If you love fantasy shows with science fiction in them, then The Twilight Zone is the best show for you to watch. It’s an American television show with about 156 episodes in 5 seasons. But if you want a quick dose of entertainment, then here is a list of some of the best Twilight Zone episodes that will surely make you fall in love with the show created by Rod Serling.
The Twilight Zone is a psychological drama series with a hint of horror fiction, which makes it a worthy watch, and the list of some of the most famous episodes provided here is an outline for the whole show that can save you some time in deciding what to watch.
45. Ovation
- Director: Henry Jaglom
- Producer: Rosemary Marks
- Writer: Henry Jaglom, Ron Vignone
- Rotten tomatoes:38%
- Streaming platform: VUDU
The Twilight Zone has self-contained stories in each episode, but a few themes recur frequently. In the timeless episode “Time Enough at Last,” a bank teller merely wants uninterrupted time to study his books. He finally gets time for his reading when a nuclear explosion makes him the last man on Earth, but he won’t get the chance. There is nobody around to mend his damaged spectacles.
Similar topics were explored in the episode “Ovation” in season two of Peele’s Twilight Zone. In it, aspiring musician Jasmine battles to convince her family and the public that she deserves a chance after encountering a well-known pop star.
A little while after giving Jasmine anything, the singer commits suicide. Jasmine has immediate success with her new talisman but she is aware that it is undeserved. The unjustified and unearned praise becomes unbearable, and Jasmine finds that celebrity comes at a higher price than she would prefer.
44. Nightmare At 30,000 Feet
- Director:Greg Yaitanes
- Writers:Rod SerlingSimon KinbergJordan Peele
- IMDb:8.6
- Rotten tomatoes:76%
- Streaming platform: VUDU
In his second episode, Peele returned to the basic idea, changing the title to “30,000 feet” and replacing Shatner with Adam Scott from Parks and Recreation. Instead of hearing about an ape-like monster on the wing’s tip, Scott’s character hears about a bizarre plane crash on a podcast.
He continues to listen and realizes that the plane the hosts of the show are referring to is the same one he is currently on. The episode was the ideal method to honor the original without repeating the same thing.
43. Comedians
- Director: N/A
- Writer: N/A
- IMDb: 6.7
- Rotten tomatoes:65%
- Streaming platform: Netflix
The “Comedian” episode was responsible for establishing the tone for Peele’s take on the program. As Samir, a struggling comedian who performs in seedy venues for meager pay, Nanjiani first appears in the scene.
After yet another disastrous set, he runs into a well-known comic from a previous generation, who advises him to include some personal information in his performance.
Samir follows the suggestion and tells a joke about his dog, which kills in multiple ways. The strangest thing is that nobody in Samir’s life recalls the dog at all when he returns home and discovers that his dog is vanished.
Samir begins making jokes about people whom he believes the world would be better off without, including a few personal connections that he isn’t entirely content with, once he realizes his newfound capacity to command laughter and change the world around him. Go on, Samir.
Eradicating someone from existence is a strong reaction to any perceived slight. Samir finally finds himself in a tight spot and must decide whether to give one final joke while in the Zone, as one might anticipate.
42. Meet In The Middle
- Director: Jason Eberly
- Writers: Jason EberlyNathan Hartman
- IMDb:7.6
- Rotten tomatoes:87%
- Streaming platform: Netflix
“Meet in the Middle” was a terrifying opening to the second season. The main character, Phil, is awkward around others while wanting to connect. He and his therapist worry that he may be losing his sense of reality when he begins to hear the voice of a lady named Annie in his brain.
Phil gradually comes to realize that Annie is not only his true love but also a real person. They decide it’s time for them to meet and choose a site halfway between their two homes after speaking telepathically for a while. As the title says, they will eventually meet in the middle.
Little does Phil know that he will need to put in more effort than he anticipates. When Phil arrives at the location of their meeting, Annie is not there. Instead, he hears her voice again, but it’s distorted. Annie cries out to Phil that she has been kidnapped and provides him with her location and the identity of her kidnapper.
As you may anticipate, Phil would sacrifice anything for love and come to Annie’s rescue. When he arrives, he determines whether Annie is who she claims to be.
