''The Twilight Zone'' is a science fiction horror anthology television series, presented by Forest Whitaker. It is the second of three revivals of

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

's original 1959–64 television series. It aired for one season on the

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...

network, with actor

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...

assuming Serling's role as narrator and on-screen host. It was a co-production between Spirit Dance Entertainment, Trilogy Entertainment Group, Joshmax Productions Services, and

New Line Television New Line Television was the television production arm of the film studio of the same name. It was active for about 20 years from 1988 to 2008. History The company was founded in 1988 to produce ''Freddy's Nightmares'', a television series bas ...

. It premiered on September 18, 2002, and aired its final episode on May 21, 2003.

Series history

Broadcast in an hour format with two half-hour stories, it was canceled after one season. Reruns continue to air in syndication and have aired on

MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV (stylized as mynetworkTV; unofficially abbreviated MNT or MNTV) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations ...

since summer 2008 and stream on

Tubi Tubi (stylized as tubi) is an American over-the-top ad-supported streaming television service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In 2023, Tubi, Credible L ...

as of fall 2023. The series tended to address contemporary issues head-on; e.g. terrorism, racism, gender roles, sexuality, and

stalking Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance or contact by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitorin ...

. Noteworthy episodes featured

Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe ...

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

wanting to retire from harvesting souls,

Lou Diamond Phillips Louis Diamond Phillips (né Upchurch; born February 17, 1962) is an American actor, director, and writer. His breakthrough came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the biographical drama film '' La Bamba'' (1987). For his performance as Angel ...

as a swimming pool cleaner being shot repeatedly in his dreams,

Susanna Thompson Susanna Thompson (born January 27, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films ''Little Giants'' (1994), ''Ghosts of Mississippi'' (1996), ''Random Hearts'' (1999) and ''Dragonfly (2002 film), Dragonfly'' (2002). On televisi ...

as a woman whose stated wish results in an "upgrading" of her family, Usher as a police officer being bothered by telephone calls from beyond the grave,

Brian Austin Green Brian Austin Green (born Brian Green; July 15, 1973) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of List of Beverly Hills, 90210 characters#Main characters, David Silver on the Television show, television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1 ...

as a businessman who encounters items from his past that somehow reappear,

Jeffrey Combs Jeffrey Alan Combs (born September 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Herbert West in the ''Re-Animator'' film series (1985–2003) and portraying multiple characters in the ''Star Trek'' universe, most notably the ...

as a hypochondriac whose diseases become reality, and

Katherine Heigl Katherine Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and model. She portrayed Izzie Stevens, Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role that b ...

playing a woman who went back in time on a suicide mission to kill the infant

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

. The series also includes remakes and updates of stories presented in the original ''Twilight Zone'' television series, including the famous " Eye of the Beholder" starring

Molly Sims Molly Sims (born May 25, 1973) is an American fashion model and actress. She was featured in campaigns for Jimmy Choo, Escada, Giorgio Armani, Michael Kors, and Chanel, among others. She frequently modeled for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Iss ...

. One of the updates, "The Monsters Are on Maple Street", is a modernized version of the classic episode "

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

". The original show was about the paranoia surrounding a neighborhood-wide blackout. In the course of the episode, somebody suggests an alien invasion being the cause of the blackouts, and that one of the neighbors may be an alien. The anti-alien hysteria is an allegory for the anti-communist paranoia of the time, and the 2003 remake, starring

Andrew McCarthy Andrew Thomas McCarthy (born November 29, 1962) is an American actor, travel writer, and television director. He is most known as a member of the Brat Pack, with roles in 1980s films such as '' St. Elmo's Fire'', ''Pretty in Pink'', ''Mannequi ...

and

Titus Welliver Titus B. Welliver (born March 12, 1962) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of the Man in Black in '' Lost'', Silas Adams in '' Deadwood'', Jimmy O'Phelan in '' Sons of Anarchy'', and the title role in the television ser ...

, replaces aliens with terrorists. The show also contains "

It's Still a Good Life "It's Still a Good Life" is the thirty-first episode of the 2002 revival television series of ''The Twilight Zone''. The episode was first broadcast on February 19, 2003, on UPN. It is a sequel to the original series episode "It's a Good Life" ...

