone episode; beyond that, more is yet to be revealed about the rest of the series, other than that it is slated to run for five issues, with more coming depending on the success of these initial stories.

Idw Publishing Announces New Twilight Zone Anthology Comic, Coming This Fall The Twilight Zone #1 “Blanks,” Written By Dan Watters...

You are traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. Your next stop: The Twilight Zone.

Idw Dark will launch a five-issue black-and-white comic series based on Rod Serling‘s classic sci-fi/horror anthology show on September 24.

Each issue of The Twilight Zone will tell a new story from different creatives. The first installment, “Blank,” is written by Dan Watters and illustrated by Morgan Beem.

“The Twilight Zone is a genre unto itself,” commented Watters. “It’s a cultural titan and a North Star in the strangest skies revealing what science fiction, fantasy and horror can do for us: revealing uncomfortable truths about what lies in our own hearts. This is precisely the vein we hope to tap with our story; the unsettled space between angry and unnerving that is forever the purview of The Twilight Zone.”

“I have long been a fan of all horror,...

In 2010, Sang-yeop Yeun, an actor who went professionally as Steven, booked a role on "The Walking Dead," a zombie horror television show based on a long-running comic book series. While this wasn't his first professional credit -- you may have forgotten his cameo on "The Big Bang Theory" -- it was his breakout role, immediately endearing the performer to a wide audience and opening the doors on his career.

Since then, Yeun has played a rich and varied slate of roles in a wide variety of genres and tones while simultaneously seeming like a kind-hearted, self-effacing, and easily funny hang, thanks to a series of viral appearances with Conan O'Brien and a post-fame uncovered Second City sketch. He strikes one as an unpretentious actor who can do it all, and his body of work supports this thesis with aplomb.

In celebration of the versatile, engaging, and not-to-be-weird-but-very handsome performer, we've...

Created by Rod Serling in 1959, the anthology series The Twilight Zone has one of the most popular names in entertainment history, and different producers have cashed in on that title many times over the years. The original five season run of the show has been followed by a three-season revival in the ’80s, a one season revival in the early 2000s, a two-season revival (headed up by Jordan Peele) in 2019 to 2020, a feature film (produced by Steven Spielberg) that was released in 1983, and a ’90s TV movie called Twilight Zone: Rod Serling’s Lost Classics. Of course, there have also been books, comic books, and video games. For more than ten years, Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way has been trying to develop a new Twilight Zone feature film for Warner Bros., as The Twilight Zone is said to be DiCaprio’s favorite TV show… but it has been a bumpy ride,...

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The "The Twilight Zone" episode "Gramma" is a strange one. Based on the short story by Stephen King and written by Harlan Ellison, "Gramma" tells the story of an 11-year-old boy named Georgie (Barret Oliver from "The NeverEnding Story" and "D.A.R.Y.L.") who has been tasked with looking after his infirm grandmother while his mother (Darlanne Fluegel) goes out for the afternoon. Georgie feels he is equal to the task, even though he is notoriously terrified of Gramma. Gramma does nothing more than lay in bed all day, occasionally calling out for a cup of tea. 

While alone with Gramma, Georgie begins to recall weird details about their family, recalling that she might have had some stillborn children. We hear Georgie's inner monologue throughout the episode as he nervously ponders everything he sees. After accidentally dropping Gramma's tea, Georgie finds a crack in the floor.

Before everyone started talking about glitches in the Matrix to describe spooky goings-on, anything weird or potentially inexplicable was like entering "The Twilight Zone." Some old timers still use this comparison, possibly humming an annoying rendition of the theme tune for extra effect. You can't blame them, really, because few TV shows have created a cultural footprint the size of Rod Serling's visionary series. Three revivals, a patchy anthology film, and a range of other media have kept the show firmly in the public consciousness, but none have quite matched the quality of the original hosted by Serling himself. With Serling's assured presence and teleplays from some of the best writers of sci-fi and speculative fiction of the day, "The Twilight Zone" was packed with iconic episodes. 

