The TV series TWILIGHT ZONE was unleashed on the world by
creator Rod Serling back in 1959 running for five seasons before it ended.
While only around that long the series was a benchmark for creativity on television.
In one form or another it remained on TV through reruns and later going so far
as being a marathon event on SyFy network. In 1985 it was revamped and ran for
only 3 seasons and again in 2002 for only one. Now the series returns with an
equally adept host and executive producer on CBS’ pay station CBS ALL ACCESS
with the first season arriving on disc.
Director/producer Jordan Peele has made a name for himself
with two movies featuring that Twilight Zonish twist, GET OUT and US. He brings
the skills he showed on those movies to this series, offering new stories as
well as twists to some of the classic tales in the original. All of them are
done exceptionally well and setting a high mark on quality programming.
Only ten episodes were created for the first season no doubt
to find out if there was an interest in it. Happily there was and a second
season has been ordered. But the interest wasn’t just out of curiosity, it
developed because of the quality product offered. In addition to being quality
fueled the new series also pays homage to the original with small nods of the
head in bits and pieces. Little things in the episodes pop up that are
reminders of that series.
A great example is in the second episode “Nightmare at
30,000 Feet”. Not only was this in the original series and starring William
Shatner it was included in TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE with John Lithgow. This
time they’ve taken that original idea and given it a new twist with
Being on a pay station allows the use of language that network
wouldn’t allow but never to the point of being distracting. Instead it allows a
more Adam Scott in the role. Instead of facing off against a gremlin on the
wing of the plane something else is transpiring at 30,000 feet. The nod to the
original is brief when we see the results of a crash and among the debris is a
doll that is the gremlin from the original series. Those are the kind of things
that pop up throughout.
Like the original series the stories here revolve around
science fiction, a touch of horror and with a twist to make each episode unique
in its own way. Peele takes on the Serling role of narrator/host, introducing
and closing out each episode and does so with perfection. Like its predecessor
this version may set the standard for anthology series to come.
While watching each episode I was pleasantly surprised at
what a tremendous job had been done her. The only problem was that there were
only those few episodes to enjoy. If you were a fan of the original trust that
this one does it justice and be happy that the second season is ready or about
to be as well. And then hope that somewhere, even if not here, there is a land
beyond that which is known to man, a dimension as vast as space and as timeless
as infinity, a middle ground beyond light and shadow, between science and
superstition, that lies beyond the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his
knowledge, a dimension of imagination, an area called…the twilight zone.
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