", a sequel to the events of "

It's a Good Life "It's a ''Good'' Life" is a short story by American writer Jerome Bixby, written in 1953. In 1970, the Science Fiction Writers of America selected it for '' The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One'', as one of the 20 best short stories i ...

", an episode of the original series produced 41 years earlier.

Bill Mumy Charles William Mumy Jr. (; born February 1, 1954) is an American actor, writer, producer, and musician. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a child actor whose work included television appearances on ''Bewitched'', ''I Dream of Jeannie'', ''T ...

returned to play the adult version of Anthony, the demonic child he had played in the original story, with Mumy's daughter,

Liliana Liliana is derived from the Latin word 'lilium' or 'lilion', both mean 'lily' in English. Due to this, the name means "pure" and "innocent". The name is generally found in North America, though it is more common in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese ...

, appearing as Anthony's daughter, an initially more benevolent but even more powerful child.

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She received many accolades including 22 Primetime Emmy nominations and won eight, tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus ...

also returned as Anthony's mother. Mumy went on to serve as a screenwriter for other episodes in the revival. Other guest stars include:

Penn Badgley Penn Dayton Badgley (born November 1, 1986) is an American actor and producer. He is known for his roles as Dan Humphrey in The CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012) and Joe Goldberg in the Netflix psychological thriller series ''Y ...

Scott Bairstow Scott Hamilton Bairstow (born April 23, 1970) is a Canadian former actor known for his roles as Newt Call on the syndicated western television drama '' Lonesome Dove: The Series'' and as Ned Grayson on the American television drama series ''Part ...

Jason Bateman Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox / Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development'' (2003–2019) and Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama s ...

Gil Bellows Gil Bellows (born June 28, 1967) is a Canadian actor, producer, screenwriter, and director. Upon graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he began acting in films and television. Bellows also earned critical acclaim for his stage p ...

Elizabeth Berkley Elizabeth Berkley ( ) is an American actress and producer. She played Jessie Spano in the ''Saved by the Bell'' television franchise and Nomi Malone in the controversial 1995 Paul Verhoeven film '' Showgirls''. She had supporting roles in the ...

Xander Berkeley Alexander Harper Berkeley (born December 16, 1955) is an American actor. Since beginning his career in the early 1980s, he has appeared in over 200 film and television projects. His films include ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), ''Candyman ...

Olivia d'Abo Olivia Jane d'Abo (; born 22 January 1969) is a British actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Karen Arnold, Kevin Arnold's rebellious teenaged hippie sister in the ABC comedy-drama series ''The Wonder Years'' (1988–1993), as fema ...

Linda Cardellini Linda Edna Cardellini (born June 25, 1975) is an American actress. In television, she is known for her starring roles in the teen drama ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), the medical drama ''ER (TV series), ER'' (2003–2009), and the thriller ...

Keith Hamilton Cobb Keith Hamilton Cobb (born January 28, 1962) is an American actor. Career He is best known for his roles as the ruthless Nietzschean mercenary Tyr Anasazi in the science-fiction series ''Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda'' from 2000 to 2005 and as No ...

Rory Culkin Rory Hugh Culkin (born July 21, 1989) is an American actor known for his roles in ''You Can Count on Me'' (2000), '' Signs'' (2002), ''Scream 4'' (2011), '' Columbus'' (2017), and '' Lords of Chaos'' (2018). He has also appeared on television ser ...

Reed Diamond Reed Edward Diamond (born July 20, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for the roles of Det. Mike Kellerman on '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', Jason Pillar in season 8 of '' 24'', and recurring character Laurence Dominic on '' Dollhous ...

Shannon Elizabeth Shannon Elizabeth Fadal (born September 7, 1973) is an American actress and poker player. Her film roles solidified her status as a sex symbol of the 1990s and 2000s. In film, Elizabeth is best known for her role as Nadia in the ''American Pie ...

Ethan Embry Ethan Embry (born June 13, 1978), credited early in his career as Ethan Randall, is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor, starring roles in the films '' Dutch'' (1991), '' All I Want for Christmas'' (1991), and '' A Far Off Pl ...

Sean Patrick Flanery Sean Patrick Flanery (born October 11, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for playing Connor MacManus in ''The Boondock Saints'' (1999) and its sequel '' The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'' (2009), Greg Stillson in the television seri ...

