Anyone else watch the Twilight Zone revivals?

[Christopher]

Someone mentioned an updated version of The Outer Limits. I think I remember seeing one episode of it (at least I think it was The Outer Limits). David Ogden Stiers played a man who had a baby cloned from cells found on the Shroud of Turin.

Yep, IMDb confirms that Stiers was in a 1999 episode of The Outer Limits called "The Shroud."

The Outer Limits remake had some awesome episodes (such as "Tribunal", one of the greatest eps ever) and some real stinkers as well.

I didn't care for it overall. It was too committed to its "science is evil" outlook. Every time someone tried to expand human knowledge or innovate beyond what we already had, it was portrayed as a doomed and dangerous exercise that would bring down punishment on any who dared to broaden their minds. It wasn't science fiction, it was anti-science fiction.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Nothing beats the original. I tend to think of the revivals as crap.

The problem with the revivals is that the writers suffered from the same misconception as average TZ fanfic writers: all you have to do is add a twist and you've written a Twilight Zone episode. A perfect example of this is "A Small Talent for War," where the writers must have told themselves "Ooh, it has a play on words and aliens, so it's like 'To Serve Man!' We're so cool!"

That was a big problem with the generation (many Baby Boomers) who produced fantasy anthology series in the 80s; they were either applying simple-minded interpretations / inspiration of EC comics, or things from the original TZ, Thriller, etc., but lacking the creativity which made those comics & TV series innovative and special.

Rod Serling rules. Imitators drool.

Indeed.

Amazing Stories was mostly disappointing to me. The only episode I remember at all at this point was the one with Christopher Lloyd.

By the time of AS, there was a feel of arrogance from Spielberg (and associated film making cronies of that generation) thinking they were "masters" of fantasy--the natural heir-apparent to the most cherished and/or influential fantasy creators. However, like the TZ revival, the awful Tales from the Darkside, and Darkroom, some thought overused plots and forced "wonder" or "shock" was the equivalent of great fantasy. Even when writers of that greater generation were involved, it was all smothered by the overall lack of heart, direction and creative fire of earlier anthology series.

 

[Trekkin]

Linkara from AtopTheForthWall did a Halloween show listing his 15 epidodes from the 80's revival.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJLN30IvTBU&app=desktop[/yt]

Some we mentioned here, some we left out. He did conclude the series is underrated, but that the weakest episodes tended to be the direct remakes of original episodes.

Funny you mention 'Thriller', TREK_GOD, Stephen King considered TZ to be Thriller's lesser cousin in terms of genre TV. He preferred how 'Thriller' (and Outer Limts as well, I believe) went for the throat. Though all up he claimed that television genre anthologies themselves were fairly weak and lacked the creativity and atmosphere of the radio genre anthologies from the preceding decades
.

 

[E-DUB]

I've actually had people tell me about TZ, "Some of the endings are such cliches."

And I reply, "And where do you thing those cliches came from?"

 

[TalkieToaster]

Linkara from AtopTheForthWall did a Halloween show listing his 15 epidodes from the 80's revival.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJLN30IvTBU&app=desktop[/yt]

Some we mentioned here, some we left out. He did conclude the series is underrated, but that the weakest episodes tended to be the direct remakes of original episodes.

Funny you mention 'Thriller', TREK_GOD, Stephen King considered TZ to be Thriller's lesser cousin in terms of genre TV. He preferred how 'Thriller' (and Outer Limts as well, I believe) went for the throat. Though all up he claimed that television genre anthologies themselves were fairly weak and lacked the creativity and atmosphere of the radio genre anthologies from the preceding decades
.

Thanks for posting the video, I liked it and mostly agreed with his choices. Two stories he didn't mention that I'd count among my favorites are "Quarantine" and "Take My Life...Please!". with "A Small Talent for War", "Dead Run", and "Shelter Skelter" completing my top five. As far as remakes of original TZ episodes, he forgot "Dead Woman's Shoes", a remake of "Dead Man's Shoes" starring Helen Mirren. I liked that one and the "Night of the Meek" remake, but agree that the other remakes were weak. My favorite TZ remake ever is the "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" remake in the TZ movie with Lithgow in Shatner's role, which led to a great joke when the two met in 3rd Rock From the Sun.

I saw the original Outer Limits recently(haven't seen the revival) and thought it was mostly pretty dull. I liked both Harlan Ellison episodes, but otherwise I thought it mostly wasn't very good compared to the original TZ.