"Twilight Zone: The Movie" opened with two guys (played by Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks) chatting about their favorite episodes, and they...

As Roseanne Barr remembers it, God told her to do it.

It was Memorial Day weekend in 2018, and she was having trouble sleeping. Earlier in the day, the comedy star called Bruce Helford, the head writer of the “Roseanne” revival. Barr asked when she should plan to report back to the writers’ room of the ABC ratings juggernaut, which had been renewed for a second season.

“He said to me, ‘Oh, the writers are already back, and we would love you to come by and say hello,’” she recalls. “And when I heard it, I was like, ‘Fuck you. You’ve taken my writers’ room for my second season. Fuck you. I ain’t coming back. Fuck you.’ And then I said, ‘I’m gonna go out with the biggest bang that’s ever hit this fucking show business, even if it kills me.’”

Instead, she drifted off to sleep.

Back in November of 2023, we learned that Under the Shadow director Babak Anvari was in production on psychological thriller called Hallow Road, starring Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) and Matthew Rhys (Perry Mason). A few months ago, JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray had the chance to watch Hallow Road at the SXSW film festival, and he gave the film an 8/10 review that can be read at This Link. Now, Deadline reports that Hallow Road has secured a distribution deal with XYZ Films, with the company planning to give the film a theatrical release in the US sometime this fall. It already received a theatrical release in the UK last month.

Scripted by William Gillies, Hallow Road was commissioned and developed by London Film & TV. The story follows parents in a race against time when they receive a distressing late-night phone call from their daughter, after she hits another young woman...

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"The Twilight Zone" ran for 156 episodes total, and that's not even counting the extra backlog from the three attempts at rebooting the series. That long, television-defining legacy all began in 1959 with the first aired "Twilight Zone" episode, "Where Is Everybody?"

An amnesiac man (Earl Holliman) awakens in the desert and walks to a seemingly abandoned town. Soon, he's asking the question that gives the episode its title.

The twist? Our lead is actually astronaut Mike Ferris. He's undergoing a training exercise in an isolation chamber to see if he can handle a trip to the Moon by himself. When the episode began, he'd been in the chamber for three weeks. The town was a hallucination because the isolation had finally gotten to him. The episode ends with Ferris being "rescued," still intending to go to the Moon.

"Where Is Everybody?...

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A Christmas episode of "The Twilight Zone"? As unlikely a combination as that sounds, it happened in the show's second season: "The Night of the Meek." Henry Corwin (Art Carney) is a mall Santa who loses his job after showing up drunk. Corwin's drinking isn't from apathy, though; quite the opposite. He cares too much and it breaks his heart to see so many living in poverty on Christmas.

Henry Corwin wants to see "the meek inherit the Earth," as the Bible once promised they would. Stumbling through the city (and still in costume), Corwin comes across a bottomless bag that can conjure any gift someone requests. So, he takes it on himself to be Santa for real. At the very end of the episode, once all the gift-giving is done, he stumbles onto a reindeer-pulled sleigh and an...

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Superhero movies have become infatuated with the multiverse. A lot of that must go back to Marv Wolfman and George Pérez's 1986 "Crisis on Infinite Earths," where all the heroes from DC Comics' vast multiverse band together against an omnicidal threat. But can the multiverse be used for greater storytelling than as a vehicle to throw blockbuster IP together? The new comic book "Assorted Crisis Events" says "Yes."

Since the first issue of "Assorted Crisis Events" (which I covered here), the series has been sold as "'Crisis On Infinite Earths' if it was happening to normal people." Written by Deniz Camp, penciled by Eric Zawadzki, and colored by Jordie Bellaire, "Assorted Crisis Events" is an anthology. The main character is the crisis itself. Reality is falling apart due to different time periods coming together and leaving people caught in its wake.