Lukas Haas Lukas Daniel Haas (born April 16, 1976) is an American actor and musician. His acting career has spanned four decades, during which he has appeared in more than 50 feature films and a number of television shows and stage productions. His notable ...

Wood Harris Sherwin David "Wood" Harris (born October 17, 1969) is an American actor. He first garnered attention for his role as Motaw in the Jeff Pollack film '' Above the Rim'' (1994), prior to portraying high school football player Julius Campbell in t ...

Hill Harper Frank Eugene "Hill" Harper (born May 17, 1966) is an American actor and political candidate, who is known for his roles as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes in '' CSI: NY'', Agent Spelman Boyle in '' Limitless'', and Dr. Marcus Andrews in '' The Good Doctor'' ...

, Jonathan Jackson,

Moira Kelly Moira Kelly (born March 6, 1968) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Kate Moseley in the 1992 film '' The Cutting Edge'' as well as single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama '' One Tree Hill''. She is also known for playing the ...

Erik King Erik King (born April 21, 1963) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of James Doakes, Sergeant James Doakes on Showtime (TV network), Showtime's television series ''Dexter (TV series), Dexter''. He is also known for his roles as M ...

Wayne Knight Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played recurring roles such as Newman on the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996� ...

Wallace Langham James Wallace Langham II (born March 11, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for playing the role of Phil the Head Writer on ''The Larry Sanders Show''. He has also played the roles of David Hodges on the crime drama television series '' CSI: ...

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...

Samantha Mathis Samantha Mathis (born May 12, 1970) is an American actress and trade union leader who served as the Vice President, Actors/Performers of SAG-AFTRA from 2015 to 2019. The daughter of actress Bibi Besch, Mathis made her film debut in '' Pump Up ...

Christopher McDonald Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) is an American actor. McDonald is best known for playing the villainous professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy '' Happy Gilmore'', a role he’d later reprise in 2025’s sequel '' H ...

Tangi Miller Tangi Miller (born February 28, 1970) is an American actress, model, director, and dancer. As an actress she is known for the role of Elena Tyler on the popular television drama '' Felicity''. Miller has received two NAACP Image Award nomination ...

, Pat O'Brien,

Adrian Pasdar Adrian Kayvan Pasdar (; April 30, 1965) is an American film, television, and voice actor. He is known for his roles in ''Profit'', '' Near Dark'', '' Carlito's Way'', '' Mysterious Ways'', ''Desperate Housewives'', '' Burn Notice'', '' Heroes'' a ...

Emily Perkins Emily Jean Perkins (born May 4, 1977) is a Canadian actress, known for her roles as Crystal Braywood in the TV series ''Hiccups'', young Beverly Marsh in '' Stephen King's It'', and Brigitte Fitzgerald in '' Ginger Snaps''. Since the late 1980s ...

Jeremy Piven Jeremy Samuel Piven (born July 26, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series '' Entourage'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the Britis ...

Jaime Pressly Jaime Elizabeth Pressly (born July 30, 1977) is an American actress and model. Known for her role as Joy Turner on the NBC sitcom ''My Name Is Earl'' (2005–2009), she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy ...

James Remar William James Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. He has played numerous roles over a 45-year career, most notably Ajax in '' The Warriors'' (1979), Albert Ganz in '' 48 Hrs.'' (1982), Dutch Schultz in '' The Cotton Club'' (198 ...

Portia de Rossi Portia Lee James DeGeneres (born Amanda Lee Rogers; 31 January 1973), known professionally as Portia de Rossi, is an Australian-American former actress. She played Nelle Porter on the American drama series ''Ally McBeal'' (1998–2002), for wh ...

Eriq La Salle Erik Ki La Salle (born July 23, 1962), professionally known as Eriq La Salle, is an American actor, director, writer and producer. La Salle is known for his performance as Dr. Peter Benton in the NBC medical drama '' ER'' (1994–2002; 2008 ...

Michael Shanks Michael Garrett Shanks (born December 15, 1970) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Daniel Jackson in the long-running military science fiction television series ''Stargate SG-1'' and as Dr Charles Harris in the Canadian medi ...

