Can anyone recommend me some episodes to start off with, or even a list? I'd like to get into this show.
Twilight Zone
Zachary White
Juan Gray
The one James Cameron ripped off when he wrote Terminator.
David Garcia
Nightmare at 20,000 feet is where everyone starts
the 80s version is the best btw
Jaxson Bailey
keep in mind this is not a show that needs to be watched in any kind of order unless you have some type of autism
many episodes can be found on you tube if you want me to send you a link just ask
Ian Butler
Could I have "A Game of Pool", please?
Lincoln Sanders
An occurrence at owl creek bridge
one for the angels
the changing of the guard
nothing in the dark
shadow play
Tyler Flores
so what it has the one that from George rr martin and its got Morgan freeman
Luis Sanchez
>"A Game of Pool",
youtube.com
80s though
Nathan Adams
youtube.com
speed up to 1.25
Angel Rodriguez
I don't see how watching the series in order of release would detract from it if that's the implication. My favorite episode is One for the Angels.
Lucas Kelly
I fucking love this series, let me give you my personal list.
Season 1
"Where is Everybody?" - Existentialism, spooky loneliness
"Walking Distance" - Serling's favorite. More impactful if you have a stressful job
"The Lonely" - On of my favorite intro narrations. Interesting early take on AI
"Time Enough at Last" - Super well known, parodied to death, but never matched
"And When the Sky was Opened" - Really weird, more ontological mysteries
"Third From the Sun" - Great cinematography, taps into early 60's doomsday scares
"I Shot an Arrow into the Air" - An early "doomed space crew is pissed at each other" episode, but one of the best
"The Purple Testament" - War, death, and revelation
"Elegy" - more ontological mysteries, more pissed spacemen
"The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" - Critique of McCarthyism, another big classic
"A Nice Place to Visit" - But you wouldn't want to live there...
"The After Hours" - More existentialism, creepy department stores
Robert Moore
Season 2
"King 9 Will not Return" - The Desert, PTSD, and WWII
"Nervous Man in a 4 Dollar Room" - A man and his reflection tear each other apart
"The Howling Man" - You can catch the devil, but you can't hold him long
"Eye of the Beholder" - Another big classic. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
"Nick of Time" - Shatner, small town diners, superstition, and a napkin holder
"A Most Unusual Camera" - dix a la propietaire, ci vous plait
"Night of the Meek" - Booze, hope, and department store santas
"Dust" - Specifically the magic dust that turns hate into love
"The Invaders" Tiny invaders come to one of those out of the way places. Almost entirely without dialogue
"Long Distance Call" - You can always call grandma
"Shadow Play" - More and more and more existentialism
"Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up" - A whodunnit in a diner which may or may not include an alien
"The Obsolete Man" - Burgess Merideth is a librarian condemned to death in a fascist, totalitarian society
Jack Ross
The entire first half of season 1 is a goof streak. Just watch the thing in order.
Adam Collins
Hey man. Great lists. Concise and accurate summaries, and excellent formatting.
Thanks a lot for posting those sweet lists.
Hudson Green
All of them.
From the first one to the last one.
For fucks sake.
Hunter Reed
Season 3
"The Passerby" - The Twilight Zone had some weird obsession with the Civil War, but this one succeeds as a condemnation of warfare in general
"A Game of Pool" - Obsession with being the best may rob you of your humanity
"Its a Good Life" - Another classic. A town must survive after an omnipotent monster cuts it off from the world and takes control
"Death's-Head Revisited" - An SS officer is given a trial long after the war has ended
"Midnight Sun" - You cannot escape the heat
"The Jungle" - Outdated, but effectively channels every lonely walk home where you felt like you were being followed and danger lurked in every intersection
"Five Characters in Search of an Exit" - Sartre fans will like this one, one of my personal favorites
"Nothing in the Dark" - Coming to terms with mortality
"Dead Mans Shoes" - And I'll keep coming back until I get you
"A Piano in the House" - Bizarre performances that really sell the magical quality of looking into a person's soul
"Little Girl Lost" - Obnoxious adventures in the 4th dimension
"Person or Person's Unknown" - SpongebobDrinkingCoffeeInADiner.jpeg
"The Little People" - Pissed astronauts and god complexes
"4'o Clock" - Madness, obsession, conspiracy theories, trolls, and evil
"The Trade-Ins" - What would you do for a second chance at life?
