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I honestly don't understand why someone would give a negative review for this show. To say it was "garbage" -as one commenter stated- is very inaccurate. I watched this show as a child...in fact, I grew up on it. The story lines were dark and original. The acting was actually pretty good in my estimation. Especially in comparison to the overabundance of bad acting in that day. The stories were so eerie and unique that they stayed in my head decades after I saw them. I actually had the pleasure of watching several episodes at a friends house recently and loved the nostalgic feelings they brought back. They were even more enjoyable now that I am older. I was able to pick up on the stuff that I had missed as a kid. My faves are the one about the man that was court ordered to be "invisible" for a year, the woman that had a magic necklace and could freeze the world by saying "shut up!", the woman that got offered a box with a button in it...and if she pressed the button she would win a large sum of money...but then a stranger had to be killed and SO many others!

The 1985 version of "The Twilight Zone" begins with a major disadvantage: it trailed the original Rod Serling vintage 1960s version! That original series was, and continues to be, the Gold Standard for programs of this type and for better or worse it's unlikely that any show in its wake could achieve that level of greatness.

However, this second attempt did have some positives going for it: First, it featured stories from a host of brilliant s/f writers, including such iconic names as Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen King, just to name three. And it had the advantage of better special effects, and color photography.

Unfortunately, the parallels to the original series meant this one was doomed to be considered an also ran, which is a shame, because there were some incredible episodes that I would rank among the best of any science fiction program from any era.

Examples: The astonishing "Profile In Silver" tells the story of a time traveling distant relation to John F. Kennedy, who goes to Dallas in 1963, intending to document, but then preventing the assassination of the President, which creates some surprising results. A remarkable story that is most certainly worthy of the "TZ" moniker.

The amusing "I Of Newton" tells of a professor who offhandedly says he would sell his soul to calculate an equation, but then has to try to back out of the deal when the devil shows up in his classroom to claim it. This is reminiscent of many of the humorous episodes from the original series.

They even did a "remake" of a few eps, like "Button Button," where an impoverished couple was offered the chance to receive a large cash amount if they simply pressed a button. The catch: someone they didn't know would die.

There were some hits and misses in this series, and to a degree, it did often reflect the mentality of the 1980s, rather than tell stories that had a "timeless" quality, which is another disadvantage it has to the original series, but it is most certainly worthy of bearing the name, and is worth seeking out, either on reruns or DVD.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) was a great show; the first revival (1985-1989) set a precedent for its resurrection, an exercise that's been repeated twice more. The '80s TZ makes some changes from Serling's old format. We never see the narrator; there isn't narration for the opening and closing of every story. But I actually think that's respectable - I really felt, watching the first season, that the makers recognized their show couldn't be the same as Serling's, and thought it was more important to try to capture the spirit of it. Also notable is that, despite the fact that non-sitcoms are expected to have hour-long episodes, the makers evidently agreed with Serling that the stories shouldn't be that long, telling two to three stories per episode. The flash of Serling in the new opening is a nice touch to show how important they felt it was to get the spirit right.

The problem in trying to capture the spirit of the original TZ is that the '80s series is inconsistent. It's hard to rate individual episodes, in fact, when the segments within the episodes are inconsistent - "To See the Invisible Man" is a novel concept but is followed by something stupid (and stupidly titled) like "Tooth and Consequences." ("The Elevator" is also in there- creepy and atmospheric, well made, though not totally TZ-esque). "Take My Life...Please!" is a weak piece that sets up "Devil's Alphabet", which is well made and atmospheric.

There are some great stories in season 1: "Nightcrawlers" features some phenomenal acting from Scott Paulin and spectacular scenes recalling the nightmare of the Vietnam War. Ditto Glynn Turman in "Paladin of the Lost Hour", despite the humiliating fact that episode was directed by Alan Smithee.

Ultimately, would Serling approve? I think, in answering that question, you have to keep in mind the fact that Serling himself wasn't infallible. There are less than stellar episodes of the original, and he personally wrote several of them.

