“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man.” From Rod Serling comes the iconic sci-fi/fantasy anthology series The Twilight Zone. Dealing with themes of time travel, identity, and the nature of reality, Season 1 includes such classic episodes as “Time Enough at Last,” “The Hitch-Hiker,” “Third From the Sun,” “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” and “A Stop at Willoughby.” Additionally, some impressive guest stars are featured, including Ed Wynn, Martin Landau, Burgess Meredith, and Roddy McDowall. Also, prolific sci-fi writers Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont contribute a number scripts (though the majority of episodes are written or adapted by Serling). There are some duds in the 36 episode first season of The Twilight Zone, but overall it’s extraordinarily powerful and captures the imagination.
“A journey into a wondrous land of imagination…Next stop,” The Twilight Zone: Season 3. Delivering some of the most iconic episodes of the series, such as “It’s a Good Life,” “Deaths-Head Revisited,” “Five Characters in Search of an Exit,” “Kick the Can,” “Little Girl Lost,” “To Serve Man,” and “I Sing the Body Electric,” this season marks the end of an era as Serling and Houghton step down as producers. And their exhaustion is quite noticeable on-screen, as many of the stories are rehashes of previous episodes (through often done better). Yet the list of guest stars is extraordinary and features a nice mix of established and up-and-coming stars; including Charles Bronson, Elizabeth Montgomery, Jack Klugman, Peter Falk, Lee Marvin, Buster Keaton, Robert Redford, Carol Burnett, and Donald Pleasence. While Season 3 of The Twilight Zone explores a lot of interesting ideas and fantastical concepts, it came at a price and it nearly ended the series.
The dimension of imagination comes to an end in Twilight Zone’s fifth season. The show returns to its half-hour format and Serling gets a little more involved. And as a result, several classic episodes come out of this season; such as “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “Living Doll,” “The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms,” “Number 12 Looks Just Like You,” “The Masks,” and “Mr. Garrity and the Graves.” Also, the list of guest stars is pretty strong and includes Jack Klugman, Mickey Rooney, Telly Savalas, Jackie Cooper, Ed Wynn, and Robbie the Robot. Still, the show kind of loses its way, as its sense of irony and moral comeuppance isn’t always clear. Season 5 of Twilight Zone is a return to form, but it doesn’t quite recapture the mystique of earlier seasons.
“You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into …The Twilight Zone.” Having proven itself, The Twilight Zone delivers even more incredible sci-fi and fantasy stories in its second season. Featuring such classic episodes as “The Howling Man,” “Nick of Time,” “Eye of the Beholder,” “The Odyssey of Flight 33,” and “The Obsolete Man,” Season 2 is especially strong, with a clear focus on the themes of the series. Additionally, there are some format changes; including Rod Serling coming out in front of the camera for his introductions, and an experiment with shooting on video as a cost cutting measure. Yet the show still maintains an impressive list of guest stars, such as William Shatner, Art Carney, Burgess Meredith, and Cliff Robertson. Taking the series deeper into the realms of the fantastical, The Twilight Zone: Season 2 is extraordinarily thought-provoking and compelling.
Featuring a new creative team led by Wes Craven, Harlan Ellison, and Rockne S. O’Bannon, CBS revives its classic sci-fi/fantasy anthology series, The Twilight Zone, for the 1980s. With stories by Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen King, Richard Matheson, and George R.R Martin, Season 1 puts forth an impressive effort, proving worthy of carrying on the mantel. A few of the highlights include “A Little Peace and Quiet,” “Examination Day,” “A Matter of Minutes,” and “The Last Defender of Camelot.” Also, a couple of episodes from the original series, such as “Night of the Meek” and “Shadow Play,” are remade and updated for the 1980s. And the list of guest stars is full of up and coming actors that would go on to become big Hollywood stars: Bruce Willis, Annie Potts, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, William Atherton, Frances McDormand, and Lori Petty. The show has its problems of course (a weak narrator, cheesy special effects, etc.), but overall Season 1 of The Twilight Zone revival is pretty good.
“As sure as my name is Boris Karloff, this is a Thriller.” Hosted by legendary horror master Boris Karloff, Thriller spins riveting tales of the strange and macabre. A mix of crime and horror stories, the show lacks a constant tone (though the same could be said of most anthology series). Season 1 features the writing talents of Charles Beaumont, Donald S. Sanford, Douglas Heyes, and Robert Bloch, and the list of guest stars includes such notable actors as Leslie Nielsen, Natalie Trundy, Audrey Dalton, James Gregory, Robert Vaughn, and William Shatner. And while the quality of the episodes varies, some of the highlights include “The Hungry Glass,” “The Cheaters,” “Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper,” and “The Grim Reaper.” It has some problems defining what kind of show it wants to be, but eventually Season 1 of Thriller finds itself and delivers the ghastly chills and compelling drama that it promises.