41. “Kick the Can”
- Director: Lamont Johnson
- Writer: George Clayton Johnson
- Cast: Ernest Truex, Rusell Collins, Burt Mustin, Barry Truex, John Marley, Earle Hodgins
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 3
Kick the Can, season 3, episode 21 of The Twilight Zone, revolves around an old man named Charles Whitley who lives in Sunnyvale Rest, a home for the aged. Charles wants to live with his son David, but he doesn’t let Charles live with him. One night Charles convinces everyone to play kick the can with him, and he finds the secret of youth in children’s games. It is one of the best Twilight Zone episodes.
40. “Time Enough At Last”
- Director: John Brahm.
- Writer: Rod Serling, Lynn Venable.
- Cast: Burgess Meredith, Jacqueline deWit, Vaughn Taylor, Lela Bliss, Rod Serling, Robert Haines.
- IMDb Rating: 9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: Netflix
- Season: 1
Time Enough at Last, season 1, episode 8 of The Twilight Zone, follows the story of a guy named Henry Bemis whose favorite hobby is reading books. The episode shows how his hobby saved his life, as when he is at home, his wife would not let him read because they are not on good terms, and in his office, his boss is against anything other than work, so one day he went to a vault where nobody can find him or disturb him while reading.
While he was reading in the vault, he felt a shudder, and it was an explosion, and everything was destroyed on Earth.
But he was lucky to find plenty amount of reading time and some library books and nobody to disturb him. With such a fascinating ending, the Time Enough at Last Season 1 episode is regarded as one of the best Twilight Zone episodes.
39. “Walking Distance”
- Director: Robert Stevens.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Rod Serling, Gig Young, Frank Overton, Irene Tedrow, Michael Montgomery, Rod Howard, Byron Foulger, Sheridan Comerate, Joe Corey, Buzz Martin, Nan Peterson, Pat O’Malley, Bill Erwin.
- IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 67%
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
Walking Distance is season 1, episode 5 of The Twilight Zone, which follows the story of Martin Solan, who works for an advertising agency. One day while traveling, he went to a gas station from which his hometown was just a few miles away.
Changing oil took time, so he decided to take a walk to his hometown, which he had left many years ago. As he walks into shops and all the places he used to go to when he was a child, he finds himself as a younger version of himself, an eleven-year-old boy, which stuns him, and he runs to meet his parents.
This episode of The Twilight Zone shows how his perspective towards life changed when he re-lived his childhood and talked to his parents.
38. “The Hitch-Hiker”
- Director: Alvin Ganzer.
- Writer: Rod Serling, Lucille Fletcher.
- Cast: Inger Stevens, Adam Williams, Lew Gallow, Leonard Strong, Russ Bender, George Mitchell, Mitzi McCall, Rod Serling, Dwight Townsend.
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
The Hitch-Hiker is a season 1, episode 16 of The Twilight Zone that follows a horrific incident that happened to a young woman named Nan Adams when she was traveling across the country. It was a usual trip for her, and suddenly she noticed that a man was hitchhiking on one side of the road.
Eventually, she observes a pattern that; she sees the same hitch-hiker coming again and again as she moves forward on her way to LA. She was terrified and started to drive past but could not get rid of the hitchhiker. This episode is fascinating and horrifying, which makes it worth watching.
37. “Nightmare At 20,000 Feet”
- Director: Richard Donner.
- Writer: Richard Matheson, Rod Serling.
- Cast: William Shatner, Christine White, Ed Kemmer, Asa Maynor, Leon Alton, David Armstrong, Nick Cravat, Rod Serling.
- IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 5
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet season 5, episode 3 of The Twilight Zone, follows the story of a guy named Bob Wilson, who is recovering from a nervous breakdown. While he was traveling on a flight with his wife, he saw a strange, weird creature who intended to damage the plane.
But when he tells everybody about that, the creature disappears, and nobody believes him; eventually, this incident leads him to accept to go to the mental asylum. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet season 5 episode is highly mysterious and is one of the best Twilight Zone episodes.
36. “Mirror Image”
- Director: John Brahm.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Rod Serling, Vera Miles, Martin Milner, Joseph Hamilton, Naomi Stevens, Therese Lyon, Ferris Taylor, Edwin Rand.
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
Mirror Image is a season 1, episode 21 of The Twilight Zone that follows a strange incident that happened to Millicent Barnes when she was waiting for a bus at a station. It was too long that she was waiting, and when she asked an employee about the delay, then he replied with a grin.
The number of weird things that she encountered caused her a firm strange feeling that somebody was making these things happen to petrify her. The episode shows how she tried to solve the mystery of delay and the events that she encountered.
