As someone who was born more than 30 years after the final episode of The Twilight Zone aired on CBS, I was naturally late in discovering the science fiction anthology series. In fact, I am a little ashamed to say that I only discovered it about four years ago. Finally I gave this legendary television show a chance and after just a few minutes of the first episode I was completely captivated.
Since then, I’ve watched almost the entire original series, and it’s become one of my favorite shows of all time. And even putting my personal opinion aside, it’s undeniably one of the most influential works of media ever created. Its mark can still be felt throughout the science fiction genre today, and current favorites like Black Mirror owe a lot to their creator, Rod Serling.
The Twilight Zone is so good that I felt compelled to buy the seasons digitally so I could have instant access to all of my favorite episodes. But now you can enjoy the entire five seasons (with a total of 156 episodes) without spending a single penny. That’s because the full season of The Twilight Zone is streaming on Amazon Freevee.
If you’ve never heard of this masterful television series anywhere (how is that even possible?), or just need an excuse to step back into the middle ground between science and superstition, here’s why The Twilight Zone is still a must-see in 2024.
“The Twilight Zone” is a television titan
The Twilight Zone aired on CBS from 1959 to 1964 and is an anthology series. If you’re not familiar with the term, each episode is a standalone story with a new setting, new characters, and a unique plot. There are no two-parters, and the series even avoids cutesy references or tongue-in-cheek references. Each episode is completely original.
Across the 156 episodes, viewers explore a variety of settings. There are episodes set in space (usually involving astronauts landing on strange, unknown planets), but also many set on (then) present-day Earth. There are flashbacks to historical periods like the American Civil War, followed by episodes that travel to the far future, where humanity’s relationship with technology has reached frightening levels, or at least what was considered frightening in the 1950s. By the standards of 2024, these are almost old-fashioned problems.
While you never know where an episode is going to take you, most of them contain some sort of moral message (but don’t worry, The Twilight Zone usually avoids being too didactic), and satisfying twists at the end are particularly common. The focus on unexpected revelations gives the show a wonderful sense of unpredictability; you never know when the rug will be pulled out from under you and an episode will be turned on its head. I won’t give anything away here, but the final shocking moment of the Season 3 episode “Five Characters Searching for an Exit” is one of my personal favorites.
Rod Serling narrates each episode, beginning with a suitably creepy monologue before ending with some words of wisdom that usually sum up the lesson the viewer should take from what they’ve just seen. Serling’s gentle tone adds an element of familiarity to the proceedings, and his inclusion helps to subtly tie all the episodes together.
Although there are no recurring characters – as mentioned, each episode is presented as a standalone story – The Twilight Zone still managed to attract a number of famous names from the era, including Buster Keaton, Robert Redford, Dennis Hopper, Burt Reynolds, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Carol Burnett and many other familiar faces.
“The Twilight Zone” is the perfect binge-watch
Of the many things I love about The Twilight Zone (my praise above is just a small part of it), its binge-watchability is at the top of the list. Since it’s an anthology series, you can easily watch a handful of episodes in a row without getting bored.
Even better, you can easily jump back and forth between seasons, picking out the truly best episodes and avoiding some of the duds (episodes like “The Mighty Casey” and “The Whole Truth” are notoriously weak). It’s freeing to be able to pick and choose any of the 156 episodes to watch, although I sometimes find myself going back to old favorites like “A Stop at Willoughby” or “Time Enough at Last.”
If you are watching the series for the first time and need tips on where to start watching, check out our list of the seven best “Twilight Zone” episodes (I didn’t compile the list myself, but I can confirm that it is full of excellent tips.) And if you want an overview of the entire show, then Ranking of each episode based on IMDb user rating, it is quite useful.
Stream “The Twilight Zone” now on Amazon Freevee
When a television series has such a great reputation as The Twilight Zone, it’s natural to wonder if it’s a little overrated. In this case, however, I firmly believe that this highly acclaimed series deserves every bit of praise it has received over the past 65 years.
Our modern media landscape would be unrecognizable without The Twilight Zone, and it’s no surprise that when lists of the “best TV shows of all time” are made, you’ll almost always find Rod Serling’s famous sci-fi anthology series somewhere in the rankings. And if it’s not, that’s a clear sign that something is wrong.
You can Stream every episode of “The Twilight Zone” for free on Amazon Freevee (you’ll have to put up with a few ads), which should keep you busy for the rest of the summer. However, if you binge the entire original series in record time, you’ll also find both seasons of the Jordon Peele-directed “Twilight Zone” reboot on the Streaming service.
