The Twilight Zonehas many memorable episodes worth watching more than once, but there are some episodes I skip on a rewatch for different reasons. Created by Rod Serling,The Twilight Zoneaired on CBS between 1959 and 1964 for five seasons, and is one ofthe best TV shows of all time, as well as one of the most influential ones.
Some ofthe bestTwilight Zoneepisodeshave become part of pop culture and have been endlessly referenced and parodied in other media. However,The Twilight Zonealso has many weak episodes that don’t quite feel like part of the show, and others are so terrifying that it’s best to skip them on a rewatch.
10"An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge"
Season 5, Episode 22
“An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” is a special case inThe Twilight Zoneas it’s a short film used as an episode. Directed by Robert Enrico, “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” follows a man who is sentenced to death by hanging. However, the rope breaks, and the man gets to escape – of course, there’s a dark twist at the end.
“An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” won the 1963 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, and it was used inThe Twilight Zoneas the show was struggling during the production of season 5. One of my reasons for skipping this episode is that, as it’s a short film unrelated to the show, it doesn’t feel like aTwilight Zoneepisode.
Another reason is that its twist ending is quite dark and tragic, though if the show had made an actual adaptation of the story, it could have been even more heartbreaking. “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” is an episode to watch once, and you can skip it later as it isn’t relevant.
9"Night Call"
Season 5, Episode 19
“Night Call” is one ofThe Twilight Zone’s best and scariest episodes. It’s the story of Elva Keene (Gladys Cooper), a paraplegic old woman who, in the middle of a stormy night, receives a strange anonymous call. For the next couple of nights, she continues to receive such calls, with a man later repeating “Hello?” over and over.
The calls gradually escalate to the point where the man repeats “Where are you? I want to talk to you”, while Elva pressures the phone company to find the caller. Elva eventually learns where the calls come from, and “Night Call” has not only a sinister reveal but also a very heartbreaking ending.
As much as I like “Night Call”, it’s an episode that I can’t rewatch due to how devastating its ending is. The themes addressed in this episode, along with Elva’s final scene, are quite heavy, so it’s not an episode I look forward to revisiting during aTwilight Zonerewatch.
8"A Kind of a Stopwatch"
Season 5, Episode 4
The Twilight Zoneseason 5 has many episodes that aren’t exactly the show’s best or most entertaining. Among them is “A Kind of a Stopwatch”, which follows Patrick McNulty (Richard Erdman), an annoying, self-important man who is fired from his job and given a stopwatch by a drunk man at the bar.
The watch allows McNulty to stop time whenever he wants, and, of course, he decides to use it to rob a bank, but it goes wrong. While the story of “A Kind of a Stopwatch” isn’t bad, it’s its protagonist that makes this episode skippable.
McNulty is unlikable, annoying, and should never have had the power of a stopwatch, all this making it hard to feel bad for what happens to him at the end. “A Kind of a Stopwatch” had potential, but it was wasted.
7“Black Leather Jackets”
Season 5, Episode 18
Another episode fromThe Twilight Zoneseason 5 that I skip is “Black Leather Jackets.” The episode follows three aliens disguised as young men wearing leather jackets, who call themselves Scott, Steve, and Fred. Their plan is to exterminate humankind, but it takes a turn when the youngest, Scott, falls in love with their neighbor.
Not only is the aliens’ plan bad (they want to kill everyone by poisoning water), but their efforts to blend with humans are cringy and even cheesy at times. The story of the episode is also quite predictable, so there’s nothing that can surprise the audience and thus make “Black Leather Jackets” a memorable and rewatchable episode.
6“Cavender Is Coming”
Season 3, Episode 36
“Cavender Is Coming” is an infamousTwilight Zoneepisode for a couple of reasons, some of which are also why I tend to skip it. “Cavender Is Coming” follows angel Harmon Cavender (Jesse White), who is tasked with improving the life of clumsy Agnes (Carol Burnett) in 24 hours so he can finally earn his wings.