35. “The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street”
- Director: Ron Winston.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Rod Serling, Claude Akins, Barry Atwater, Jack Weston, Jack Handzlik, Amzie Strickland, Burt Metcalfe, Mary Gregory, Jason Johnson, Anne Barton, Leah Wagner, Joan Sudlow, Ben Erway, Lyn Guild, Sheldon Allman, Bill Walsh, Robert McCord.
- IMDb Rating: 9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, season 1, episode 22 of The Twilight Zone. This episode follows an incident that happened on Maple Street that caused a terrifying delusion among the people living there. They felt a shudder which they believed could be an alien attack or a meteorite.
Later, all the residents tend to blame each other for the misfortune as none of them knew the truth; they believe in the superstition that it could be monsters. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street; the season 1 episode was a great success in TV shows.
34. “And When The Sky Was Opened”
- Director: Douglas Heyes.
- Writer: Rod Serling, Richard Matheson.
- Cast: Rod Taylor, Jim Hutton, Charles Aidman, Maxine Cooper, Paul Bryar, Sue Randall, Joe Bassett, Lisabeth Field, Logan Field, S. John Launer, Oliver McGowan, Gloria Pall, Bernard Sell, Rod Serling.
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
And When the Sky Was Opened is a season 1, episode 11 of The Twilight Zone that follows the story of a crew of 3 astronauts who have just got their spacecraft crashed in a desert while returning from a project.
The episode shows how they survived after the crash, but they found out that only 2 of them are being saved, but the other third is missing and just vanished, and nobody has heard of him. This episode shows space science fiction which will be fascinating for viewers with an interest in space.
33. “Eye Of The Beholder”
- Director: Douglas Heyes.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Maxine Stuart, William D. Gordon, Jennifer Howard, George Keymas, Joanna Heyes, Edson Stroll, Donna Douglas, Rod Serling.
- IMDb Rating: 9.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 2
Eye of the Beholder, season 2, episode 6 of The Twilight Zone, follows the story of a girl with abnormal looks named Janet Tyler. Her only wish was to look like everybody else and to gain some self-confidence.
When she was a child, she suffered humiliation because of her looks, and that is why she is not getting treatment to make her look normal. However, the doctor suggests that if the surgery does not succeed, she has to migrate with people with the same looks as she has.
32. “Third From The Sun”
- Director: Richard L. Bare.
- Writer: Rod Serling, Richard Matheson.
- Cast: Fritz Weaver, Edward Andrews, Joe Maross, Denise Alexander, Lori March, Jeanne Evans, Marv Goux, S. John Launer, Rod Serling, Will J. White.
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82%
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
Third from the Sun is season 1, episode 14 of The Twilight Zone, which follows the story of a master plan made by two families.
The family members were special government officers but did a very hilarious thing in that they planned to loot a spacecraft as they planned to escape from the planet before an alien attack that was going to be held according to the rumors. They were trying their best to accomplish their plan, but they did not know about an opposition coming their way.
31. “Miniature”
- Director: Walter Grauman.
- Writer: Charles Beaumont, Rod Serling.
- Cast: Robert Duvall, Pert Kelton, Barbara Barrie, William Windom, Lennie Weinrib, John Mc Liam, Barney Phillips, Joan Chambers, Chet Stratton, Richard Angarola, Nina Roman, Claire Griswold, Norman Burton, Sally Kellerman, Joseph V. Perry, Rod Serling.
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 4
The miniature season 4 episode 8 of The Twilight Zone follows the story of a guy named Charley Parkes who has a unique yet strange obsession with dolls that forces him to find life in them.
His obsession was at its zenith as his job was very boring, and he could not find peace anywhere else. The episode shows how weird things he did because of her obsession like he made a museum of the world with people as a doll in it.
30. “The Masks”
- Director: Ida Lupino.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Virginia Gregg, Robert Keith, Milton Selzer, Alan Sues, Brooke Hayward, Willis Bouchey, Rod Serling, Maidie Norman, Bill Walker.
- IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 5
The Masks season 5, episode 25 of The Twilight Zone follows the story of a man named Jason Foster who was told by his doctor that he is going to die soon, so he decided to gather all his greedy heirs and ask them to wear a mask according to their personality, and if they don’t, he won’t consider them as his heirs.
So, he tells them to keep on that unbearable mask until the clock strikes midnight. This episode is fascinating, and you can experience the truth of life in this episode.
