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The Twilight Zone
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- Not to be confused with Twilight, for the love of God.
The Twilight Zone was a brilliant television series hosted, written, and produced by Rod Serling
from 1959–1964. While many episodes dwelt on cosmic questions and ideas, some were little more than ghost stories, albeit well executed. Most episodes had a surprise twist ending which made the viewer reappraise everything they had seen up to that point. However, many of them are famous for providing thought-provoking morals that resonate even today, ranging from how paranoia can destroy society to the evils of totalitarianism. Notably, Rod Serling received death threats after He's Alive was aired, an episode that portrayed Hitler as a bad person.
The show has appeared in three separate incarnations, airing in the 1950–60s, the mid 1980s, and in 2002. Neither of the two revivals was nearly as prolific as the original, both having been rather quickly canceled. One lasting side effect of the 1980s revival is that J. Michael Straczynski and Harlan Ellison became friends, which set the stage for their cooperation on Babylon 5. A third revival, hosted by Jordan Peele, ran from 2019–20.
Film[edit]
In the early 1980s, work began on The Twilight Zone: The Movie. A tragic incident overshadowed the film itself, however. During the filming of one scene, a helicopter crashed on-set in California, killing three actors, two of them children.[1]