"The Dummy" - Seems cliche now, but effective
"Young Man's Fany" - For some reason this episode always stood out to me as the most unsettling
Liam Cruz
great list right here. I'd add:
the midnight sun
the monsters are due on maple street
elegy
i am the night, color me black
stopover in a quiet town
the obsolete man
Joshua Murphy
this isn't the original episode, in case anyone didn't know. it's the remake form the 80's reboot.
Brandon Jenkins
amazing lists, this is definitive twilight zone right fucking here. good shit.
Isaiah Sullivan
Season 4
"He's Alive" - A young Anthony Hopkins tries to follow a friend's advice on becoming a demagogue
"Death Ship" - Peak pissed astronauts, again and again, and again
"Miniature" - A more benign robot from r9k finds a way to escape
"Printer's Devil" - Never make a deal with a guy who trades in souls
"On Thursday we Leave for Home" - The Earth... is a green place. The night is a quiet time
Connor Price
The one where a Mexican steals everyone's jobs.
Justin Moore
no, Skyfall is where you start
Josiah Hughes
Wow. Don't know what happened, but these lists are complete garbage.
Nice formatting and all, but... wow. Just wow. Poor picks. Thanks for posting, but... wow.
Aaron Sanchez
That was an Outer Limits episode.
Levi Young
Season 5
"In Praise of Pip" - Trying to make it all up to a son you will never see again
"Steel" - You can't stop progress no matter how hard you cling to the past
"Nightmare at 20000 feet" - One more red nightmare with Shatner. You could bring anything on a plane in the 60's
"A Kind of a Stopwatch" - Not my favorite but included because its a crowdpleaser. The most obnoxious man on earth blows it
"Living Doll" - Telly Sevalas takes his frustration out on his stepdaughter's doll
"The Old Man in the Cave" - Excellent early post-apocalyptic depiction
"Number 12 Looks Just Like You" - Peer pressure, conformity, and identity
"Night Call" - I've always done what you said...
"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" - An award-winning French short. What might be and what is
"Whats in the Box?" - Well, you can't win them all...
"The Masks" - Mardi Gras, masquerade, more verbal undressing
"Stopover in a Quiet Town" - Don't drive drunk, and if your wife's had a few she shouldn't either.
Also somehow I forgot about season 3's
"To Serve Man" - Another huge classic, endlessly parodied.
Thats all for me now, this is by no means a comprehensive list but it is my personal recommendation if you want a good primer to the series. It may be easier for me to make a list of episodes to avoid.
Chase Butler
Just out of curiosity, which ones would you pick from these seasons?
Charles Jenkins
come wander with me
Justin Peterson
In all honesty, I have not actually ever seen a "The Twilight Zone" episode.
Matthew Clark
The Lonely is my favorite episode.
Jayden Gomez
you're full of shit, these lists are great.
Joseph Stewart
Night of the Meek is one of my favorites and it's very fitting for this time of year since it's a Christmas special. It always gives me feels and brings me pretty close to tears.
Ryan Martinez
Even episodes like The Bard and Black Leather Jackets are worth watching, regardless of their quality.
Zachary Ortiz
OP, my top ten are...
Nothing in the Dark
The Lonely
Walking Distance
The Trade-Ins
Night of the Meek
Nick of Time
Five Characters in Search of an Exit
The Hitch-hiker
Living Doll
The After Hours
The first three seasons are the best. Season four went to an hour long format which didn't suit the show, and reminded me of The Outer Limits which I don't like. Season five went back to the 30 minute format and, although not as god as 1-3, it still has some great episodes.
Here's a rundown on all the episodes. buzzfeed.com
Also, The Twilight Zone pinball machine is my favorite pinball game with Terminator 2 being a close second.
You should also check out this American Masters documentary called 'Submitted for your Approval' because it's a great tribute to Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone, the greatest TV show ever made!!!FACT!!!
Connor Mitchell
Oh and I wish someone would do a new Twilight Zone for Netflix but, instead of updating it to the modern era, make it a retro show, shoot it in black & white and set it during the late 50's/early 60's. Keep everything low tech but utilize CGI to do stories that they never could during the original run!!!FACT!!!
Parker Thomas
Looks like I know what I'm watching for the rest of the week now
Nicholas Parker
The boxer
The holocaust
The one with Shatner obsessing over a fortune telling machine
The one with the guy in court
Just start with ep 1. They go by fast and are MAX comfy