29. “Hocus-Pocus And Frisby”
- Director: Lamont Johnson.
- Writer: Fredrick Louis Fox.
- Cast: Andy Devine, Howard McNear, Milton Selzer, Clem Bevans, Dabbs Greer, Peter Brocco, Larry Breitman, John Albright.
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 3
Episode 30 follows the story of a man who likes to tell tales to his friends, and his name is Somerset Frisby. He is the owner of a gas station where he used to sit and tell tales to his pals. He also tells them that he is very intelligent as he was very good in school and college.
To his surprise, two of the people who were listening to him kidnapped him as they were aliens who wanted him as they thought that he was the most intelligent human on Earth. This episode is a sci-fi comedy with a hint of the horror genre.
28. “A Game Of Pool”
- Director: Buzz Kulik.
- Writer: George Clayton Johnson.
- Cast: Jack Kulgman, Dee Sharon, Margie Liszt, Jonathan Winters.
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82%
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 3
A Game of Pool season 3, episode 5, follows the story of a pool champion named Jesse Cardiff, played by Jack Klugman. He almost won all his matches, but still, he always remained frustrated as he wanted to defeat the legend of this game named Fats Brown.
To his surprise, he gets a chance to play with Brown, who has been dead for 15 years, when he appears from the pool table. The consequence of the game was that if he won, he would become the greatest pool player; otherwise, he’d die.
27. “Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?”
- Director: Montgomery Pittman.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Jean Willes, Barney Phillips, John Hoyt, Morgan Jones, Jack Elam, Gertrude Flynn, John Archer, William Kendis, Bill Erwin, Jill Ellis, Ron Kipling.
- IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 2
Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up, season 2, episode 28, follows the story of an unknown phone call that was made to inform police about a crashed spacecraft. When two policemen arrived at the spot, they found that the aliens had run away, so they started investigating.
During their investigation, they experienced very strange events that ensured them that aliens were somewhere near. The episode depicts how they tried to find the aliens, where they faced a lot of adventures.
26. “Nick Of Time”
- Director: Richard L. Bare.
- Writer: Richard Matheson.
- Cast: William Shatner, Guy Wilkerson, Walter Reed, Patricia Breslin, Dee Carroll, Stafford Repp, Robert McCord.
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 2
Episode 7 is based on the ill effects of superstition caused by a machine on a newlywed couple. Their car breaks down near a village where they rest for the time their car is being repaired. They found a future-telling machine that spits all their past events, which made them believe in that machine.
But later, it tells some dark future events that threaten their marriage and love life. Nick of Time’s season 2 episode shows how superstition leads to self-destruction.
25. “A Stop At Willoughby”
- Director: Robert Parrish.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: James Daly, Howard Smith, Patricia Donahue, Jason Wingreen, Mavis Neal Palmer, Billy Booth, James Maloney, Herschel Graham, James Gonzalez, Butch Hengen, Ryan Hayes.
- IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
Episode 30 follows the story of a businessman named Garth Williams, who loves to live in fantasies, as he does not like his life with his boring job and rude wife. So, to his surprise, one day, while sleeping on a train back home, he finds himself in his fantasy town called Willoughby when he wakes up. But when he returned to his town, all he could think about was Willoughby, so he decided to live the rest of his life in Willoughby.
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24. “What’s In The Box?”
- Director: Richard L. Bare.
- Writer: Martin Goldsmith.
- Cast: Joan Blondell, William Demarest, Sterling Holloway.
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 5
Episode 24 is about a taxi driver named Joe Britt who is married but not happy with his wife as she always seems to doubt him that he is still going out with his ex-girlfriend. While repairing his TV, he realized that he could see his past events and could have a glance at the future. He was feeling extraordinary. The episode shows whether this ability has proved good or bad for him and how.
23. “Where Is Everybody”
- Director: Robert Stevens.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Earl Holliman, Paul Langton, John Conwell, James Gregory, James McCallion, Jay Overholts, Garry Walberg, Jim Johnson, Carter Mullally Jr.
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access
- Season: 1
Episode 1 follows the story of a man named Mike Ferris. As he was walking around in the small town of Oakwood, he realized that he did not remember who he was and there was nobody in the whole town from home he could seek help. So, he starts to believe that he is in a dream and that he is not the last man on Earth.
As the night falls, he is drawn to a theater where Battle Hymn is streaming which makes him realize that he is an air force pilot. The story is fascinating as it shows his struggle to find any single living being.
