Twilight Zone or Outer Limits?

[JD Spydo]

As a well established "BOOMER" ( baby boom generation) I feel extremely privileged to have lived through what could possibly be THEE GOLDEN ERA of Television. I distinctly remember the first runs of "Leave It To Beaver" and "The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis" as TV Shows I literally cut my teeth on. However the lists of actors who got their start either on the TWILIGHT ZONE or OUTER LIMITS are huge. It would take me at least 45 minutes to name them all. But with Science Fiction and Horror being two of my favorite genres the Twilight Zone and Outer Limits are still at the top IMO.

The TWILIGHT ZONE & The OUTER LIMITS were two of those types of TV Shows that are permanently tatoooed on my brians like very few others ever did. Those two shows were the greatest of the horror/Sci Fi genre that were ever made in my most humble opinion. Both shows had huge fan bases that continue to this day. Also it blows my mind as to how many younger people I encounter these days that I meet that look forward to holidays when the SY FY channel on cable TV has marathons of The TWILIGHT ZONE.

There have been books written and Coast To Coast AM frequently has guests who claim to be experts on one or the other of those two classic TV Shows. I guess it's fair to say that The TWILIGHT ZONE has just a bit more name recognition and is better known overall. But occasionally I'll still run into someone who is a total fanatic about the OUTER LIMITS TV show and the debate never seems to end. Both of those TV Shows to this day still have a huge fan base. Personally I loved both shows myself but my vote would probably go to The Twilight Zone for various reasons.

So which of the two shows did you all like the best? Or if there is another Science Fiction/horror type show from that era that you thought was even better please feel free to discuss that one as well. And no I haven't forgot the 1960s Alfred Hitchcock show that also ran in the 60s that was similar in some ways. But the Twilight Zone and Outer Limits both have the biggest cult following to this very day. And feel free to name an episode of either show that stuck with you for many years? And which of the two shows would you all like to see return in a modern version? Let's talk about the Twilight Zone and Outer Limits TV Shows shall we.

[James Y]

I've seen both as a child, but the only one with episodes I can actually remember with clarity from back then is Twilight Zone. I only recall Outer Limits very briefly, then it wasn't on anymore. So I can't make a fair comparison between the two. So I'll have to pick Twilight Zone.

I think my all-time favorite episode, which I first saw only in the early 2000s, is "He's Alive," about a neo-nazi (Dennis Hopper) who encounters Hitler's ghost. Here's the end monologue from that episode; sadly, it still rings true today:

https://youtu.be/B3ID7k0_xn4

One afternoon when I was about 3, my brother forced me to watch this episode about a ventriloquist dummy that scared me, and gave me a childhood fear of dummies. I saw the episode again years later, and wondered what had scared me about it. But it left such a big impression at the time that I even remembered small details about the episode.

https://youtu.be/7GVyCqUHYuY

Jim

[Manixguy@1994]

I loved both shows and honestly can’t say I liked one more over the other . Both could have ironic endings to twist a storyline. I actually enjoyed them more than some of Sci-Fi shows of that era . MG2

[TomAiello]

Definitely Twilight Zone. Even the 1980s (?) remake was pretty good. I particularly liked 'Little Boy Lost' and 'Personal Demon'.

I think my favorite original Twilight Zone episode was 'To Serve Man'.

[Doc Dan]

What do you mean, "or"?! It is both, of course! These were two of my favorite shows.

[dsvirsky]

Gotta' agree with Doc, both.

[JD Spydo]

Most interesting answers so far. For Jim who doesn't remember the Outer Limits there are entire episodes on Bitchute.com >> at least there was back in the fall of last year when I watched a couple of the older Outer Limits shows. One Outer Limits episode I really enjoyed was with actor David McCallum who if you all remember played along with Robert Vaughn in "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." TV show from the 60s.

The episode that McCallum played in was a type of time travel which was way ahead of it's time for the mid 60s. I've often wondered if Irwin Allen's "Time Tunnel" TV show from the 60s was a result of that show.

I guess my all time favorite Twilight Zone episode was entitled "The Living Doll">> you all have to remember the doll named "Talking Tina".
with actor Telly Savalas ( Kojak fame) who played the evil step-dad. Well if you all watched that one you realize that the doll got even with him. CHUCKIE had nothing on Talking Tina IMO.

I've got very fond memories of both shows. So my favorite would depend on certain episodes of each show. It seemed like the Outer Limits was more scientific based. Because they were both great shows and way ahead of their time.

[Cowboyfromhell]

I grew up in the 80s and 90s and love sci-fi and horror. Some of my favorites are...

Tales from the dark side
Tales from the crypt
Amazing stories
The Munsters
Alfred Hitchcock presents
Ray Bradbury theater
Twilight zone
Outer limits
X-Files

[The Deacon]

Like them both, JD. But, if I had to pick a favorite between them it would the Twilight Zone. Another good one, and probably the one that started the genre, was Inner Sanctum. Only lasted one season, probably because it was ahead of its time when it aired in '54.