Cavender proves to her that he’s her guardian angel by turning the bus their in into a horse and buggy, and he gives her a mansion, lots of money, and more. “Cavender Is Coming” doesn’t have a disturbing twist or tragic ending, as the whole episode, in general, is more comedic than most episodes, and it doesn’t feel like aTwilight Zoneepisode at all.
5“Living Doll”
Season 5, Episode 6
“Living Doll” is regarded as one of the best and scariestTwilight Zoneepisodes, but it’s too disturbing to watch more than once. “Living Doll” is the story of Christie, a young girl who is gifted a wind-up doll named “Talky Tina” by her mother, Annabelle. Annabelle has recently remarried, and Tina is a gift to comfort Christie.
Annabelle’s husband, Erich, is angry at his inability to have children, and he takes it out on Christie. Tina says “I love you very much” when Christie is with her, but when Erich takes her, it changes to “I don’t like you” and other negative phrases.
When the doll begins to talk more, Erich tries to get rid of her, and he grows angrier and more paranoid. “Living Doll” perfectly uses the common fear of dolls to its advantage, but the horror isn’t just in the talking doll, but in Erich himself, who represents a much more realistic type of horror. “Living Doll” is great, but it’s too scary for a rewatch.
4“Long Distance Call”
Season 2, Episode 22
“Long Distance Call” is the story of Billy (Bill Mumy), who, at his 5th birthday party, is given a toy telephone by his very ill grandmother. When she passes away, Billy spends most of his time on the toy telephone, claiming to be talking to his grandmother.
Of course, “Long Distance Call” has a disturbing twist, and it’s one specific scene during that twist and reveal that makes this episode quite shocking. “Long Distance Call” is a greatTwilight Zoneepisode, but that scene alone makes me skip it on a rewatch.
3“Caesar and Me”
Season 5, Episode 28
“Caesar and Me” follows Jonathan West (Jackie Cooper), a perpetually broke and unsuccessful ventriloquist. Unbeknownst to everyone, his dummy, Little Caesar, talks to him, and as Jonathan keeps failing to get a job, Caesar convinces him to commit burglaries.
While it does have a twist ending fitting withThe Twilight Zone, the episode as a whole feels lazy, especially after another similar episode (more on that in a bit). The dummy itself is creepy enough to make me not want to watch this episode again, but the story isn’t engaging enough, nor is the main character one you’d like to root for.
2“The Dummy”
Season 3, Episode 33
Before “Caesar and Me”, there was “The Dummy”, regarded as one of the scariest episodes ofThe Twilight Zone. In it, Jerry Etherson (Cliff Robertson) performs with his dummy, Willy, who he’s convinced is alive. Those close to Jerry think he’s hallucinating and needs psychiatric help, but Jerry is being stalked by Willy.
The dummy used in this episode is the same one seen in “Caesar and Me”, but used a lot more effectively. Willy is nightmare-inducing, and the paranoia, fear, and stress Jerry goes through are real-life horrors. “The Dummy” is brilliant, but it’s too scary and anxiety-inducing to watch again.
1“The Bard”
Season 4, Episode 18
“The Bard” ranks among the worstTwilight Zoneepisodes, and I have to agree with that. “The Bard” follows Julius K. Moomer (Jack Weston), a screenwriter desperate to sell a script. Julius gets his hands on a book about black magic while researching for a new show, and he accidentally summons William Shakespeare (yes, really).
The Bard helps Julius write his next script, which is a success. However, Shakespeare isn’t happy with how his story is treated, and Julius finds other ways to continue his streak of success. “The Bard” has bad performances, a weird plot that doesn’t even work forThe Twilight Zone, and a sense of humor that feels forced.
“The Bard” isn’t an episode worth rewatching, and like others on this list, it doesn’t really feel like aTwilight Zoneepisode, which has made it easy to skip and forget.