22. “To Serve Man”
- Director: Richard L. Bare.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Llyod Bochner, Susan Cummings, Richard Kiel, Theodore Marcuse, Carleton Young.
- IMDb Rating: 9.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 3
To Serve Man, season 3, episode 24 follows the story that when a spacecraft landed on Earth, aliens promised humankind that they wanted to serve humans with their technology. They made everyone believe that there was no harm in this.
But a man who could speak and read the alien language found a book that revealed many things that were beyond human expectations. To Serve Man, season 3, episode 24, is regarded as one of the best episodes.
21. “The Obsolete Man”
- Director: Elliot Silverstein.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Burgess Meredith, Fritz Weaver, Harry Fleer, Harold Innocent, Josip Elic, Barry Brooks, Jane Romeyn.
- IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 2
Episode 29 follows the story of a futuristic world where a man who is a librarian is being sentenced to death; in this future world, nobody feels the need for books, as well as librarians, and they, do not believe in God.
This episode shows how he struggles to save his life in a world like this, where there are no free-will rights to him. This episode is full of drama and adventures, which makes it worth watching.
20. “A Nice Place To Visit”
- Director: John Brahm.
- Writer: Charles Beaumont.
- Cast: Larry Blyden, John Close, Peter Hornsby, Sebastian Cabot, Barbara English.
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
Episode 28 follows the life story of a man named Rocky Valentine, who is a criminal who loves to rob. He is living a luxurious life where all his deeds have been accomplished. But eventually, when he meets Mr. Pip, who tries to awaken him and tries to make him a better person, he realizes the truth of life that awakens him. This episode is a motivational episode which makes it a must-watch.
19. “The Dummy”
- Director: Abner Biberman.
- Writer: Lee Polk, Rod Serling.
- Cast: Cliff Robertson, George Murdock, Frank Sutton.
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 3
Episode 33 follows the story of a ventriloquist named Jerry Etherson. He is great at his job, but one thing that he is afraid of is that he believes that his dummy, Willie, can feel emotions and speak, which is making his life miserable.
He decides to lock Willie and head back to his show. But, to his surprise, Willie is preparing something horrifying. This episode is terrifying with lots of adventures which can make one curious to watch it.
18. “Five Characters In Search Of An Exit”
- Director: Lamont Johnson.
- Writer: Marvin Petal.
- Cast: Susan Harrison, William Windom, Murray Matheson, and many more.
- IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 3
Episode 14 follows the story of 4 persons who are trapped inside a cylindrical room where the only escape is at the top of it. 3 out of them have accepted that it is their fate to live there, but one of them, who was a soldier and recently came there, ignited a will in all of them to go out of that place and live a colorful life.
After a failed attempt, their confidence was shattered, but with full enthusiasm, the soldier tried again and succeeded.
17. “Living Doll”
- Director: Richard C. Sarafian.
- Writer: Charles Beaumont.
- Cast: Telly Savalas, Mary LaRoche, June Foray, Tracy Stratford.
- IMDb Rating: 8.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 5
Living Doll season 5, episode 6, follows the story of a man who is fed up with his step-daughter’s talking doll named Talky Tina. Talky Tina always tends to abuse him whenever there is no one around, and it feels like he is a threat to his life.
He always tried to get rid of her but simply could not, as she seemed to follow him everywhere. The episode shows how he tried to struggle as no one believed him, not even his wife, which makes it so much harder. Also, Chucky from the Child’s Play series is inspired by the Twilight Zone episode.
16. “Jess-Belle”
- Director: Buzz Kulik.
- Writer: Earl Hamner Jr.
- Cast: Anne Francis, James Best, Laura Devon.
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 4
Episode 7 follows the story of a girl named, Jess-Belle who was feeling defeated as the love of her life was getting engaged to a rich girl for money. This incident makes her do a stupid thing, and she goes to a witch so that she can help her get back to the love of her life with the help of black magic. But the consequences of such things are always bad, and she ended up in a way she never expected.
15. “Perchance To Dream”
- Director: Robert Florey.
- Writer: Charles Beaumont.
- Cast: Richard Conte, John Larch.
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
Season 1, Episode 9 follows the story of Edward Hall, who is a really fat man and has a condition of fatigue. Plus, he believes in the superstitious fact that he has to face heart failure if he falls asleep, because of which he has to seek the help of a psychiatrist.