Before I ever watched a single episode of The Twilight Zone, I knew what it was. Everyone did. The phrase itself wasn’t just a title– it was a feeling. A shorthand for the surreal, the uncanny, the “something’s not right and I can’t quite explain why.” It showed up in conversations, in jokes, in casual references, in Halloween specials and music and sitcom punchlines. The Twilight Zone existed in the pop culture lexicon so thoroughly that you didn’t need to see it to feel like you had. But then I did watch it. I don’t remember where I was, or what episode came first. It was sometime in my early twenties, long after the show had premiered, long after creator, host and narrator Rod Serling had left us. But I remember the feeling of being locked in– drawn into the world he’d created. Or rather,...

A quick inspection of the major inspiration behind "Black Mirror" leads us to a critically acclaimed CBS anthology series that serves as the blueprint for speculative fiction on television. Yes, Charlie Brooker's "Black Mirror" generously borrows from Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone," where any similarities between the two stem from Brooker playing homage to the beloved CBS show. Even when these callbacks are not deliberate, the influence of "The Twilight Zone" is impossible to escape, as the series has shaped our collective understanding of stories that evoke the real and the surreal.

Moreover, Serling's show has always held up a mirror to root-level societal issues, with every episode playing out as a morality tale that condemns the hollowness of an increasingly capitalist landscape. "Black Mirror" has consciously mimicked this approach from a postmodern lens, with an increased focus on our complicated relationship with technological progress. As a result,...

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George Wendt was a truly beloved actor known best to the world as Norm from "Cheers." Wendt tragically passed away on May 20, 2025, but he leaves behind an immense body of work. Not only does he have a whopping 269 episodes of "Cheers" (and one memorable cameo on "The Simpsons"), but the man had more than 170 acting credits to his name spanning nearly five decades. In that time, Wendt had the opportunity to put his small stamp on another classic TV series.

The show in question is none other than "The Twilight Zone." Created by Rod Serling, the sci-fi anthology series, which originally aired in the '60s on CBS, is still widely regarded today as one of the best shows in the history of television. That's why CBS has revived it several times over the years, including the most recent, short-lived...

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One of the best episodes of "The Twilight Zone" season 1 was "I Shot an Arrow Into the Sky," which follows a group of astronauts who crash onto a desert planet and soon start to turn on each other. Corey (Dewey Martin) is the last one left. After he betrays and kills the other survivors, he sets off on his own, prepared to survive as long as he can in this harsh alien wasteland. But then he comes across a sign labeled "Reno, 37 miles."

That's right: they were on Earth the whole time, and they could've all survived if they'd just kept their wits about them and had walked a bit in the right direction. Don't you hate it when that happens? On the bright side, at least they didn't have any talking apes to deal with; Rod Serling would reuse...

In the "The Twilight Zone" episode "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine", Ida Lupino plays Barbara Jean Trenton, a Norma Desmond-type movie star whose glory days are behind her. She spends her days wallowing in self-pity, drinking booze, and watching 16mm reels of her old performances. Her old showbiz friends are all either retired or dead, and she resents that she can't land any glamorous leading roles anymore. She is offered a role as a young ingénue's mother, but she refuses to accept how old she is. The episode ends with Barbara locking herself in her projection room, wishing deeply that life could be as marvelous as it was 30 years ago. Her wish comes true. She magically, bodily shunts herself through her movie screen into the 16mm movie where she, and all her friends, are youthful forever. 

"The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine" was only the first time Ida Lupino was involved with "The Twilight Zone.

There is perhaps no TV show from the classic era that has stood the test of time better than "The Twilight Zone." Despite its black-and-white coloring, limited budgets, and retro sci-fi stylings, the Rod Serling series remains one of the greatest, most influential shows ever put to American television. Though there have been many attempts to reboot the series, none of which have been as successful as less direct successors like "Black Mirror," the original series from the late 1950s and early '60s remains the best one to watch. Thankfully, its greatest episodes also hold up incredibly well.

Picking just five "Twilight Zone" episodes to recommend is a challenging task, as all five seasons are loaded with classics. Commentaries on war, death, greed, adventures in space exploration, a surprising number of Western-themed "Twilight Zone" episodes, monsters, ghouls, ghosts, deals with the devil, red Scare metaphors -- it's all there and well worth watching.

