The Twilight Zone (2019–2020) User Reviews

Rod Serling would be disappointed with CBS

[cameronskye94 · 5/10 · 12 April 2019]

Change the title of the show and this could be a hit. What I find to be the most common mistake, regarding the attempts to revive this anthology, is the lack of theatre. This is why I believe this show cannot be remade. Rod Sterling, the original creator of the series, would be appalled with the profanity and explicit behavior depicted on the show. Separate from the incredible actors and guests in the new episodes, the continuous jump cuts and poor cinematography take away certain characteristics from the storytelling. While I believe Serling pushed his viewers to the boundaries of imagination while shedding light on taboo social topics, the new revival ironically backfires with the poor script writing and lack of creative language. "Suck my p****", a line in the first episode that instantly caught my attention as poorly written. On the other hand, Jordan Peele's depiction as The Narrator is incredible and his dialogue is told with much needed care. In the original series, take note that many scenes feature incredible monologues and little need for scene-cutting. It is truly theatrical. Example, a popular episode starring William Shatner titled "Nick of Time", when two newlyweds are confined to a diner by a fortune-telling machine. This episode takes place almost entirely inside a diner with a simple 2-shot camera set up with a few insert shots. Many of the original Twilight Zone episodes are produced in this manor. Respectively, Rod Serling and the producers did not have the biggest budget to film the original series. Also the lack of technology forced the use of practical effects in this era of film, which helped push the storytelling into dialogue-driven tales. This does not translate into the new series very well, thus letting down fans of the original series.

Lastly, there are no clouds and there is no rain at 30,000 ft. That is a fact.

I'm having a difficult time liking it

[tanerarchibald-964-471676 · 5/10 · 2 April 2019]

The thing that sets the original The Twilight Zone apart is that each episode is expertly filmed, especially in its use of longer takes and slow moving panning shots, that cinematography helps to kick the tension into high gear, the new series doesn't do that and I can't figure out why? The cinematography in the first two episodes just did not draw me in, they explained too much right off the get go.

Wanted to like it more

[loonatwok · 6/10 · 3 April 2019]

I think I'm being generous with a 6star rating.

The first episode is pretty painful to sit through. Should've been at least 15 minutes shorter, and was very predictable.

The second episode is a little bit better, but still kind of meh.

The best part about viewing this was it reminded me to watch the older episodes of Twilight Zone.

If you want to watch a great show that's kind of like T.Z, go check out Black Mirror.

Not a sci fi series, but a social agenda preaching platform

[rsvp321 · 20 April 2019]

I've just finished watching the first four episodes, and I went from excited anticipation, to disappointed, to fed up enough to bail on future episodes.

Each episode seems to be plot-focused on targeting one identifiable group as perpetual racists, and another group as perpetual victims.

The science fiction is a minor incidental to the series.

Rod is turning in his grave! Shame on this reboot!

It's Improving

[mghee-61577 · 7/10 · 27 June 2020]

It's obvious that nothing can compare to the OG Twilight Zone from the early '60s. That is the standard. I was excited in 2019 for the Jordan Peele reboot though and watched every episode. Reflecting back, I was unhappy with it. Yes there were a handful of decent episodes but a lot of them in my opinion had flat endings or just could not maintain my interest. The political slant to the episodes did not bother me. i just think a lot of the episodes were boring.

Come June 2020 with the Season 2 premier, and WOW ! New and improved! The stories now remind me of the OG Zone with stories of human turmoil complete with dark twisted endings. I have been through 4 episodes so far on season 2 and really enjoyed 3 out 4 of them and look forward to watching the rest. As others have said, if you hated season 1, come back to season 2. I don't think you will be disappointed. I rate the show 7 as of this writing. The season 2 episodes boosted my rating.

Glad Mr. Serling wasn't around to watch this train wreck

[mpres-85214 · 1/10 · 1 June 2019]

I've been watching the Twilight Zone since it began in the 50's. Great writers and Serling made it unique and produced true classics. Authors from Bradbury to Matheson created wondrous tales of science fiction and horror. The new series has disappointed in every way. Not a single show produced anything near good. Even trying to copy past classics failed miserably. The host sounds like he's bored to death and a cardboard cutout would have fared better. I was truly hoping for better material. All we got was better special effects, swearing and poor plots. Not really an upgrade but a sign of how TV is lacking in so many ways. I wish I could recommend this I really do. But I cannot. It is poorly made entertainment riding on the back of true greatness.

Impossible to Judge Without Comparison

[sharonlynette · 7/10 · 5 April 2020]

It is hard to judge this series fairly without comparison to the original series and it is hard to imagine that anyone with an interest in the genre won't have seen this. Compared to the reboot in the 1980s this is miles better but when looking to the original series of The Twilight Zone it really is hard to compare to a series which, in my eyes, was perfection. Other modern anthology series have managed to get close, Black Mirror and Inside No. 9 both spring to mind and although you can easily say they were influenced they would never be compared. The actors are fantastic, the sets and cinematography are beautiful but when it comes to the stories themselves although I find it hard to be objective but feel they are just slightly lacking. If it didn't carry The Twilight Zone name I can imagine it would be viewed more favourably without the comparison but I was pleasantly entertained so believe it will be worth seeing what the second series has to offer. It certainly has promise.

