Rod Sterling’s iconic catchphrase is back and better than ever: “You’ve just crossed over … into the twilight zone.” CBS announced back in August of 2018 that they had planned on rebooting the famous series, this time with Academy Award winner Jordan Peele behind them.
When first airing on televisions across America in 1958, Sterling had envisioned “The Twilight Zone” as a delivery system of stories with deliberate messages of hard topics such as social injustice and allegories of human weakness, with a layer of fantasy making it digestible to viewers. The show has already spawned a 1983 movie and two other TV reboots, from 1985-1989 and 2002-2003. None were regarded anywhere near as fondly as the original series, yet CBS was convinced that they could do the justice it deserved. Maybe the show needed just a bit of tweaking to fit into our world today?
CBS producer Simon Kinberg made a statement to The New York Times about finding a solution to their problem, stating, “There wasn’t a feeling of historical relevancy to the show, because we were living in a moment of, at least, perceived stability.” Then two things happened for the CBS team: the 2016 elections and Kinberg and his colleagues saw “Get Out,” which they regarded as a modern-day “Twilight Zone” all in its own. It turns out that the show’s classic formula didn’t need updating after all.
Graphic from giphy.com
Joining forces with critically acclaimed director of “Get Out” and “Us,” Jordan Peele was ready to work his magic on one of the most classic shows in television history.
Major stars such as Adam Scott, Seth Rogen and Taissa Farmiga are just a few names off a long list of celebrity backing as well, each lined up to star in their own episodes this season.
The new season pays tribute to past episodes from the original series, adding that pinch of nostalgia that was needed to keep the history of the show alive. New installments include “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet,” a tribute of sorts to the original “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” starring “Parks and Rec” actor Adam Scott as an airline passenger who is convinced that his flight is in terrible danger. Peele does an outstanding job at keeping his viewers guessing until the very end to see how things will play out.
The season is set to wrap at 10 episodes, each running roughly 50 minutes long and released every Thursday. Even 61 years apart, the suspense of these episodes will continue to keep you on the edge of your seat.