What does the end of the world look like? It's a question that's been asked by many a genre filmmaker, especially as the post-apocalyptic (and just plain apocalyptic) film rose in popularity following the invention of nuclear weaponry. For most filmmakers, the setting for the apocalypse tends to fall into one of two categories: It's either a sprawling urban ruin, with once-gleaming skyscrapers now in disarray, or a vast desert landscape where the detritus of the old world is scattered throughout miles of sand and rock. Very few films depicting the end of the world decide to make the apocalypse look like an idyllic ocean view vacation.

Yet, that's precisely what 1968's "Planet of the Apes" did, as the production chose to stage its climactic twist on and around Malibu's Point Dume. Sitting on the outskirts of Los Angeles in Southern California, the combination of beach and a prominent rock...

As a filmmaker, J.J. Abrams wears his influences on his sleeve. A die-hard Twilight Zone fan, he turned an episode of his first series, Felicity, into a black-and-white riff on that show’s famous “Five Characters in Search of an Exit,” while Lost was full of Rod Serling-esque twists. Abrams’ films as a director have included a Mission: Impossible and two entries apiece in the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises. And his one wholly original movie as a director, Super 8, is an unmistakable homage to early Steven Spielberg.

We love the ’80s and we’re not ashamed to say it.

If you weren’t alive during the most epic era ever — here’s looking at you, Gen Zers — you missed out on some great TV, especially if you’re a science fiction buff.

From AI cars and furry alien creatures to time travel and horror-filled galaxy expeditions, originality reigned supreme during the ’80s.

(CBS/Screenshot)

At the time, it was quality over quantity.

We didn’t have streaming services like Netflix and Peacock.

We just had good old satellite and cable TV.

Let’s revisit some of our favorite sci-fi series from the 80s.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – 1987 (CBS/Screenshot)

Star Trek: The Next Generation was the third series in the Star Trek franchise. It debuted in 1987 and quickly became a hit with viewers.

The series is set in the late 24th century, with Earth as part...

Plot: In this six-episode dark comedic series, Tom Segura navigates unthinkable situations and fantasies within a cinematic world.

Review: Tom Segura likes messed-up humor. The comedian and podcaster has made a career by telling relatable yet slightly intrusive jokes. Along with his contemporaries Bill Burr and Bert Kreischer, Tom Segura’s brand of comedy is shockingly honest and shockingly blunt yet delivered in a way that makes you think as hard as you are laughing. Segura also loves the scope and scale of cinema and has channeled that into his new series, Bad Thoughts. A collection of loosely connected short films unified by episodic themes, Bad Thoughts is for fans of ambitious comedic series like Key & Peele, Louie, Better Things, and Dave, but through a twisted lens reminiscent of The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror. Hilarious and deeply disturbing at the same time, Bad Thoughts will have you laughing...

The horror genre has produced lots of great TV shows throughout the years, with many dating back to the earliest days of television. Even now, fans of fright fare can still enjoy the many excellent episodes of "The Twilight Zone" and check out the lesser-known horror anthology series Rod Serling made afterward -- to name but a couple examples of the classics that are readily available for your viewing anxiety. Unfortunately, some old shows are lost in the fogs of time -- similar to the spirits that haunt people in their stories -- and will never see the light of day again. This brings us to "Late Night Horror," an obscure British anthology series from the 1960s that was allegedly purged for being too controversial.

As documented by Atlas Obscura, "Late Night Horror" hit the airwaves in 1968, producing six episodes in total. Similar to "The Twilight Zone," the series is...

Prolific mystery author Harlan Coben is moving into Rod Serling territory. He’s set to host an unscripted true crime series for CBS dubbed “Harlan Coben’s Final Twist.”

The hourlong series will feature the scribe taking audiences “through gripping tales of murder, high-profile crimes and life-altering surprises, each meticulously unraveled to reveal hidden truths, deceptions and lies. With exclusive interviews and never-before-seen archival materials, the series will provide an in-depth look at stories where nothing is as it seems,” per CBS’ series description. “Final Twist” is slated to bow as a midseason replacement during the 2025-26 season between fall and spring seasons of “Survivor.”

