This page is about The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series). For other uses, see The Twilight Zone (disambiguation).

The Twilight Zone was an American anthology TV series that aired from 1959 to 1964, spanning 5 seasons and 156 episodes.

Contents 1 Summary 2 Original Timeslots 3 Guide to Episodes 4 Awards and Nominations 4.1 Internet Lists 5 Legacy 6 See also 7 Further Reading 8 Notes and References 8.1 Notes 8.2 References 9 External Links

SummaryEdit

The Twilight Zone is a science fiction anthology series television series created by Rod Serling. The original series ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964 and remains syndicated to this day. As an anthology series, each episode presented its own separate story, often a morality play, involving people who face unusual or extraordinary circumstances, therefore entering the "Twilight Zone".

Rod Serling served as executive producer and head writer, having written 92 of the show's 156 episodes. He was also the show's host, delivering on-or-off-screen monologues at the beginning and end of each episode. Orson Welles was originally considered as host, but the producers felt he asked for too much money. During the first season (except for the season's final episode) Serling's narrations were off-camera voiceovers; he only appeared on-camera at the end of each show to promote the next episode (footage that was removed from syndicated versions but restored for DVD release, although some of these promotions exist today only in audio format).

Original TimeslotsEdit

• October 1959-September 1962 Friday 10:00-10:30
• January 1963-September 1963 Thursday 9:00-10:00
• September 1961-September 1964 Friday 9:30-10:00
• May 1965-September 1965 Sunday 9:00-10:00^[1]

Guide to EpisodesEdit

• Season 1 Overview
  • Category:1959-1960 Season
• Season 2 Overview
  • Category:1960-1961 Season
• Season 3 Overview
  • Category:1961-1962 Season
• Season 4 Overview
  • Category:1962-1963 Season
• Season 5 Overview
  • Category:1963-1964 Season

Awards and NominationsEdit

During the show's five-year, 156-episode run on CBS (1959-64) the program received numerous awards:

• Three Emmy Awards (Rod Serling, twice, for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama, and George Clemens for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography)
• Three World Science Fiction Convention Hugo Awards (for Dramatic Presentation: 1960, 1961, 1962)
• A Directors Guild Award (John Brahm)
• A Producers Guild Award (Buck Houghton for Best Produced Series)
• The 1961 Unit Award for Outstanding Contributions to Better Race Relations^[1]

Internet ListsEdit

• The series made the list of "Best Cult Shows Ever" at TVGuide.com, placing at #9 on the list.^[2]
• The series garnered an honorable mention in the HorrorMovie.ca list of "Top Ten Horror Anthology Series."^[3]

LegacyEdit

• The Museum of Broadcast Communications credited the series with inspiring, "directly or indirectly," subsequent Science Fiction and Fantasy anthology series such as Thriller (1960-1962) and Outer Limits (1963-1964).^[1]
• The entire series was released in a VHS format through the CBS Video Library in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Roughly a decade later, in 2006, the entire series would again be released as The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection DVD set.
• The series still runs in syndication on the Sci Fi Channel. The network also runs a Twilight Zone marathon biannually, over the New Year's Eve (December 31) holiday and the U.S. Independence Day (July 4) weekend.^[4]
• In 2009, The Twilight Zone will be celebrating its Golden (50th) Anniversary on CBS.

See alsoEdit

• The Twilight Zone
• The Twilight Zone (Second Series)
• The Twilight Zone (Third Series)
• Twilight Zone: The Movie
• List of The Twilight Zone Episodes Written by Rod Serling
• List of The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series) guest stars
• List of memorable quotes from the first series

Further ReadingEdit

• Boddy, William. "Entering the Twilight Zone." Screen (London), July-October, 1984.
• Javna, John. The Best of Science Fiction TV: The Critics' Choice: From Captain Video to Star Trek, from The Jetsons to Robotech. New York: Harmony, 1987.
• Lentz, Harris M. Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Over 10,000 Actors, Actresses, Directors. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1983.
• _______________. Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film And Television Credits, Supplement 2, Through 1993. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1994.
• Rothenberg, Randall. "Synergy of Surrealism and The Twilight Zone." The New York Times, 2 April 1991.
• Sander, Gordon F. Serling: The Rise and Twilight of Television's Last Angry Man. New York: Dutton, 1992.
• Schumer, Arlen. Visions from the Twilight Zone. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1990.
• Zicree, Marc Scott. The Twilight Zone Companion. Toronto; New York: Bantam, 1982.
• Ziegler, Robert E. "Moving Out of Sight: Fantastic Vision in The Twilight Zone." Lamar Journal of the Humanities (Beaumont, Texas), Fall 1987.

Notes and ReferencesEdit

NotesEdit

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} The Twilight Zone. The Museum of Broadcast Communications; Retrieved: 2009-04-24
2. ↑ TVGuideNews. TVGuide.com: Today's News: Our Take, "Best Cult Shows Ever." Retrieved 2009-04-24
3. ↑ moviemaven, Saturday Apr,19. "Top Ten Horror Anthology Series." HorrorMovies.ca; Retrieved: 2009-04-24
4. ↑ Scifi.com - Official Site for the Sci Fi Channel

ReferencesEdit

• Wikipedia contributors. "The Twilight Zone (1959 TV Series)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Update: 2009-04-28. Retrieved: 2009-05-01.

External LinksEdit

• TV Tome series page for the original series
• Original Twilight Zone Episode List
• Postcards From The Zone (Extensive episode guides, including photos)
• Scifi.com: The Twilight Zone

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at The Twilight Zone (original series). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with A Fifth Dimension: The Twilight Zone Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.