Insulting to viewers

[geopick · 3/10 · 3 May 2019]

There is nothing worse than programming that treats its viewers as stupid and ignorant. This series in no way respects the foundations of the original Twilight Zone. It is awful.

Second Season Nailed It

[larry-d-christensen · 9/10 · 1 July 2020]

The first season seemed too straightforwardly preachy, almost lazy. The original series, like all good science fiction, encouraged examining one's views to arrive at a more enlightened viewpoint. The first season of this most recent iteration, however, felt like it was just telling people what to think, but failed to provide the intellectual motivation. The second season takes the more time honored Twilight Zone approach and does a fantastic job.

Season two is beautifully executed in terms of production quality and in terms of being science fiction that makes one think. Separately I would give season one a 6, but season two a 9.

Good Reason it's Not on Network TV

[elbadwolf · 7/10 · 3 July 2020]

The phrase "not ready for prime time" applies to this season 1 of this new Twilight Zone. Way to much finger wagging, not enough sci-fi. Some are better then others. Episode 5 is the most frustrating. Episode 3 is the best "tip of the hat" to the original show. A real stand out. The directors/producers need to be more clever. TZ stories would stay with you, made you think. That's not happening with this first season. Looking forward to season 2, maybe they will pay for better writers have better stories.

Quite awful

[bestford · 2/10 · 4 May 2019]

I grew up with the twilight zone and tales from the crypt and tales of the unexpected. This is comparison is just awful. The story's are boring they just aren't gripping or spine tingling. It's a no from me.

I love it!

[matthewdwheelersr · 9/10 · 5 April 2021]

It's great. Four episodes in and I love it. I do not get the bad reviews at all. I should give it a ten. I got paramount plus just to keep watching it!

Ups and downs

[itsbrianduh · 7/10 · 26 June 2020]

When it first came out, I wasn't too impressed by the first batch of Season One episodes. A couple were good, most were meh. The second half of Season One is much stronger, with only one that I didn't care for. Halfway through Season Two now, and I'm enjoying it. Again, I believe there's one that I did not really care for. Overall, I think most of the hate for this show is coming from people who don't want to pay for CBS All Access, or just hate the idea of reboots. I will say, a lot of the episodes tend to be more on the Black Mirror side of things than Twilight Zone, which I understand is a bit backwards since TZ came way before BM, and BM was definitely inspired by the original TZ.

It's good. Go into it with an open mind.

Don't bother

[paddymandude · 1/10 · 29 August 2023]

I really wanted to like this. It has high class actors and it's beautifully filmed, but the stories are rank.

It is little more than propaganda that ticks all the modern political points, which would not be all that bad I guess, were it not so staggeringly one sided.

It never cease to amaze me that major networks have the audacity (and the money obviously), to isolate damn near half it's audience by preaching at it.

This could have been a wonderful remake if stories that stood on their own were used rather than preaching at half the population and affirming the other half.

A stone cold waste of great talent and a great crew.

Redeeming second season!

[somasounds · 7/10 · 26 June 2020]

I felt similarly to these negative reviews last year, though i still saw a lot i liked in season 1, it was just to heavy on social issues.

Season 2, however, completely redeems the show. Less political message and more focus on creepy alternative realities that find our protagonists in paranormal turmoil. I wont say this is a top notch show, but it's definitely popcorn worthy and worth the watch.

The Idiocracy Zone: Insulting & offensive to our intelligence

[chaseholden · 1/10 · 4 May 2019]

I had such high hopes as we all did, I believe. Each episode is worse than the previous.

It's more like The Idiocracy Zone.

The Squandered Potential Zone.

TV Written by Children Zone.

What Would Rod Do?

[theendisopened · 6/10 · 23 April 2019]

The original Twilight Zone series was full of social commentary and messages that challenged society. With episodes touching on topics like racism, religion, censorship, greed, and corporatism, the show was far from a simple science fiction series. One might suggest the Twilight Zone started Hollywood's tradition of engaging in social and political issues.

So why did this concept work so well in the 1960s while receiving so much backlash today? The answer is simple: politics is more polarizing than it has been in recent history.

Rod Serling, the writer of the original series, set out to challenge viewers by creating content that neither the tv executives nor the regulators felt would make for a positive outcome, but they were wrong. It was a big success.

However, when revisiting old episodes, it's clear that Serling's radical approach to writing was still tame enough to appeal to most average American viewers of that era. Today, writing about social topics that make people uncomfortable while avoiding ideological backlash seems nearly impossible to do.

1964's episode "I Am the Night - Color Me Black" told the story of a town eager to hang an innocent black man after he was wrongfully convicted of killing a racist white man in self-defense. 2019's episode "Replay" tells the story of a woman using a rewind button on a camcorder to protect her son from a racist police trooper. Just read the other reviews and see how today's polarized viewer responds to the latter.

To be fair, many of the ideas conveyed by Serling's original Twilight Zone were deliberately written to not appeal to either side politically. The same probably cannot be said about this current reboot. It would be interesting to see if Serling could take on this challenge today.