The series hails from Final Twist Productions, All Rise Films, Triage Entertainment and See It Now Studios. Jeff Zimbalist is executive producer and showrunner. Also executive producing are Coben and Ben Coben for Final Twist Productions, Stu Schreiberg for Triage Entertainment and Susan Zirinsky and...

The Twilight Zone is a classic for many reasons, one of which is that Rod Serling was a genius at hiding social messaging in sci-fi and fantasy stories.

When the anthology series began, Serling had discovered that themes such as the danger of scapegoating and the importance of standing up to authority weren’t welcome if he wrote about them directly, but if he told allegories about people in other worlds or other times, he got a different reception.

Could the The Twilight Zone work today? I’d like to think so, but the world is so politically divided that it’s hard to say with any certainty.

(Screenshot/CBS) How The Twilight Zone Used Science Fiction For Social Messaging

The Twilight Zone was one of the first anthology series — arguably, American Horror Story and similar shows wouldn’t exist without the Twilight Zone doing it first.

However, this series...

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With "The Twilight Zone" Rod Serling helped pioneer the sci-fi genre for years to come. The legendary anthology series has never really faded from pop culture relevance since it first aired back in 1959, largely thanks to the syndication deal Serling struck with CBS. The show creator sold the series rights to the network after the end of its fifth and final season in 1964. Sadly, Serling subsequently found himself recoiling every time he saw "Twilight Zone" reruns due to the amount of commercial breaks shoehorned into the episodes at the expense of certain scenes, which were cut in favor of selling more stuff to consumers. But it was this very syndication deal that simultaneously helped turn "The Twilight Zone" into the cultural powerhouse it became.

It also didn't hurt that multiple revivals sprang up in the decades after the original series went off the air.

What do entertainers as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Rod Serling have in common? Each one adored The Andy Griffith Show. Serling, the brain behind The Twilight Zone, another enduring television classic, even described Andy Griffith as “one of the few genuinely funny comedies in the medium” in a 1963 TV Guide Magazine article that reported he often visited the nearby set. “What hits me is that the people are characters,” he added, “not caricatures.” That’s certainly been key to The Andy Griffith Show‘s longevity. The actor’s canny sheriff, Andy Taylor, and the other mildly eccentric and eminently lovable residents of the small Southern town of Mayberry have entertained generations for 65 years — even ones who weren’t yet born when the sitcom premiered on CBS on October 3, 1960. Viewers still laugh, cry, and empathize, which is why, each May, MeTV rolls out its annual “Month of...

Jordan Peele’s love for the strange and the supernatural has always been loud and clear, and with The Twilight Zone reboot, he got to play host to a modern version of the legendary 1959 series he grew up admiring. Much like Rod Serling did back in the day, Peele used the format to peel back the layers of society’s darkest corners, mixing horror with moral dilemmas and mind games. Though the revival didn’t stick around as long as fans might have hoped, it packed a punch in its short run and offered a platform for some solid talent.

The anthology came and went, but the faces from the series have moved on to pretty interesting chapters in 2025. From high-stakes dramas to animated franchises, here’s what the key cast members are busy with now.

15. Jordan Peele Jordan Peele in the series The Twilight Zone | Credit: Paramount+

Jordan Peele...

Netflix’s Black Mirror has been toying with reality, but the franchise’s latest offering- season 7 might be taking things too far. Created by Charlie Brooker, the series is a sci-fi anthology, exploring various themes. Most episodes are set in a near-future dystopia containing ultra futuristic technology.

The series is inspired by 1959’s American television anthology series, created by Rod Serling- The Twilight Zone– and uses the themes of technology and media to comment on contemporary social issues. Now, with Netflix dropping its first episode of S7, fans have wasted no time diving into the dark twists of Common People. Alternate endings and fan theories are already flooding the internet, some so clever and well crafted that they could leave the creator, Brooker, scratching his head.

Black Mirror S7: The Controversial Ending of Common People

All in all, there are 33 episodes across seven series and a special, along with a 2018 interactive film,...