The original twilight zone tv series ran from 1959 to 1964. It was revived and new episodes ran from 1985-89. It was revived again in 2002 but only lasted one season. In 2019 it was revived again and ran for two seasons. In February 2021, producers announced the series would not return.
I have seen one episode from the original series (thank you YouTube), a few episodes from the 2002 revival, and have just started season 2 of the 2019 revival. A lot of what I know about the original Twilight Zone is what I have heard from outside sources. In essentials, all versions are the same. Each episode is a stand-alone story, in which the protagonist experiences unusual, often paranormal events that change their whole life. There is often a surprise ending and in some cases a moral. There is no ongoing subplot or reoccurrence of characters or events. There was one exception.
While the Twilight Zone stories essentially take place in our 'world' so to speak, there is debate over what the Twilight Zone actually is. An alternate reality? A dreamland? A totally different dimension? We travel through a dimension to cross over into the Twilight Zone. The Twilight Zone is the only place in which these events can happen. Basically, the Twilight Zone is a situation or conceptual area that is incredibly unusual. For example, if you come home to find that your messy child has cleaned and tidied their room you feel like you're in the Twilight Zone. As the series explains it
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.
As I said, the episodes are standalone stories and, so far, there's only been one episode that was, in its own Twilight Zone way, revisited.
In the original series, season 3 episode 8 was titled, "It's a Good Life". This episode was about a fictional town called Peaksville and the monster who lived there. This monster was six-year-old Anthony Fremont. Anthony could read minds and change things. He could make people into grotesque horrors, destroy their minds and make them disappear, never to be seen again. People though could not rebuke or discipline Anthony nor act like what he was doing was anything other than good. "It's good that you did that Anthony." It was parodied in the Simpsons 'Treehouse of Horror II' in which Bart is the monster and everyone in Springfield is forced to think happy thoughts and whenever something strange happens to say "It's good that Bart did that." In the 2002 revival, episode 31 "It's Still A Good Life" the episode is back in Peaksville, 40 years after the original story. Anthony and his family are still there but now Anthony has a daughter with the same abilities he has. Anthony has sent people and things he doesn't like to 'the cornfield' a place no one can come back from. By the end of the episode, it is revealed Anthony's daughter's powers are greater than his, and she can bring things back from the cornfield. Originally portrayed as being more tolerant and kind-hearted than her father, the girl eventually shows that she's similar to him, if people aren't nice to her, they will suffer the consequences. This show didn't have a moral, more an update on Peaksville and a bleak one at that.
As far as I know, no other stories had an 'up-date episode, later on, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I know there are episodes from the original series that some found a little too bizarre. I'm sure I'll come across these one day, I do intend to watch the original Twilight Zone in the future. I have not seen all the episodes from the 2002 revival but the ones I did watch I enjoyed. Sometimes the twist, if there is one, is the best bit. Sometimes the moral packs more of a punch than you expect. To do a review I really can only do a full review of season one of the 2019 revival, however, I will say something about a few specific ones from other episodes I've seen.
Living Doll (Season 5 Episode 6)
"My name is Talky Tina and I don't think I like you."
People who are uncomfortable with dolls should probably avoid this one. Talky Tina is a popular toy that talks. It says phrases such as "My name is Talky Tina and I love you very much". It is bought for a girl named Christie, to comfort her and she loves it. Over time, when alone with the doll, Christie's stepfather hears it say rather disturbing things to him. Without giving too much away the last line of Tina in this episode is pretty chilling "I'm Talky Tina...and you'd better be nice to me!" A creepy story about a disturbing doll, this is a proper bit of horror.
It's Still A Good Life (2002 Episode 30)
As this is, in a way, a sequel to an episode from the original series, it helps if you've seen that one. It's not essential, just helpful. I have never seen the original but I knew about it and had seen the Simpsons parody. There are references to the original episode and everything is explained which is why you don't have to have seen "It's a Good Life" to enjoy this episode. A rare move from The Twilight Zone ibn revisiting a previous story, it works well and is a fun throwback for fans of the original.
The Collection (2002 Episode 37)
"You were all so bad, I have to ground you forever. You're never getting out again"
Miranda, a psychology student, babysitting a seemingly troubled girl, Danielle, finds out that all is not as it seems. Thinking the girl is playing pranks with the dolls she changes her mind when she notices the dolls have moved when she wasn't looking. After two near misses, she attempts to get Danielle out of the house but the phone line's been cut and someone definitely doesn't want Miranda to leave. Another tale of creepy dolls with one heck of a twist, this one is what the Twilight Zone is all about.
The Twilight Zone 2019-2020
With the first episode featuring Tracy Morgan and the last a cameo I cannot give away, this is a treat for fans new and old. We start with a mediocre comedian getting advice from a man it may have been better to avoid (played by Tracy Morgan). Then we nod to "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" from the original series with "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet", no gremlins in this but a nail-biter nonetheless. "Replay" then shows us why the age we live in is a good one. "A Traveler" is one of the less straightforward ones but a good one for those who like the science fiction side of The Twilight Zone. "The Wunderkind" shows us in startling clarity what a pre-teen president would lead to. "Six Degrees of Freedom" mixes loss, paranoia, and isolation in a trip to Mars. "Not All Men" gives us another story with a moral, a fresh look at something that has been done. "Point of Origin" finds Ginnifer Goodwin questioning everything when she and her husband are questioned by Homeland Security Investigations. "The Blue Scorpian" sees British actor Chris O'Dowd play a depressed professor coping with his impending divorce and his father's suicide when he inherits an unusual gun containing a bullet with his name on it, a few twists lead to an interesting climax. The series ends with "Blurryman", a contrived story with a nightmarish feel, we have never felt more like we too are travelling through the Twilight Zone.
Whether new to the series or not, if you are looking for some fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, supernatural drama, black comedy, psychological thrillers with a little macabre and a library of twists, then I look forward to seeing you all very soon, in The Twilight Zone.
