The second series (1985–89) ran on CBS and in syndication in the 1980s, while the third series ran on UPN (2002–03). The success of the series led to a feature film (1983), a TV film (1994), a radio series (2002–12), various literature, theme park attractions and various other spin-offs that spanned five decades, including three revival television series. The Twilight Zone followed in the tradition of earlier television shows such as Tales of Tomorrow (1951–53) and Science Fiction Theatre (1955–57) radio programs such as The Weird Circle (1943–45), Dimension X (1950–51) and X Minus One (1955–58) and the radio work of one of Serling's inspirations, Norman Corwin. The first series, shot entirely in black and white, ran on CBS for five seasons from 1959 to 1964. A popular and critical success, it introduced many Americans to common science fiction and fantasy tropes. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, supernatural drama, black comedy, and psychological thriller, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist, and usually with a moral. The Twilight Zone is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (1994–present) There were some hits and misses in this series, and to a degree, it did often reflect the mentality of the 1980s, rather than tell stories that had a "timeless" quality, which is another disadvantage it has to the original series, but it is most certainly worthy of bearing the name, and is worth seeking out, either on reruns or DVD.Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics (1994) The catch: someone they didn't know would die. They even did a "remake" of a few eps, like "Button Button," where an impoverished couple was offered the chance to receive a large cash amount if they simply pressed a button. This is reminiscent of many of the humorous episodes from the original series. The amusing "I Of Newton" tells of a professor who offhandedly says he would sell his soul to calculate an equation, but then has to try to back out of the deal when the devil shows up in his classroom to claim it. A remarkable story that is most certainly worthy of the "TZ" moniker. Kennedy, who goes to Dallas in 1963, intending to document, but then preventing the assassination of the President, which creates some surprising results. Examples: The astonishing "Profile In Silver" tells the story of a time traveling distant relation to John F. Unfortunately, the parallels to the original series meant this one was doomed to be considered an also ran, which is a shame, because there were some incredible episodes that I would rank among the best of any science fiction program from any era. And it had the advantage of better special effects, and color photography. Clarke and Stephen King, just to name three. However, this second attempt did have some positives going for it: First, it featured stories from a host of brilliant s/f writers, including such iconic names as Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. The 1985 version of "The Twilight Zone" begins with a major disadvantage: it trailed the original Rod Serling vintage 1960s version! That original series was, and continues to be, the Gold Standard for programs of this type and for better or worse it's unlikely that any show in its wake could achieve that level of greatness.
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