He is afraid that a woman from his dream is trying to kill him. Then, in his dream, he sees Maya, The Catgirl, who lures him, takes him to an amusement park, and kills him.
This episode shows how he struggled with all this and how his psychiatrist helped him. It is regarded as one of the best horror episodes.
14. “The After”
- Director: Douglas Heyes.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Anne Francis, James Millhollin, Elizabeth Allen.
- IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
The After, episode 34, follows the story of a girl named Marsha White, who is looking for something in a departmental store, where a clerk tells her that what she is looking for is available on the 9th floor.
She found what she wanted, but it was a bit scratched, so she went to the complaint department where she got to know that there is no 9th floor in the store building and she went again towards the 9th floor to solve this mystery where she saw something unexpected.
13. “The Invaders”
- Director: Douglas Heyes.
- Writer: Richard Matheson.
- Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Douglas Heyes.
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 2
Season 2, Episode 15, follows the story of an incident that happened to an old woman. One night, she heard a noise from her roof, and when she checked, she found a UFO flying over her house; she fought with them to the best of her capacity, but this was not how it was supposed to end. The episode has a mysterious end.
12. “The Last Flight”
- Director: William F. Claxton.
- Writer: Richard Matheson.
- Cast: Kenneth Haigh, Alexander Scourby.
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
The Last Flight, Season 1, Episode 18, follows the story of a pilot who is returning from World War II in his plane. But to his surprise, he lands at American Airport 42 years ahead in the future. When he meets people and tells them the truth, nobody believes him. The episode shows how he struggles to find a way back to his own time with a twist ending.
11. “People Are Alike All Over”
- Director: Mitchell Leisen.
- Writer: Paul W. Fairman.
- Cast: Roddy McDowall, Susan Oliver, and many more.
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 1
People are alike all over Season 1, episode 25 of The Twilight Zone’s first season, follows the story of a scientist named Sam Conrad. As he was on the Mars mission with his crew, suddenly his spacecraft crashed, and he left Mars alone.
After some time, he heard a bang, and when he went to check that he had found some human martian, this incident gave him comfort. The episode shows his struggle to find a way back home.
10. “Nothing In The Dark”
- Director: Lamont Johnson.
- Writer: George Clayton Johnson.
- Cast: Gladys Cooper, Robert Red Fort.
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 3
Season 3, Episode 16, follows the story of an old woman who has critical health issues. However, whenever anybody comes to visit her, she always denies it as she is afraid that there will be death on the other side of the door.
But one day, when a policeman came, she let him in and asked him to help her. Her fear vanished when the demolished authority decided to demolish the building one day. She believes without the door, death cannot enter.
9. “Twenty Two”
- Director: Jack Smith.
- Writer: Bennett Cerf.
- Cast: Barbara Nichols, Jonathon Harris.
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 2
Season 2, Episode 17, follows the story of a dancer who has a condition of fatigue. She told her doctor that she always has a nightmare that she is going to the hospital every night in room number 22, and this thought is causing her anxiety issues. The episode shows how the doctor helped her to overcome her fear, but he is afraid that “is it just a dream?”.
8. “Little Girl Lost”
- Director: Paul Stewart.
- Writer: Richard Matheson.
- Cast: Sarah Marshall, Robert Sampson, Charles Aidman.
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 3
Season 3, Episode 26 follows the story of a man who loves his daughter Tina. One night when he woke up in the middle, he heard his daughter’s voice, and she was asking for help. When he went to see what was happening, he found out that his daughter was missing.
With the help of his friend, he found out that in her daughter’s room, there was a secret way to enter another dimension, and he went through the secret way so that he could bring his missing daughter.
7. “The Howling Man”
- Director: Douglas Heyes.
- Writer: Charles Beaumont.
- Cast: John Carradine, H.M. Wynant, Robin Hughes.
- IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 2
The Howling Man, Season 2, Episode 5, follows the story of David Ellington, who was traveling across Europe. Because of heavy rain, he finds shelter among monks in an abbey. But there he saw they had trapped a man. David tries to help him, but the monks confront him and say that the man is the devil showing how he breaks that superstitious thought and helps the man.
6. “The Parallel”
- Director: Alan Crosland Jr.
- Writer: Rod Serling.
- Cast: Steve Forrest, Jacqueline Scott, Frank Aletter.
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 4
The Parallel, Season 4, Episode 11, follows the story of an incident that happened to Robert Gaines. He is an astronaut who is returning from an Orbit Mission, but to his surprise, when he returns from space, he enters a completely different world.
