COMPLETE GUIDE
ROD SERLING
W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K |^101
TOP FIVE
ROD SERLING
TWILIGHT ZONE
EPISODES
TIME ENOUGH
AT LAST
This episode was
actually Serling’s
personal favourite.
‘Time Enough At
Last’ told the story of a gentle, henpecked
bookworm (played by Burgess Meredith) who
fi nds himself the last man alive after a nuclear
explosion. Based on a short story by Lynn
Venable, it’s a poignant tale with a devastatingly
sad end.THE MONSTERS
ARE DUE ON
MAPLE STREET
A common theme of
The Twilight Zone is
that humans pose
a greater threat to each other than any extra-
terrestrial ever could. In this fi rst season episode,
‘The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street’, a
classically American street’s residents all turn on
each other as talk of an alien invasion swells.
As the aliens, who never do actually invade,
say at the end: “The world is full of Maple
Streets. We’ll go from one to another and let
them destroy themselves.”IT’S A GOOD LIFE
A pre-Lost In Space
Bill Mumy starred as
a cute-as-a-button six-
year-old boy who has
God-like powers in this
1961 Twilight Zone favourite ‘It’s A Good Life’.
It’s also the only Twilight Zone episode to ever
spawn a sequel episode, when, in 2002, the
revived Twilight Zone series screened ‘It’s Still
A Good Life’, which saw Mumy return to the
role of a now middle-aged Anthony Fremont,
who fi nds that his daughter has inherited
his powers.THE HITCH-HIKER
This fi rst season classic
episode ‘The Hitch-
Hiker’ was actually an
adaptation of a 1941
radio play by Lucille
Fletcher about a car driver who is haunted
by visions of the same hitchhiker during their
journey. Serling made a number of changes
for his Twilight Zone adaptation, however,
including swapping the sex of the driver from
male to female.WALKING
DISTANCE
A man fi nds himself
passing the town where
he grew up in this
classic episode and
decides to pay it a visit for the fi rst time in 25
years, only to fi nd himself walking back into the
past in this powerfully poignant metaphor for the
magnetic pull of nostalgia.“Rod Serling is hands-down the best science
fi ction writer of all time,” says Serling fan Mark
Millar. “The common thread in Serling’s stories
was a relatable human dilemma and even
when he was doing time-travel or alternate
worlds he always accessed the most outlandish
ideas through something anyone watching TV
that night would be able to interface with. He
reminds me of Bradbury in a lot of ways in that
sense, but even better in that he hit the bullseye
more often and hit the mainstream like no other
before or since.”
“Rod Serling’s infl uence is still profound,”
agrees Nicholas Parisi, whose biography of
Serling was published in October. “Vince
Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad, named
Serling as the one writer he would most like to
add to his writer’s room. David Chase, creator
of The Sopranos, included several references to
Serling in his semi-autobiographical fi lm, Not
Fade Away. Matthew Weiner made Serling’s
‘Patterns’ required viewing for the crew of Mad
Men. Guillermo del Toro has acknowledged
his debt to Serling, recording DVD commentary
for several episodes of Night Gallery. And now
Jordan Peele has been given the reins to a new
The Twilight Zone series.”
Rod Serling helped establish television as
a mature artform. While many promising
writers of his era chose a different medium
or jumped ship after one too many corporate
battles, Serling stayed there, bringing wit,
intelligence and morality into the homes of
America. It’s a tantalising what-if to see how
he would have responded to the chilly-hearted
worlds of Reagan and Bush and Trump, but
then maybe the lessons for today are already
there in those Playhouse 90s, in those Twilight
Zones and in those plays that bigged up the
little man and woman.
“Fame is short-lived,” he once said when
asked about his place in history. “One year
after this show goes off the air, they will
never remember who I am. And I don’t care
a bit. Anonymity is fi ne with me. My place
is as a writer.”The Twilight Zone is available on Blu-ray now.COMPLETE GUIDE
ROD SERLING
W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K |^101
TOP FIVE
ROD SERLING
TWILIGHT ZONE
EPISODES
TIME ENOUGH
AT LAST
This episode was
actually Serling’s
personal favourite.
‘Time Enough At
Last’ told the story of a gentle, henpecked
bookworm (played by Burgess Meredith) who
fi nds himself the last man alive after a nuclear
explosion. Based on a short story by Lynn
Venable, it’s a poignant tale with a devastatingly
sad end.THE MONSTERS
ARE DUE ON
MAPLE STREET
A common theme of
The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is is
that humans pose
a greater threat to each other than any extra-
terrestrial ever could. In this fi rst season episode,
‘The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street’, a
classically American street’s residents all turn on
each other as talk of an alien invasion swells.