Rebranded as just “Twilight Zone,” the series is resurrected for a fourth season and enters into a new dimension without Rod Serling at the helm. Experimenting with a new format, the episodes are expanded to an hour with more detailed plots and character arcs. However, this often works to the episodes’ detriment; taking away the wonder and quick wit that the series is known for. And a lot of the stories are retreads from previous seasons: astronauts slipping into alternate dimensions, time-traveling to change the past, getting a magic wish from a genie, etc., etc. Still, there are a few standout episodes, such as “He’s Alive,” “The New Exhibit,” and “On Thursday We Leave for Home.” Also, a number of impressive guest stars are featured, including Dennis Hopper, Pat Hingle, Bill Bixby, Anne Francis, Joyce Van Patten, and Burt Reynolds. Season 4 of Twilight Zone is often considered to be the black sheep of the series, but it has its moments.
The Diane years comes to an end in Cheers’ fifth season as Shelly Long leaves the show. Following Sam's marriage proposal in the Season 4 finale, he and Diane enter an on-again, off-again engagement; meanwhile Frasier and Lilith reconnect and begin a relationship, Carla buys a new house, Cliff joins a lodge, and Norm gets a new job. Additionally, the season features a special holiday episode (“Thanksgiving Orphans”) and several interesting guest stars make appearance; including John Cleese, Brent Spiner, and Billie Bird. Also, the season finale is incredibly touching and provides a nice sendoff for Diane; bringing a sense of closure to her story. Season 5 of Cheers closes the book on the Sam and Diane chapter and would’ve made for a great end to the series, but when one door closes….
Our second entry in the strange and ghoulish machinations of the mind is something we like to call Night Gallery: Season 2. With the tremendous success of the first season, Night Gallery was promoted to a weekly show with a full 22 episodes; and it proved to be its undoing. To help fill out the episodes producer Jack Laird decide to include a dozen 2-3 minute shorts, which became infamous for their slapstick-ish broad comedy and changed the tone of the series. Still, there are a number of impressive stories, including “The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes,” “Death in the Family,” “The Diary,” “Hell’s Bells,” “The Caterpillar,” and “Little Girl Lost.” And the list of guest stars is first rate; Clint Howard, Leslie Nielsen, Vincent Price, David Carradine, Orson Welles, Patty Duke, Edward G. Robinson, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Sandra Dee, Sondra Locke, and Bill Bixby. However, there’s a steep decline in the quality of Night Gallery’s second season, and while it has its moments, it’s strayed from Rod Serling’s original vision.
“There is, unseen by most, an underworld, a place that is just as real, but not as brightly lit...a dark side.” From George A. Romero comes the horror anthology series Tales from the Darkside. Season 1 features adapted stories from Stephen King, Robert Bloch, and Harlan Ellison, along with a number of original stories that explore the supernatural and the macabre; devil’s deals, witchcraft, ghosts and ghouls, and the like. Additionally, the guest cast is packed with up-and-coming stars such as Tom Noonan, Justine Bateman, Christian Slater, Harry Anderson, Carol Kane, and Jessica Harper. And, while it was a fairly low-budget production, it doesn’t really show and the make-up and effects have held up pretty well. Still, as with most anthology series, the episodes are rather hit-and-miss, and the tone is kind of uneven (particularly with the comedy episodes). Yet despite its flaws, Season 1 of Tales from the Darkside delivers some frights and creeps that are sure to chill.
Jason is on the loose once again in…err, actually Friday the 13th: The Series has no connection to the films, yet it’s still a pretty solid supernatural television show. Created by Frank Mancuso Jr. (a producer of the films), two cousins inherit an antique store from their uncle but soon discover that the antiques have been cursed, leading them to attempt to get back all the items that their uncle sold and prevent them from causing further harm. John D. LeMay and Louise Robey (or just Robey) have good chemistry together and give rather strong performances. Additionally, the writing is fairly creative in coming up with mystic powers to go with the various antiques. Also, the show is surprisingly horrific and frightening for broadcast television; unafraid to go to some fairly dark and macabre places. However, the cases-of-the-week can be rather hit-and-miss and get a little formulaic and predictable at times. Still, despite some weaknesses, Season 1 of Friday the 13th: The Series is entertaining and full of chills.
