By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Calling science fiction, a genre does not do a service to the wide range of stories that adapt under the section that houses stories that go from Star Wars fantasy, to the philosophical fold of Arrivalor the camp of Ice pirates. There is however a show that has created so many tropes on science fiction stories on the tropes on which it can be considered as the text of the genre and alone responsible for generations of fans using a shortcut to describe conspiracies and characters. The twilight zoneWho made his debut in 1959, is one of the most influential shows of all time, and even today, almost 70 years later, no show was about to correspond to the standard series of the Black and White series.
The twilight area is timeless
Rod Serling, the host of each episode, was also the creator of The twilight zoneAnd wrote 92 amazing episodes of the series, including “The monsters are due to Maple Street”, “The Eye of the Beholder” and “Masks”, but it testifies to the lasting attraction of the Anthology series that each episode could be someone’s favorite. After the introduction of Serling, viewers are deposited in the world of the episode, generally in the middle of the story, and generally, there is a final touch in the moments of closing which reframe the entire episode. “Five characters in search of an outing” of season 3 is an excellent example, because there are five characters, a clown, a ballerina, a hobo, a major in army and a cornemuse player, stuck in one place for the whole episode, but the way Serling could write the dialogue makes the final blow with more weight than you expect from the episode.
The twilight zone is filled with episodes that have become pop culture staples, and it was before they were parodied Simpsons. “Nightmare at 20,000 feet”, with William Shatner Being haunted by a Gremlin during a flight is recognizable by people who have never seen the original. “Time enough finally” tells the story of Henry Bis which wants nothing more than sitting and reading his books, with an final turn which has become an emblematic moment and an always relevant fence moral today.
Try to resume magic
However The twilight zone was a critical success and today, it is considered a classic, the series had to challenge the cancellation several times, and even changed formats, episodes of 30 minutes to 60 minutes from season 4, then fell to 30 for the fifth and final. Years after the death of Rod Serling in 1975, the series was relaunched to The Twilight Zone: The MovieWho presented reimagins updated classic episodes made by Steven Speilberg (“Kick the Can”), Joe Dante (“It’s a good life”), George Miller (“Nightmare at 20,000 feet”) and an original segment, produced by John Landis. The success of the film led to the relaunch of CBS of the franchise in 1985, to strong notes at the beginning, but soon, thanks in part to corporate behind the scenes, the show collapsed.
The third attempt to capture the magic of Rod Serling was less successful, broadcast on UPN and hosted by Forrest Whitaker, updated classic episodes with guest stars that include Bill Mumy and Cloris Leachman taking up their roles in “It’s Still A Good Life”, then a long list of recognizable stars of sci-fi and procedures, Wellver, Michael ShanksWallace Langham, James Nom, Hill Harper, Robin Tunney and Amber Tamblyn, among many others. Although it is considered a classic cult today, the version of Whitaker lasted only one season.
Jordan Peele was the last, in 2019, trying to bring back The twilight zoneBut even his episodes did not succeed in meeting the high bar taking place by the original of 1959. Each renewal is always, at least, a good series, but compared to the show which defined anthologies and which is always a shortcut for dozens of science fiction Episodes every year, it is easy not to fail. However, the first episode, “The Comedian” with Kumail Nanjinai, strikes all the rhythms of a classic story of original series on a stand-up that realizes that he has the power to wipe people of existence with his jokes.
The twilight zone Estaled for decades thanks to its simple but effective premise in the use of the external signs of science fiction mixed with horror, fantasy, theater and sometimes even comedy, without needing flashy special effects or a connected universe. A good narration, a net dialogue and torsion endings that amplify the plot and do not exist simply to shock the public are timeless pillars of great tales, but modern writers tend to throw them aside for large sets. The original is in black and white, and almost 70 years, but it is a classic for a reason, and if you watch the series today, you will find how many of your favorite programs owe a debt to the creative genius of Rod Serling.
The twilight zone is streaming for free Amazon Frevee And Pluto TV.
