The Twilight Zone - A Must Watch For Writers?

[Sparkie]

Please tell me I'm not the only member here who loves this show.

For those of you who may not know, The Twilight Zone is a classic anthology TV series than ran on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The brainchild of Rod Serling, the series featured a wide variety of stories, including, but not limited to, fantasy and science fiction. The Twilight Zone is noted for its strange or macabre twists, some of which have become iconic in pop culture. (If you don't believe me, just watch the Madagascar animated movies.) Writers for the series include Charles Beaumont, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, and Serling himself.

While I can't claim to have seen every episode, I consider myself a fan of the show. There's just so much to love about it. At the same time, however, I wonder how relevant the show is now that some of the best episodes are more than 50 years old. Cold War-era concerns and fears resonate freely in some episodes, and there are other tales, such as "The Obselete Man" and "The Brain Center At Whipple's," that seem like thinly disguised propoganda.

Still, I admire the way the show overall is written. It's as if the writers are challenging the viewer to figure out a riddle or puzzle. The episode entitled "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" is a good example of this. The characters have no idea what's going on, and the viewer shares in their mental challenge.

Then there are episodes that offer those radical twists and turns. My favorite episode, "To Serve Man," has a great twist right at the end. In fact, the whole story seems to be built around the twist, and yet it still works.

If you've seen the show, I'd like to ask: Is The Twilight Zone required viewing for writers of speculative fiction? If not, why? If so, what episodes would you suggest to other writers?

 

[SeverinR]

Love twilight zone, thought they were making a new movie with this post.

 

[Reaver]

It's a classic show but I think that you should definitely read some of Rod Serling's works before the Twilight Zone debuted.

 

[Feo Takahari]

I watched an all-day marathon of the show once. It was one of the most uncomfortable viewing experiences of my life--Rod Serling really knew how to upend old assumptions and create a state of paranoia. I finally quit watching at "Deaths-Head Revisited" (an episode I've heard was great, but was just too horrific for me to sit through.)

If I had to recommend some episodes, I'd pick "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", "One for the Angels", and "The Mirror". I've heard that "He's Alive", "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You", and "A Nice Place to Visit" are great, but I haven't watched them yet. I'd also recommend reading the original stories of "It's a Good Life" and "Time Enough at Last".

 

[Sparkie]

I finally quit watching at "Deaths-Head Revisited" (an episode I've heard was great, but was just too horrific for me to sit through.)

Yea, there's some strong subject matter in that episode. Some people, justifiably, have trouble with stories that center around the Holocaust. Still, the final narrative by Serling just about sums up why those atrocities need to stay in the forefront of our collective memory.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Is that the one...

Spoiler: what I think Deaths Head Revisited is about

...about the guy who goes back in time and tries to kill Hitler, but his assassination attepts are always foiled?

If it's the episode I think it is, it made me think about time, cause-and-effect relationships, and causes that are not directly related to effects, but are still "causes." (The butterfly effect.)

For example, if WWII didn't happen, my parents may never have met. Hard to say. But I'm certain that the Potato Famine made their union possible. If not for my crappy corporate job (1999-2005) or me being too clueless to notice glaringly obvious female attention (1986-present), I never would have met my wife and my three lovely daughters would not exist.

 

[Steerpike]

Legendary - it is the one with the old NAZI death camp commander who goes back to the concentration camp years later.

Twilight Zone was a great series. Love it.

 

[Penpilot]

Yep... great series. I used to watch it all the time when I was a kid. It's one of the reason's I love stories so. A while ago I found out that Rod Sterling wrote Requiem for a Heavyweight. Man that guy was a great writer.

 

[SunnyE]

I watch reruns daily. I also watch the reruns of the updated ones done in the 80s or 90s when they come on. I love them, though the originals are much better imo. Too many good episodes to pick favorites. As far as being required viewing for writers, I would say no. I think it totally depends on the writer and how they get their inspiration. It's going to be different for everybody. I also think some episodes could easily be inspirational to writers of other genres. Again, it would completely depend on the individual writer.