“You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to...The Outer Limits.” A classic sci-fi anthology series, The Outer Limits explores the boundaries of space and technology. Produced by Joseph Stefano, season one features alien abduction and invasion stories along with tales of advanced technologies and strange unknown creatures. Unfortunately it starts to get a little derivative after a while; recycling a handle full of stories over and over. Also, the sets and special effects make up are often cheesy and silly. Still, the list of guest stars is pretty impressive: Robert Culp, Donald Pleasence, David McCallum, Shirley Knight, Martin Landau, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Duvall, and Vera Miles, to name a few. And there are some interesting and thought provoking social commentaries throughout the episodes. Though often compared to The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits is a lesser series that delivers a mediocre first season that has trouble coming up with material.
“The Darkside is always there, waiting for us to enter, waiting to enter us” in a second season of frights, thrills, and laughs. Featuring Penelope Ann Miller, Lisa Bonet, Jerry Stiller, Darren McGavin, Seth Green, Fritz Weaver, and Connie Stevens, the list of guest stars is quite impressive. And the show gets into the holiday spirit with special episodes for Halloween (“Halloween Candy”), Thanksgiving (“The Last Car”), and Christmas (“Monster in My Room”). However, the episodes are a little more miss than hit, and the tone is all over the place; from cheesy comedy, to supernatural horror, to family drama. Also, the cheapness of the production shows through in the sets and costumes. Yet while it’s not as good as the first season, Season 2 of Tales from the Darkside still manages to deliver some disturbing chills and some fun comedic bits.
CBS resurrects its cancelled Twilight Zone revival for a limited 30-episode Season 3 just to get the series to syndication length. And as one would expect, it comes off as the half-asses, uninspired production that it was. Robin Ward takes over narrating duties, but doesn’t bring the same sense of foreboding and mystery. The episodes too are pretty lackluster, coming off as rather generic and tame compared to the previous seasons; case in point, the remake of the original series episode “A Game of Pool,” which has no passion or edginess. However, there are some highlights, such as Rod Serling’s “Our Selena is Dying,” “Memories,” and “Special Service.” Also, the guest cast is able to garner several notable stars; such as Marc Singer, Louise Fletcher, Dean Stockwell, and Janet Leigh. Yet Season 3 of The Twilight Zone has no aspirations, and delivers the most bland and forgettable season of the ‘80s revival.
Enterprise gets rebranded as “Star Trek: Enterprise” and is given a revamped theme song in its third season as it attempts an unprecedented season long story arc. In the wake of a deadly attack on Earth by an unknown alien race called the Xindi, the Enterprise is sent on an urgent mission into unexplored space to find them and prevent them from launching any further attacks. It’s a really interesting idea, but the execution is a bit lacking, as the Xindi story is broken up by a number of stand-alone episodes that disrupt the momentum. Yet, these breaks allow the show to balance out the main story arc with more traditional episodes about character development and exploration. Incredibly ambitious, Season 3 of Star Trek: Enterprise pushes the limits of the series and asks some very provocative moral and ethical questions.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine comes to an end in its seventh and final season. Sisko embarks on a quest to reopen the wormhole and meets Dax’s new host Ezri, who comes to him for help, and the Dominion War takes several turns, leading to a climatic final battle. With the show coming to an end, several recurrent characters, such as Kor, the Grand Nagus, and Sloan, and the Mirror Universe, are given farewell episodes to wrap-up their stories; all leading to an ambitious 10-episode arc that culminates in one of the best television finales ever (a near perfect conclusion to the series). Still, not all of the episodes and storylines work, and there are some tonal problems balancing the A and B stories. Also, the replacing of Terry Farrell with Nicole de Boer as Dax creates some challenges. Yet while it has a few weaknesses, Season 7 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine proves to one of the strongest of the series, sending the show out on a high note.
A transformative season for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 3 sets the course that the rest of the series will follow. Featuring such classic episodes as “Sins of the Father”, “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, and “Best of Both Worlds”, the show makes the move to serial storytelling by setting up story arcs that will continue throughout the series. And with the return of Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher, the cast is finally whole again; with everyone in their proper place. Additionally, Denise Crosby returns to give Tasha Yar new life in the series, while Tony Todd and Dwight Schultz debut as fan favorite characters Kurn and Lt. Barclay. The third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation is incredibly bold and ambitious, and moves the show out the shadow of the original series.