As the aliens, who never do actually invade,
say at the end: “The world is full of Maple
Streets. We’ll go from one to another and let
them destroy themselves.”IT’S A GOOD LIFE
A pre-Lost In Space
Bill Mumy starred as
a cute-as-a-button six-
year-old boy who has
God-like powers in this
1961 Twilight Zone favourite ‘It’s A Good Life’.
It’s also the only Twilight ZoneTwilight ZoneTwilight Zone episode to ever episode to ever
spawn a sequel episode, when, in 2002, the
revived Twilight Zone seriesscreened ‘It’s Still
A Good Life’, which saw Mumy return to the
role of a now middle-aged Anthony Fremont,
who fi nds that his daughter has inherited
his powers.THE HITCH-HIKER
This fi rst season classic
episode ‘The Hitch-
Hiker’ was actually an
adaptation of a 1941
radio play by Lucille
Fletcher about a car driver who is haunted
by visions of the same hitchhiker during their
journey. Serling made a number of changes
for his Twilight ZoneTwilight ZoneTwilight Zone adaptation, however, adaptation, however,
including swapping the sex of the driver from
male to female.WALKING
DISTANCE
A man fi nds himself
passing the town where
he grew up in this
classic episode and
decides to pay it a visit for the fi rst time in 25
years, only to fi nd himself walking back into the
past in this powerfully poignant metaphor for the
magnetic pull of nostalgia.“Rod Serling is hands-down the best science
fi ction writer of all time,” says Serling fan Mark
Millar. “The common thread in Serling’s stories
was a relatable human dilemma and even
when he was doing time-travel or alternate
worlds he always accessed the most outlandish
ideas through something anyone watching TV
that night would be able to interface with. He
reminds me of Bradbury in a lot of ways in that
sense, but even better in that he hit the bullseye
more often and hit the mainstream like no other
before or since.”
“Rod Serling’s infl uence is still profound,”
agrees Nicholas Parisi, whose biography of
Serling was published in October. “Vince
Gilligan, the creator of Breaking BadBreaking BadBreaking Bad, named , named
Serling as the one writer he would most like to
add to his writer’s room. David Chase, creator
of The SopranosThe SopranosThe Sopranos, included several references to , included several references to
Serling in his semi-autobiographical fi lm, Not
Fade Away. Matthew Weiner made Serling’s
‘Patterns’ required viewing for the crew of Mad
MenMenMen. Guillermo del Toro has acknowledged. Guillermo del Toro has acknowledged
his debt to Serling, recording DVD commentary
for several episodes of Night GalleryNight GalleryNight Gallery. And now. And now
Jordan Peele has been given the reins to a new
The Twilight Zone series.”
Rod Serling helped establish television as
a mature artform. While many promising
writers of his era chose a different medium
or jumped ship after one too many corporate
battles, Serling stayed there, bringing wit,
intelligence and morality into the homes of
America. It’s a tantalising what-if to see how
he would have responded to the chilly-hearted
worlds of Reagan and Bush and Trump, but
then maybe the lessons for today are already
there in those Playhouse 90sPlayhouse 90sPlayhouse 90s, in those , in those Twilight
ZonesZonesZones and in those plays that bigged up the and in those plays that bigged up the
little man and woman.
“Fame is short-lived,” he once said when
asked about his place in history. “One year
after this show goes off the air, they will
never remember who I am. And I don’t care
a bit. Anonymity is fi ne with me. My place
is as a writer.”The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is available on Blu-ray now. is available on Blu-ray now.TOP FIVE
ROD SERLING
TWILIGHT ZONE
EPISODES
Last’ told the story of a gentle, henpecked
bookworm (played by Burgess Meredith) who
fi nds himself the last man alive after a nuclear
explosion. Based on a short story by Lynn
Venable, it’s a poignant tale with a devastatingly
sad end.a greater threat to each other than any extra-
terrestrial ever could. In this fi rst season episode,
‘The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street’, a
classically American street’s residents all turn on
each other as talk of an alien invasion swells.
As the aliens, who never do actually invade,
say at the end: “The world is full of Maple
Streets. We’ll go from one to another and let
them destroy themselves.”1961
It’s also the only
spawn a sequel episode, when, in 2002, the
revived
A Good Life’, which saw Mumy return to the
role of a now middle-aged Anthony Fremont,
who fi nds that his daughter has inherited
his powers.Fletcher about a car driver who is haunted
by visions of the same hitchhiker during their
journey. Serling made a number of changes
for his
including swapping the sex of the driver from
male to female.decides to pay it a visit for the fi rst time in 25
years, only to fi nd himself walking back into the
past in this powerfully poignant metaphor for the
magnetic pull of nostalgia.Venable, it’s a poignant tale with a devastatinglyterrestrial ever could. In this fi rst season episode,IT’S A GOOD LIFEGod-like powers in thisTHE HITCH-HIKER
This fi rst season classicHiker’ was actually an
adaptation of a 1941passing the town wherepast in this powerfully poignant metaphor for the