Whatever happen to the Twilight Zone?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the legacy and impact of the television series The Twilight Zone, comparing it to contemporary television programming. Participants express nostalgia for the show's quality and question the current state of television entertainment.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express admiration for The Twilight Zone and lament the decline in quality of modern television programming.
  • Others argue that there has always been a mix of good and bad content on television, suggesting that the perception of quality may be influenced by what is replayed in reruns.
  • A few participants mention specific episodes they enjoyed, such as "Shadow Play" and "Five Characters in Search of An Exit," highlighting personal preferences.
  • Some participants critique the current television landscape, suggesting that the proliferation of channels has led to a dilution of quality, with many channels producing low-quality content.
  • There are contrasting views on whether television is better or worse now compared to the past, with some claiming it has improved while others argue it has deteriorated significantly.
  • References to other series by Rod Serling, such as Night Gallery, and comparisons to other anthology series like The Outer Limits are made, indicating a broader context of discussion about quality television.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether modern television is better or worse than in the past, with multiple competing views expressed throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some statements reflect personal opinions and subjective experiences with television, and there is an acknowledgment of the varying quality of programming across different eras.

Willowz
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So, I just saw a fantastic episode from The Twilight Zone. Fantastic.

Got me wondering. With all the bull and cheap entertainment you get nowadays, whatever happened to good shows like the Twilight Zone?
 
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Willowz said:
So, I just saw a fantastic episode from The Twilight Zone. Fantastic.

Got me wondering. With all the bull and cheap entertainment you get nowadays, whatever happened to good shows like the Twilight Zone?
Basically, Rod Serling died.
 
Willowz said:
... whatever happened to good shows

That has been a complaint since not much beyond the earliest days of TV and it will continue to be a complaint, probably forever. There has, and likely always will be, crap and good stuff. The fact that there is crap today and the OLD good stuff is gone is pretty much a constant.
 
Willowz said:
So, I just saw a fantastic episode from The Twilight Zone. Fantastic.

Got me wondering. With all the bull and cheap entertainment you get nowadays, whatever happened to good shows like the Twilight Zone?

Which episode was it?
 
My favorite episode was the one where the guy wakes up, and he's the same - but everyone else is different.
 
Oh, there was plenty of crap on tv back then, it's just that the crap isn't replayed in holiday marathons.
 
I like the original Twilight Zone episodes much better than the 80s ones and the newest ones are just crap.
 
Evo said:
Oh, there was plenty of crap on tv back then, it's just that the crap isn't replayed in holiday marathons.
There is some truth to that; we do only see the good stuff in reruns. However, there is also some truth to the "golden age of television".

Writers nowadays are seeing who can outdo one another with regard to the Casey Anthony show or some other meaningless pablum, and the cheaper the production the better. There was no 24/7 Casey Anthony channel in the golden age. Now we have dozens and dozens of 24/7 of Casey Anthony channels.

"How can I have 500 channels and there's nothing to watch?" Simple: You have 500 channels, not three. Those 500 channels cannot afford to do anything that approaches a high-quality production. While the US population increased by a factor of 1.72 from 1960 to 2010, the number of channels increased by a factor of over 100. There are too many channels chasing after more or less the same number of people.
 
Actually, it's better now than it was. In 1961 is was a vast wasteland, now it's just half-vast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasteland_Speech"

Thanks Newton. Say hello to the Mrs. and all the little Minows.
 
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  • #10
Jimmy Snyder said:
Actually, it's better now than it was. In 1961 is was a vast wasteland, now it's just half-vast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasteland_Speech"

Thanks Newton. Say hello to the Mrs. and all the little Minows.
good find Jimmy.

Yes DH, there are so many channels of junk, I don't buy the premium cable packages because it's not worth it to me.
 
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  • #11
Jimmy Snyder said:
Actually, it's better now than it was. In 1961 is was a vast wasteland, now it's just half-vast.
Oh, no. That's vast backwards. Now it's the Sahara Desert, but spread across the breadth of the planet. Back in 1961 it was just the Great Plains.
 
  • #12
d h said:
oh, no. That's vast backwards. Now it's the sahara desert, but spread across the breadth of the planet. Back in 1961 it was just the great plains.
lol.
 
  • #13
The episode was, 'Shadow Play'. Preeeetttyy cool episode if you ask me. But, then I saw, 'Five Characters in Search of An Exit' and it was almost as good as 'Shadow Play'. Though in certain ways one episode was better than the other.
 
  • #14
D H said:
There is some truth to that; we do only see the good stuff in reruns. However, there is also some truth to the "golden age of television".

Did we ever watch the crap back then? NO. That's why we're into science today, IMO. :biggrin:
 
  • #15
There are still some great shows around. After Twilight Zone ended, Serling did a series called Night Gallery. In that is imo one of his most unique works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fq3Y_Tco3k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1e3voETtQ0

There was another Twilight Zone series done in the late 80s that had some great episodes. And the same is true of The Outer Limits, which was done in the 60s and again in the 90s. While the original OL never rose to the level of Serling's work, the second version produced a number of fantastic stories.
 
  • #16
Willowz said:
The episode was, 'Shadow Play'. Preeeetttyy cool episode if you ask me. But, then I saw, 'Five Characters in Search of An Exit' and it was almost as good as 'Shadow Play'. Though in certain ways one episode was better than the other.

Oh that's the first episode I ever saw. It's a pretty good episode but there are better ones
 

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