Worlds collide in the seventh season of Seinfeld, delivering tons of laughs. The show breaks from format and serializes a season long story-arc of George getting engaged to his former girlfriend Susan (who’s coincidentally from the last serialized season when George and Jerry wrote a TV pilot). Additionally, Elaine’s new job writing for the J. Peterman Catalog hits some rough patches, Jerry visits his parents in Florida and gets embroiled in condo association politics, and Kramer teams up with Newman for the mother of all bottle deposit scams. Fan favorite characters Lloyd Braun, Jackie Chiles, and the Soup Nazi make appearances, and several notable guest stars are featured; including Armin Shimerman, Kathy Griffin, Rob Shneider, Debra Messing, Cary Elwes, Janeane Garofalo, and Marisa Tomei. One of the strongest and most memorable seasons of the series, Season 7 of Seinfeld is incredibly fun and wildly entertaining.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine warps into a second season full of exciting adventures on the edge of the frontier. When there’s an uprising against the Bajoran government Deep Space Nine finds itself caught in the middle of a civil war, and as ships continue to explore the Gamma Quadrant they begin to hear whispers of a totalitarian regime called the Dominion. Additionally, the series returns to the Mirror Universe from TOS in the episode “Crossover,” and begins to lay the foundation for Star Trek: Voyager with “The Maquis Part 1 & 2.” And there’s some good character development as well, with Odo and Quark matching wits, Bashir building a relationship with the mysterious Garak, and Kira falling in love with Vedek Bereil. Also, several notable guest stars are featured, including Frank Langella, John Glover, Chris Sarandon, and Paul Dooley. Season 2 of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine does a great job at building the series and continues to explore interesting new facets of the Star Trek Universe.
Widely considered one of the worst seasons of any Trek series, Star Trek: Voyager’s shaky start gets a little rockier in Season 2 as the show continues to stumble. The writers still haven’t figured out what they want the show to be and end up trying to force it into a TNG structure; to the point of turning the main alien antagonists (the Kazon) into bad Klingon rip-offs and calling TNG cast members to the rescue with Lt. Barclay and Q episodes. Still, there are a couple of good episodes here and there, and an interesting story-arc about a crewmember who turns trader. But then there are episodes like “Threshold”; which many fans rank as the worst of the series and some even consider to be non-canon. Incredibly uneven, Season 2 of Star Trek: Voyager is barely mediocre and gets by mainly on good will.
A bold new type of sitcom, Arrested Development: Season 1 is an ingenious comedy with a unique brand of humor. Using an interesting meta narrative format, the show follows real estate developer Michael Bluth as he struggles to keep his family together and save the family business after his father is imprisoned for embezzling funds. The cast is especially strong, particularly Jason Bateman and Will Arnett; who both bring a lot of charisma to their roles. There are also a number of impressive guest stars featured, including Heather Graham, Carl Weathers, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Additionally, the comedy is extraordinarily sharp, and remarkably consistent; as a number of jokes reoccur and are carried on throughout multiple episodes. A groundbreaking television show, Season 1 of Arrested Development is outrageously hilarious and incredibly fun.
Star Trek returns to television with a new look and a new cast in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Set nearly 80-years after the original series, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D continue the mission "to seek out new life and new civilizations." But unlike the original, the cast is more of an ensemble and more diverse. Yet, the show tries pretty hard to be the old Star Trek and ends up being a little too campy. Still, there are some standout episodes such as "The Big Goodbye" and "Datalore." Additionally, the series' visual style includes some interesting set designs and alien makeup effects. Though it's off to a bit of a weak start, Season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation shows promise.
The CW reboots the La Femme Nikita franchise with the sexy spy thriller Nikita. In Season 1 former black ops assassin Nikita Mears attempts to bring down her former agency, Division, after discovering that they’ve gone rogue and are aiding terrorists; meanwhile a new Division recruit named Alex, who’s training to be an assassin, secretly works with Nikita from the inside. Starring Maggie Q, Lyndsy Fonseca, and Xander Berkeley, the show has a solid cast that delivers good performances: especially Q, who does an excellent job pulling off the fight choreography and gunplay. And despite a bit of CW-ishness, with superfluous romance plots and sexy young actors, the over-arcing stories of Nikita seeking redemption for her past and Alex’s struggle to maintain her cover are quite compelling. Additionally, the writers do an impressive job at building suspense and tension, which is further heightened by an exceptional score. Action-packed and full of intrigue, Nikita delivers an extraordinary first season, and promises to get even better.
