Outside the Sandbox 

Even at the very beginning of the show the producers and writers were surprised at the appeal of the show to children; a demographic they were not expecting to watch, let alone enjoy the show. (1) They even had complaints from parents about how late the show was on. The opposite effect might have been an issue for a later 1985 reboot of the Twilight Zone called The New Twilight Zone. According to the audio commentary on The New Twilight Zone DVD, the creators of the show were promised a later airtime, so they felt they could make some of the episodes darker and edgy. When it came time to air the show it was in an early time slot, and its darker episodes could have lessened its appeal to some younger audiences or perhaps their parents. Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone was behind a paywall and could have very adult themes and language at times. Many expressed they liked the show but wished they could watch it with their kids and felt they couldn’t. And that's not to say that there aren’t kids who loved the reboot or Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone, only that there is a diversity of reasons people love the show. 

The original Twilight Zone may not have set out to capture a younger audience but it did. Some of the episodes are still very scary and creepy today. I can’t imagine what it would have been like in 1959 watching Mirror Image or The After Hours in the dark of night before bed. Some people like to be scared and some people don’t but that's the beauty of Twilight Zone and many other anthology series, it can be a little bit of everything. And this ability to be a little bit of everything is one of the reasons the show has remained popular for so long and inspired so many people. 

This leads me to what I briefly mentioned before; The Twilight Zone has created a wide range of fans who watch the show from their own particular perspective and context. I watch the Twilight Zone differently than a kid who watched it in the late 50’s/early 60’s and not just because they watched it on black and white television and I watched steaming on a computer, although that's part of it.  Different people, of different ages, from different cultures, having different experiences, and various likes and dislikes see, watch, and enjoy the Twilight Zone differently. And yet 60 plus years later those differences strengthen the love and robust nature of the show, not detract from it. Some of the episodes that are considered the worst are sometimes other people's favorites. I remember a fan letter read on The Twilight Zone Podcast by Tom Elleit where the fan stated he loved the episode Dingle the Strong, S2E19, because he didn’t like any of the episodes with religious or fantasy elements, just pure science fiction. 

Part of the enjoyment of the Twilight Zone for me, a child of the 80s and 90’s, is that I like classic television and movies. I grew up watching reruns because that is what was on during the days of summer vacation and those are the channels we got the best reception from. When we had cable, I watched Nick at Nite and any channel that would play older shows. I like the feeling that I’m watching living history through the storytelling of a particular time. The writing is different, and the acting is different; these are some of the main things I love about the Twilight Zone. Because of this, there are episodes I like that others might not. I have come to love the episode Once Upon a Time, which is not a well-liked episode. This is the episode, S3E13, with Buster Keaton and the time helmet. If you don’t know who Buster Keaton is, he is a movie legend mostly known for his silent films. The episode doesn’t work in so many ways, but for me it works, because I love watching the old silent film physical humor and watching how Keaton delivers a line.

Twilight Zone means different things to different people at different times. To me, this is a fundamental truth about watching the Twilight Zone in the 21st century. Why does that matter? First of all, it creates a wonderful discourse and conversation about the show which continues to keep the Twilight Zone torch burning for future generations and is just so damn fun to be a part of. Two, knowing why you or someone else likes something creates an even richer experience and a deeper appreciation for what you enjoy. And three, as we age and life shapes us in different ways, our understanding of the world and the people around us change, too. I have always thought of In Praise of Pip, S5E1, as a “good” episode, but after my last watch, it has become a great episode and one of my favorites. Why, what's changed? I have changed. I have 5 daughters; my youngest is 14, and my oldest is 23, is married, and has a baby boy, my grandson. I sometimes think about my children and if I’ve been a good enough father, or if I will be a good enough grandfather. The theme of the episode struck me like it's never struck me before. Adding on to that the amazing performances of Klugman and Mumy and I get a new chart-topper, moving from a mid-range episode into my upper tier of episodes. I call this the Walking Distance effect because it seems that many long-time Zoners begin slowly making Walking Distance or one of the episodes of the same vein a favorite, if not their absolute favorite. However, this is not scientifically proven; only a Twilight Zone fan observation. 

It is not just the Twilight Zone that means different things to different people at different times, It's actually how most things are enjoyed from the past. This is why it's hard to recreate the Twilight Zone because there are so many reasons why people love the show you are bound to leave someone out. If one of the biggest reasons I like the Twilight Zone is the black and white film quality I’m probably not going to like any of the modern remakes. Problems arise when we focus on the negative things and the differences instead of our common bonds and shared experiences. It's more enjoyable when we celebrate our difference in opinions rather them point them out with relentless derision. Not that we can’t be critical, but criticism without appreciation, humility, and mutual respect leads to a dry, lifeless, one-sided conversation that makes Robin Williams' character John Keating in Dead Poets Society make his students tear out the introductions in their poetry textbooks. O, Captain My Captain. 

 If you have listened to a Twilight Zone podcast, stayed up late to watch the Twilight Zone marathon, or even just finished this short blog post, there is a good chance it means you have a deep love for the show and are therefore a part of keeping the torch burning. The Twilight Zone continues to live on because people still love the show and why you love it is unique and important and your perspective matters. Let your love for the show grow as you grow and as you change. Embrace other people's opinions with appreciation, humility, and mutual respect, as you continue to engage with the Twilight Zone and pass your unique love for the show on to the next generation of fans.     

1. Marc Zicree, The Twilight Zone Companion, 2nd ed., 2013.