Jeremy Sisto Jeremy Merton Sisto (born October 6, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Billy Chenowith in HBO's '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2005), NYPD Detective Cyrus Lupo in NBC's ''Law & Order'' (2008–2010), George Altman in the AB ...

Jessica Simpson Jessica Ann Johnson (née Simpson; born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, '' ...

Ione Skye Ione Skye Lee (born September 4, 1970) is a British-American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller '' River's Edge'' (1986) before gaining mainstream exposure by starring in Cameron Crowe's '' Say Anything...'' (1989). She continued ...

Amber Tamblyn Amber Rose Tamblyn (born May 14, 1983) is an American actress and author. She first came to national attention in her role on the soap opera ''General Hospital'' as Emily Quartermaine at the age of 11. She followed with a starring role on the p ...

Christopher Titus Christopher Titus (born October 1, 1964) is an American comedian, podcaster, and actor. He was the star, executive producer, and co-creator of the eponymous ''Titus'' sitcom on FOX from 2000 to 2002. His life experience with a dysfunctional fa ...

Robin Tunney Robin Tunney (born June 19, 1972) is an American actress who made her film debut in '' Encino Man'' (1992), and later rose to prominence with headline parts in the cult films ''Empire Records'' (1995) and '' The Craft'' (1996). Her performance in ...

Vincent Ventresca Vincent Paul Gerard Ventresca (born April 29, 1966) is an American actor, perhaps best known for portraying Darien Fawkes on Sci-Fi's ''The Invisible Man'', and Professor Jack Reed on NBC's ''Boston Common''. Ventresca is also known for his guest ...

Dylan Walsh Dylan Walsh (born Charles Hunter Walsh; November 17, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dr. Sean McNamara on the FX television series '' Nip/Tuck'', Al Burns on '' Unforgettable'', and Sam Lane on '' Superman & Lois' ...

, Don S. Davis,

Frank Whaley Frank Joseph Whaley (born July 20, 1963) is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, musician and comedian. His roles include Brett in ''Pulp Fiction'', Robby Krieger in ''The Doors'', Jim Dodge in '' Career Opportunities'', young Archie ...

Alicia Witt Alicia Roanne Witt (born August 21, 1975) is an American actress and musician. She first came to fame as a child actress after being discovered by David Lynch, who cast her in ''Dune'' (1984) and ''Twin Peaks'' (1990). Witt was a regular on Cyb ...

, and

Gordon Michael Woolvett Gordon Michael Woolvett (born 1970) is a Canadian actor from Hamilton, Ontario. Career Woolvett's most enduring role was as Seamus Zelazny Harper on the television series '' Andromeda'' (2000–2005). Prior to ''Andromeda'' he starred in anoth ...

. McDonald, Langham, Xander Berkeley, and Haas had all previously guest starred in the 1980s revival.

Theme song

An original opening was used for the first half of the season which included images of Rod Serling and a creepier musical arrangement. For unknown reasons, this was changed to the more iconic opening with a rock-theme score provided by

Jonathan Davis Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, which is considered a pioneering act of the nu metal genre. Davis's ...

(singer of the band

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...

). This version of the opening has the Serling images removed and would be the main one used in all episodes in future reruns and on the DVD boxset release.

Cancellation

The series did not enjoy the same level of critical or ratings success as the original series or the 1980s revival, and only lasted one season.

Episodes

Home media

The complete series was released on DVD by

New Line Home Entertainment New Line Home Entertainment (formerly known as New Line Home Video) was the home entertainment distribution arm of the film production studio of the same name, founded in 1990. It was responsible for the distribution of all New Line Cinema the ...

in a six disc box set on September 7, 2004. The episodes are presented in their production order, not their broadcast order.

References

External links

*
Discussion of the episodesEpisode numbers and details
{{DEFAULTSORT:Twilight Zone (2002 TV series), The 2002 American television series debuts 2003 American television series endings 2000s American science fiction television series 2000s American anthology television series 2002 Canadian television series debuts 2003 Canadian television series endings 2000s Canadian science fiction television series 2000s Canadian anthology television series UPN original programming The Twilight Zone Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios American television series reboots American English-language television shows Works by Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz Television shows filmed in Vancouver Television series created by Rod Serling Television series by New Line Television Science fiction anthology television series