Outrageously funny, Season 3 of The Office delivers nonstop laughs. After being rejected by Pam, Jim transfers to the Stanford branch and makes some new friends; meanwhile the Scranton branch adjusts to his absence, until….the two branches are merged and hilarity ensues as the two crews get to know each other and work together. Additionally, Phillis gets married (to Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration), Michael and Jane begin dating, Ryan becomes a sales associate, and Michael interviews for a job at corporate. Rashida Jones and Ed Helms join the cast and prove to be good additions that mix things up and change some of the character dynamics. Plus, a couple of guest directors lend a hand, including Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day), Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and J.J. Abrams (Alias). One of the funniest seasons of television ever made, Season 3 of The Office sets a new high bar for the series (and indeed all sitcoms).
Surpassing the Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation warps into a fourth season. Starting with “The Best of Both Worlds Part II,” the season delivers some incredible episodes, including “Qpid,” “The Nth Degree,” “In Theory,” and “Redemption.” The writing is also especially good; from the character development of the main cast to the provocative social commentary. In Season 4, Star Trek: The Next Generation proves that it’s a powerhouse unto itself and not just a spin-off series.
Matt Groening and David X. Cohen deliver more laughs as Futurama launches into a second season. Full of hilarious adventures, this season Bender joins the Robot Mafia, Zoidberg returns to his home planet to mate, Fry enrolls in Mars University, and Lela finds another cyclops. There are also some brilliant parody episodes of Titanic, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and Animal House. And along the way several new recurring characters are introduced, including Lrrr, Cubert, the Donbot, and Santa Claus. Additionally, a host of guest stars make appearances: John Goodman, Bob Barker, Vice President Al Gore, Claudia Schiffer, and Stephen Hawking. Season 2 of Futurama continues the smart, outrageous comedy styling that makes the show so ridiculously funny.
One of the most creative and groundbreaking shows ever created, Fox’s 24 broke all conventions of network television. In Season 1 federal agent Jack Bauer leads an investigation to uncover an assassination plot to kill presidential candidate David Palmer, but things get complicated when Bauer’s family is held hostage by a group of terrorist involved in the conspiracy. There are also additional subplots that pad out the season; however, most of them feel like filler and detract from the main story arc. Using real-time and split-screen, the directing style adds a great deal of suspense and tension to the show. And while the cast changes a bit, there are strong performances from Xander Berkeley, Sarah Clarke, Mia Kirshner, and Michael Massee. But it’s Kiefer Sutherland’s performance as Jack Bauer that defines the series. Season 1 has a few kinks, yet overall 24 is a brilliant and exciting season of television.
There’s a new judge on the bench in Season 5 of Night Court. When Christine Sullivan replaces Harry she finds that she’s not up for being a judge and works to get Harry his job back. Additionally, Mac receives a $2 million inheritance from his uncle, Bull dates a blind woman, Harry nearly dies when one of his tricks backfires on him, and Dan is called up by the Army Reserve. Also, Yakov Smirnoff, John Astin, and Mel Torme stop by for some shenanigans, and there are guest appearances by Teri Hatcher, David Graf, and Don Cheadle. Also, the writers continue to experiment with multi-episode arcs; including a 3-part premiere and a 2-part midseason special (as well as a special Christmas episode). And, they continue to address social issues, including working with disabilities, bullying, and mental illness, in between the jokes. As funny as ever, Season 5 of Night Court is a lot of fun.
The Simpsons continues the hilarity into a second season that delivers even more laughs. With the characters established, the show starts to explore their quirks and develops their chemistry with one another. This season delivers such classic episodes as “Bart Gets Hit By a Car,” “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?,” “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment,” “The Way We Was,” and the first “Treehouse of Horror” anthology episode (which became an annual tradition for the series). Additionally, several major stars make appearances, including James Earl Jones, Larry King, Danny DeVito, Ringo Starr, and Dustin Hoffman. Also, Phil Hartman joins the cast as a recurring guest star; debuting his signature character of shyster lawyer Lionel Hutz. Ridiculously funny, Season 2 of The Simpsons is incredibly entertaining.
The voyages of the USS Enterprise come to an end in the third and final season of Star Trek. Featuring the infamous episode “Spoke’s Brian,” the quality of the writing takes a steep decline; recycling old plots and losing all subtlety in its social commentary (ex: “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”). And the budget cuts show in the limited sets and reduced cast on-screen. Still, there are a couple of standout episodes, such as “The Enterprise Incident,” “The Savage Curtain,” and “The Tholian Web,” and the show continues to deliver exciting fight scenes and interesting aliens. Additionally, several notable guest stars make appearances, including Lee Meriwether, Charles Napier, and Mariette Hartley. Star Trek’s third season is the weakest of the series and its slide into mediocrity resulted in the show’s cancelation.