[TomAiello]

you all have to remember the doll named "Talking Tina".

Oh man. I shiver just remembering that.

I remember seeing one when I was a kid where a child rolled through a rift that formed in the wall next to their bed, and was lost in another dimension. I had to move my bed away from the wall and would lay there at night worried that I might just slide through the wall into another world.

[JD Spydo]

Like them both, JD. But, if I had to pick a favorite between them it would the Twilight Zone. Another good one, and probably the one that started the genre, was Inner Sanctum. Only lasted one season, probably because it was ahead of its time when it aired in '54.

That is so interesting you bring up that show "Inner Sanctum". My older brother who is about 8 years older than me told me of that show a long time ago. Do you know if they have any videos on that one? Maybe it's on Youtbe. There were a few movies and shows back in the 50s that were ahead of their time for sure.

Again it is so astounding that so many really famous actors and actresses got their start on both of those shows. Especially the Twilight Zone. The list of actors who got their start there is a really long one. Check out the two Zone episodes that starred William Shatner ( Star Trek fame). Those were both excellent episodes.

Donna Douglas ( Ellie Mae on the Beverly Hillbillies) was in a really strange episode of the Zone. Burgess Meredith was in a really good episode and the list goes on and on.

[James Y]

you all have to remember the doll named "Talking Tina".

Oh man. I shiver just remembering that.

I remember seeing one when I was a kid where a child rolled through a rift that formed in the wall next to their bed, and was lost in another dimension. I had to move my bed away from the wall and would lay there at night worried that I might just slide through the wall into another world.

I remember that one! The first time I saw the movie Poltergeist back in 1982, it reminded me of that old Twilight Zone episode. In the movie, the young daughter was pulled into another dimension.

Jim

[James Y]

There was an episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery about a possessed doll whose face can change to an evil, toothy grin, and it bites.

Another creepy Night Gallery episode had an old woman who was buried in her garden, and at the end, she sprouts back up, and is sitting in her rocking chair again, saying "Everything I plant grows."

Jim

[JD Spydo]

you all have to remember the doll named "Talking Tina".

Oh man. I shiver just remembering that.

I remember seeing one when I was a kid where a child rolled through a rift that formed in the wall next to their bed, and was lost in another dimension. I had to move my bed away from the wall and would lay there at night worried that I might just slide through the wall into another world.

I just watched the "Talking Tina" episode about two months ago at a friend's house. And I'll admit that show still gave me the creeps after all these years. Especially with all the talk in the past few years about demonic possession and other stuff of that nature all over the internet and movies.

One of the older episodes that was really creepy starred George Lindsey ( Goober on the old Andy Griffith show). It was very strange even to this day. Lindsey had a lot of really strange acting roles before he ever made it to the Andy Griffith show.

Another Twilight Zone actor who did the Andy Griffith show as a guy named Michael J. Pollard>> he was just a very strange guy period and even did a role in Star Trek that was really super weird.

[justjohn]

It's gotta be "The Zone" hands down. I still catch the syndicated re-runs almost every day. Rod Sirling is a freaky dude and his intros compliment every episode.

[JD Spydo]

It's gotta be "The Zone" hands down. I still catch the syndicated re-runs almost every day. Rod Sirling is a freaky dude and his intros compliment every episode.

Yeah I used to even find Rod Serling's "intros" to be almost as weird as the episodes themselves at times. I heard that he smoked between 3 to 4 packs of cigarettes daily. He had just turned 50 when he died which is pretty young by USA standards.

Come to think of it I don't ever remember seeing Rod Serling either on video or in a still photo when he didn't have a cigarette in his hand. It was truly a completely different time back then. They used to let people smoke anywhere they wanted back in those days. I even remember TV and radio cigarette commercials saying that smoking was truly good for you. And there were brands that were even approved by doctors

[JD Spydo]

Definitely Twilight Zone. Even the 1980s (?) remake was pretty good. I particularly liked 'Little Boy Lost' and 'Personal Demon'.

I think my favorite original Twilight Zone episode was 'To Serve Man'.

"To Serve Man" was a really good Twilight Zone episode. It reminds me of how absolutely stupid our society has acted during these past two years. Monkey See, Monkey Do and that episode nails it and shows how all these lemmings just follow the "Pied Piper" not realizing what they got themselves into.
Like I said earlier "The Living Doll" is most definitely a great episode even by today's standards and Telly Salavas plays the evil step dad so perfectly but yet the doll get's even with him. Telly Savalas character Eric was such a jerk I was kind of rooting for the evil doll. Yep those were the good ol days with zero political correctness.

I'll never forget that one Outer Limits episode with David McCallum being the scientist that is able to transcend centuries of time through technology and shows what we might look like maybe 2500 years from now. I'm sorry that the Outer Limits didn't run longer than it did. I think it only had 2 to 3 seasons and they cut it for budget reasons. Kind of like they do stuff in today's environment.

Both shows had true professionalism and both were way ahead of their time IMO.