As he went to his home, he found many changes there too. The episode shows how he believes that he has entered an unknown planet looking exactly like Earth.
5. “Stopover in a Quiet Town”
- Director: Ron Winston
- Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.
- Cast: Barry Nelson, Nancy Malone
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access.
- Season: 5
Bob and Millie Frazier wake up in a very strange house to find out that everything in that house is just a prop. They ey go outside after hearing a young girl cry but find out that the town is deserted. The fridge is filled with plastic food, and even the trees and grass are fake.
They heard the whistle of a train and rushed to board it. The train was empty, and they were finally relieved that they were escaping. But this relief was short-lived when the train stopped at a quiet town called Centerville only to find out that they had come back from where they started.
4. “Midnight Sun”
- Director: Anton Leader
- Writer: Rod Serling
- Cast: Lois Nettleton, Betty Garde, Tom Reese, William Keene
- IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: N/A
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access
- Season: 3
The Earth is slowly moving nearer to the sun, and hence the temperature is rising gradually. People have either moved to the North in search of a cool climate or have died due to extreme heat.
Two women, Norma and Mrs. Bronson, try to support each other throughout this time. There is a shortage of food, water, and electricity. Mrs. Bronson becomes psychologically weak and thus asks Norman to paint pictures of the cool subject and not the sun and burning cities.
The Midnight Sun is one of the Twilight Zone episodes that shows the essence of human life. The episode ends with Norman’s dream of the Earth moving closer to the sun. While in reality, it is snowing outside the apartment, and the Earth is moving apart from the sun, in the final scene, the inhabitants are freezing to death.
3. “Shadow Play”
- Director: John Brahm
- Writer: Charles Beaumont
- Cast: Dennis Weaver, Wright King, Harry Townes, William Edmonson, Anne Barton
- IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82%
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access
- Season: 2
Shadow play is the story of a man who is having a recurring nightmare about his death. Adam Grant is found guilty of murder, and the judge sentences him to death. He goes to people around him to tell them that if he is executed, all of them will cease to die.
Grant tries to prove that they all are living in his dream to Ritchie by telling him that the steak that his wife has cooked in the oven is something else. Ritchie tries to help Grant and visits him in jail. Carson wants to stop the execution and calls the governor, but he comes a second late.
Grant has been executed, and everyone around him vanishes. Then, with a flash of light, he again finds himself in the courtroom, and the people around him have changed their roles.
2. “After Hours”
- Director: Douglas Heyes
- Writer: Rod Serling
- Cast: Anne Francis, Elizabeth Allen, James Millhollin, John Conwell
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: n/a
- Streaming Platform: CBS All Access
- Season: 1
After Hours is a story about a lady named Marsha White. Marsha goes to a department store to buy a gift for her mother, a gold thimble. Instead, the elevator man takes her to the ninth floor, where she finds nothing.
A saleslady approaches her and offers her the only item on the floor; the gold thimble that she was looking for. While moving out of the floor, Marsha notices that the thimble is scratched and goes back to the 3rd floor to complain. However, the sales supervisor and the store manager told her that there was no ninth floor in the department store. Also, she has no proof of the transaction.
Later she sees a mannequin who looks like the saleslady who sold her the item. Marsha is accidentally locked in a store, and several voices haunt her. Later she discovers that she is also among the mannequins who take turns and convert into humans for a month.
This Twilight Zone episode involves many scary and creepy moments that will keep you glued to the screen.
1. “Deaths Head Revisited”
- Director: Don Medford
- Writer: Rod Serling
- Cast: Oscar Beregi, Jr., Joseph Schildkraut,
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: n/a
- Streaming Platform: CBS all access
- Season: 3
Gunther Lutze, a former SS captain, returns to the Dachau concentration camp, where he worked during World War II. He is accosted by Alfred Becker, a previous prisoner, who informs him that he is now the prisoner after strolling around the camp for a little time. The ghosts of Lutze’s past – and there are a lot of them – remind him that he must now pay for his sins. He’ll be made insane as a punishment.
Conclusion
The Twilight Zone is one of the best TV shows produced by the CBS network, with excellent characters and the best stories of all time. This show has around 156 episodes, and from all of them, those mentioned above are the best episodes of The Twilight Zone that will make one fall in love with it.
Episodes of The Twilight Zone are a mixed bag of horror, mystery, and sci-fi genres that are suitable for all age groups.
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