Maybe the solution to this problem is to no longer use social commentary in writing. Or maybe the writers could make more obvious right leaning episodes to even things out. One thing is for certain, as long as entertainment seeks to talk about the things that make us uncomfortable, you'll manage to alienate a lot of viewers... here.... in The Twilight Zone.

I find myself wanting to like this more than I do.

[tylerc-stevens · 4/10 · 3 May 2019]

I spent every episode waiting. And that's it. I just wait for something that never happens. Casting is good and the acting is on par, but the stories are just... blah... Hopefully they can get some better stores in future seasons.

Entertaining

[devil_dog-32092 · 9/10 · 31 January 2020]

I don't know what a-lot of these people are crying about. A lot of the reviews look to be from uptight, conservative, and sensitive christians that pine for the way society used to be.

Swearing bothers some in this day in age, some act as if they were watching Scarface for crying out loud. For those I say, it's great you used your "clicker" and shut off the show. The problem is, those reviews give a bad reflection of this show and unfortunately those biased opinions have some sway toward the future of the show and the producers. Jordan Peele does a great job of presenting each story... he is not Rod Serling, and I am sure that is an issue with some of those negative reviewers.

It seems they watch everything with a conservative outlook with any topic in their lives and social norms have advanced since the "good old days" since 1959 - 1964 when the original was on T.V. They are more sensitive to anything that gives even a hint of views counter to their own and feel threatened.

The original will always be outstanding in my opinion, I grew up watching it back in the 70s and I have the whole collection on disk...This adaptation is pretty damn good (oops I swore there) Some of those episodes do point out social issues or an sort of "woke" aspect in a story format that is entertaining and is reflective of todays advancement in society. That is the thing a lot of the negative reviewers do not like.

Trying to be politically correct vs. interesting ...

[Vic_max · 6/10 · 6 July 2019]

About half of episodes are interesting. The rest are poorly dressed up moral (and nowadays political) preachiness rather than mystical storytelling.

What's interesting is that I agree with the ethics behind the stories - and yet I'm appalled that they actually wasted entire episodes trying to force these moral concepts back at me.

In many ways the lackluster audience ratings are deserved. The show's producers ruined a great opportunity to talk about the human experience under extraordinary circumstances.

I hope they re-think this series for season 2. If they want to do ethical pieces, at least don't make them so obvious. We're already bombarded with these issues from the news and social media every day.

Proof there's no life after death!

[msgpat · 1/10 · 7 May 2019]

All the other 1/10 reviewers have said it for me - except one thing, and that is that this piece of badly written/directed piece of propaganda proves that there's no life after death, 'cos if there were, Rod Serling would seek out those responsible for insulting his memory, and dispose of them slowly and painfully.

Season 2, better than Season 1

[humble77 · 8/10 · 26 June 2020]

Season two in my opinion is way better than the first season. In no way is it better than the original, but it kept my interest and I was excited for the next episode.

SEASON TWO IS MUCH BETTER THAN SEASON ONE!

[catfanatic888 · 7/10 · 27 June 2020]

I didn't care for Season One very much. I enjoyed the stars but was disappointed by the episodes. But Season TWO is a HUGE improvement. If you didn't like the first one, give the second season a try. The first episode starts out very strong and doesn't disappoint. The other episodes range from very good to pretty good to ummm oh..KAY. Nobody has ever been able to do this show justice from the original series but Jordan Peele is doing a pretty darn good turn this season with it!! I hope there will be a Season Three to look forward to.

An Honest Review

[generationofswine · 1/10 · 11 October 2020]

Well, this was supposed to be The Twilight Zone, a series known for unexpected twists and turns, for horror, for science fiction, for irony, for pure, unadulterated irony.

Except this is 2019 and it has to have a strong political message and all the characters have to be based on cliches of their race, gender, sexual orientation, identity, and, you know, NOT INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITIES.

It's really hard to make a show with twists and turns when you have to stick to a strict Political format based on the tenants of Cancel Culture.

So, instead what you have is kind of what you see in every other television show created post 2016, only with an anthology feel that kind of misses the mark because politics don't allow people to be individuals and more than surface deep.

So it's as interchangeable as every other show on television today that stays with that format. And, like all the other remakes, it tries more to mock than homage.

It seems like there is an agenda

[tferjak · 6/10 · 15 April 2019]

I just finished "Replay", it actually started out very well and grabbed my interest. A few twists and turns and then it seemed to take on a black (people/person's) agenda. I have NOTHING against any race, creed or colour of people but this episode seemed to target the black community and audience (not to mention the "black lives matter" poster in one scene). I have the new Twilight Zone set up on my PVR and will give it another few chances. It started out great and then seemed to take on a lot of issues regarding the current landscape of America and their racial issues that did nothing to propel the story. A similar story could have been told from the same point of view without all of the racial overtures. I do not have any of those issues and was hoping for a similar reboot of the Rod Serling series. I'm not old, I'm not young but what I watched, unfortunately, was not what I had hoped for. Mr. Peele, please keep on the track of the original series, try not to bring your personal opinion on race, political views or social standing into what could have been a solid reboot of a classic.