Unfortunately, there's a noticeable quality drop in season 2, when the network began to lose faith in the show. "Nightsong" is soap opera-esque and predictable; something like "Lost and Found" is a jokey throwaway before going into "The World Next Door" which is a drag despite starring Jeffrey Tambor (who appeared in the brilliant "Dead Woman's Shoes", a superior reimagining of an original TZ episode). However, "Shelter Skelter" is great, followed by "Private Channel" which is gripping enough. The quality drop is steeper and more severe in season 3, where the narrator Charles Aidman (who didn't really sound like Serling but had the right tone) was replaced by Robin Ward, who sounded way too upbeat. The acting across season 3 becomes, on average, terrible; the production values are sacrificed. That said, there's still some great work here; I particularly found "The Hellgramite Method" terrifying. Altogether, the '80s TZ is head and shoulders above the 2000s version, but neither can touch Serling.

I'm a big fan of the original Twilight Zone, and just as big a fan of this reworking of the 1960's anthology series. My family was thrilled in 1985 that the series had been resurrected. We watched it faithfully every week, no matter what strange day or time slot CBS moved it to and they moved it around to a new time slot each and every week it seemed. It was not a retread of the original show but an updated, modern incarnation that stood on its own. It featured amazing shows which were adaptations of short stories by acclaimed writers.

In the wasteland of 80's TV it stood out for its ingenuity and originality. Alan Brennert's "Her Pilgrim Soul" was, for me, the single best episode produced for weekly series TV since the original went off the air. For my husband it was "Profiles in Silver", a "what if?" for JFK fans. "Nightcrawlers" was a true imaginative nightmare that no one forgot once they watched it. "A Message from Charity" is the second favorite episode for most of the people I talk to. But with the network moving the show around to different days it became hard to find in the listings, and people gradually stopped looking for it because it was too difficult to keep track of. In short, CBS never gave this series the chance it deserved, and it sank into oblivion where the final insult was badly butchered episodes thrown into a syndication package. But despite this the series refused to fade away in fans' memories.

Finally, the first two seasons and the syndie third season (which for the most part is completely forgettable) are out on DVD. They are virtually uncut; some music has been replaced, and there are a few other anomalies. These wonderful stories haven't been seen in their entirety since the series aired over 20 years ago, until now. There are commentaries by Alan Brennert, Harlan Ellison, Phil DeGuere, actors, directors, writers, etc.

This is a must-have for all fans of the Twilight Zone no matter what incarnation, and Night Gallery as well. In many respects this show is a blend of the spirit of the original Twilight Zone and Night Gallery; it uses quality stories by many of the classic sci-fi and horror writers of the past forty years. TV in this new millennium is a wasteland of garbage and nauseous reality TV, and we could use stories and writers like this today. The 1980's Twilight Zone deserves to be seen as the classic it is, and this DVD release does it justice.

This show is another relic from my childhood and it's my fourth favorite anthology horrors and TV shows of all time. At the time I never even knew about the original Twilight Zone, so in a way this show was my way to it. Some would say that this show is not as good as the original but lets face it, the original is a tough act to follow. What makes this version stand out for me is that it's not trying to, it's trying to do it's own thing but at the same time stay true to the spirit of it's predecessor.

The effects are solid, well OK not all but effects for me aren't what make this show but really the storytelling and there are lots of great stories in this show that are great editions to the Twilight Zone mythos. I really love the theme opening which is another one of my favorite themes, it's also one of the creepiest one's I've ever seen up there with the openings of "Tales from the Darkside" and "Are you Afraid of the Dark" as we see some globe come through a window and there are some random bizarre images along with really creepy tunes from a carousel horse, a creepy looking doll, a nuke explosion. But that opening perfectly set the tone for the anthology where anything can go and anything is possible.

This show also had a lot of well known directors and writers whom have contributed to this show. Directors like the late great Wes Craven, Joe Dante, etc. Down to some writers like one of my favorite sci-fi writers "Greg Bear" if you can believe that, J.Michael Strynski, Steven King, etc. These facts make watching the show all the more interesting just to see their imput/contributions to the Twilight Zone mythos.

There are plenty of memorable stories a few of my favorites are "Matter of Minutes" which is a bizarre story that really tackles a very interesting concept about time. "Profile in Silver" this story predates Steven King's "11/22/63" as both uncannily have the same plot line about a man traveling back in time to prevent the assassination but comes back with mixed results. "His Pilgrim Soul" which was written and directed by Wes Craven is a really bittersweet tale that can really tug at your heartstrings. And of course my favorite "Dead Run" which is thrilling and really takes some turns you'd never see coming.

The 80's Twilight Zone is a dimension worth visiting.

Rating: 4 stars