A Critical History of Television's the Twilight Zone, 1959-1964

by Don Presnell

Rod Serling's anthology series The Twilight Zone is recognized as one of the greatest shows of all time. Ostensibly science fiction, the show was that and much more; always intelligent and thought-provoking, it used conventions and techniques of several genres-science fiction, fantasy, Westerns, horror, and film noir , among others-to explore such universal human issues as violence, fear, prejudice, love, death, and individual identity. This comprehensive reference work first gives a complete history of the show, from its beginning in 1959 to its final 1964 season. The authors then provide critical commentaries and incisive analyses of all 156 episodes, along with the most complete listing of casts and credits ever published. Biographical profiles of writers and contributors comprise the book's third main section. Detailed appendices-writers, directors, actors, genres, and a listing of all episodes in order of original airdate-are also included. An extensive bibliography and an exhaustive index conclude the work.

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Pedro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good and Zicree's The Twilight Companion but a good extra to the reading of that book. It has some more accurate informations (that Zicree got wrong) and the episode guide is listed by the air date of the episodes (which is really more useful than the crazy inexplicable method used by Zicree). It has a shred of critical analysis, but in the tradition of critical television studies it is nothing past meek.

[Cheryle Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best critiques on the series.