Twilight Zone (1985)

[bdub76]

Anybody remember this iteration of the show?

I started watching it again, finding random episodes on YouTube.

Today, I watched Shatterday, and it was really good. Bruce Willis stars. Wes Craven directed. And Harlan Ellison adapted his short story.

Another good one was Gramma. It's an adaptation of a Stephen King short story. It stars the kid from Neverending Story.

Anyway, I wish this show got a blu ray release.

 

[USS Firefly]

I have seen every episode of the 1960's show and loved it! Especially because they are short episodes, about 20 minutes. The reason I am not going to watch these show is because they are twice the run and that doesn't appeal to me

 

[the G-man]

It was pretty good, even great at times. I remember "Monsters," "Wordplay," "A Small Talent for War," "the Hellgramite," and "A Message from Charity" being my personal standouts.

 

[JD]

I haven't seen it, but I think they've been on TV lately, possibly on Comet, but I'm not positive.

 

[Starkers]

I remember renting VHS tapes with various episodes on them. The three things burned into my brain...

1. Bruce Willis in Shatterday.
2. The Shadowman (great ending!)
3. I of Newton (silly but I love the ending)

 

[JD]

I just saw it on the TV listings and it's not Comet, it's on MeTV+.

 

[MarcKyle1964]

I just saw it on the TV listings and it's not Comet, it's on MeTV+.

We don't have that here, just MeTV. I remember watching the new episodes and enjoying them very much and wondered why they stopped. It was usually shown just before a pre Warehouse 13esque show called 'Friday the 13th' where two people had to retrieve evil artifacts.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I have seen every episode of the 1960's show and loved it! Especially because they are short episodes, about 20 minutes. The reason I am not going to watch these show is because they are twice the run and that doesn't appeal to me

Not exactly a fair appraisal.

Yes, an episode is 44-ish minutes in length, counting credits, no ads, but there can be up to 3 stories per episode, so although there are bigg'ins that go against the grain for you, there are also stories that fit your preferred length of 20 minutes or there are even shorter stories that are 8 and a half minutes like this...

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Although I believe season four of Twilight Zone 1959 changed their format to 50 minutes stories.

 

[bdub76]

We don't have that here, just MeTV. I remember watching the new episodes and enjoying them very much and wondered why they stopped. It was usually shown just before a pre Warehouse 13esque show called 'Friday the 13th' where two people had to retrieve evil artifacts.

Friday the 13th the series has some good episodes. It's basically Warehouse 13 with a horror angle.

 

[bdub76]

I remember renting VHS tapes with various episodes on them. The three things burned into my brain...

1. Bruce Willis in Shatterday.
2. The Shadowman (great ending!)
3. I of Newton (silly but I love the ending)

Gramma is a good Stephen King adaptation. The suspense definitely works.

 

[Artoo Atari]

I remember a few episodes. I had to go and look up the titles...

Little Boy Lost
Shelter Skelter
A Little Peace and Quiet

 

[USS Firefly]

Not exactly a fair appraisal.

Yes, an episode is 44-ish minutes in length, counting credits, no ads, but there can be up to 3 stories per episode, so although there are bigg'ins that go against the grain for you, there are also stories that fit your preferred length of 20 minutes or there are even shorter stories that are 8 and a half minutes like this...

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Although I believe season four of Twilight Zone 1959 changed their format to 50 minutes stories.

Season four is my least favorite season.
I didn't know that the 1985 show had three story's in one episode

 

[Guy Gardener]

1, 2 or 3.

But as far as youtube is concerned the short, medium and long stories are all posted separately, divided up as single stories not anthological episodes, so it's not hard to pick out the stories that seem interesting, or check through the catalog by length.

 

[Tosk]

I liked the '80s Twilight Zone. Plus it's fun to keep an eye out for the many Trek actors who show up in it.

 

[somebuddyX]

I don't think I've watched any episode of any Twilight Zone. I was an Outer Limits guy. However...

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[the G-man]

It was pretty good, even great at times. I remember "Monsters," "Wordplay," "A Small Talent for War," "the Hellgramite," and "A Message from Charity" being my personal standouts.

 

[Unicron]

"Profile in Silver" is another good one, and I can probably think of some others.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I bought the complete series on DVD at Walmart about a decade ago. I had heard of it but too young to really remember it when aired. I never watched whole show but great thing about an anthology series is I can watch any random episode I want. There is some great stuff in there. Sometimes I just skim episode list and guest stars to get ideas what to choose.

Profile In Silver, involving JFK assassination
Once and Future King, involving Elvis impersonator who goes back and takes his place

I highly doubt the show will ever get Blu Ray release though. Like most shows of that era it suffers from being edited on video. So no film edits of the episodes exist. At least us my memory from last time I watched.

 

[MarcKyle1964]

I remember Paladin of the Lost Hour, A Little Peace And Quiet and Dead Run most.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

MeTV+ started airing this version on Sunday. I've caught a few episodes after 40 years and, unfortunately, they don't really hold up that well; too many of them feel like they belong as part of The Outer Limits (1995) revival.
It doesn't help that there were three different format changes throughout the course of the series.
The first season was an hour long and consisted of three fifteen to twenty minute episodes or two thirty minute episodes.
The second season started out with hour long episodes before being retooled into two thirty minute episodes.
And the syndicated package consisted of half hour episodes.
The first season episodes that consist of three episodes harkens back to Night Galley, short little blackout sketches that don't really have time to build to the twist.
The hour long episodes suffer from the same fate as the original hour long episodes did; too much padding.
Also, the episodes suffer from being shot on videotape. They might have looked fine on your old twenty inch color tv, but on my 32 inch flatscreen, it looks soft and fuzzy, and it doesn't help that they've partially stretched the image to fit the screen.