Executive producers Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s modern re-imagining of the classic TV series continues the legacy of socially conscious storytelling. The series’ second season uses introspection and self-exploration to usher viewers into a dimension filled with endless possibilities. The original “The Twilight Zone” series premiered on Oct. 2, 1959 on CBS. It took viewers to another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. The show became a worldwide phenomenon and sent fans on a journey into a wondrous land of imagination, and it continues to be an inspiration for pushing the boundaries of storytelling. As an innovator of Genre programming, “The Twilight Zone” explored humanity’s hopes, despairs, prides and prejudices in metaphoric ways to introduce audiences to tales of morality and present perspectives that are underserved in conventional television.
For previous thoughts on The Twilight Zone, check out our article here.
Video Quality
The Twilight Zone comes to DVD with 20 episodes over 7 discs, which offers a fair amount of room to avoid compression issues. Due to the limitations of the format, these episodes are not going to look as good as they do in high definition, but the presentation is top notch within the DVD format. Even without the added definition, this is still a sleek show with fine details easily visible. Skin tones look natural, and close ups look quite good. Black levels are a little more problematic here, as nighttime scenes lose some of the outlines of objects within the shot. Colors are rendered favorably, and there is a whisper of texture in the clothing. These two seasons were released separately on Blu-Ray. If you are a fan of the show, you may want to spring for these HD versions on Blu-Ray.
Audio Quality
This DVD set comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track that sounds good for the format. Dialogue is rendered clearly with a focus in the center channel. Sound effects and the ominous score never overpower the dialogue causing lost information. The rear speakers create a dynamic atmosphere as the multitude of settings and environments envelop you at all of the appropriate times. The mix has a good sense of directionality so that nothing ever feels like it is coming from the wrong place. This track gives you what you would want from a modern science fiction show, as it executes all of the key elements perfectly.
Special Features
Season One
- Audio Commentary
- Replay: Executive producer Win Rosenfeld and writer Selwyn Seyfu Hinds
- Not All Men: Executive producer Win Rosenfeld and writer Heather Anne Campbell
- Blurryman: Executive producer Audrey Chon and writer Alex Rubens
- Episodic Promo: Each episode is given a quick preview of what is in store.
- The Comedian (0:54)
- Nightmare at 30,000 Feet (1:01)
- Replay (0:52)
- A Traveler (1:00)
- The Wunderkind (0:55)
- Six Degrees Of Freedom (1:00)
- Not All Men (0:57)
- Point Of Origin (1:01)
- The Blue Scorpion (0:57)
- Blurryman (1:00)
- Opening The Door: Each episode is given a quick piece full of insights from the cast and crew that helps give even more context for what you just watched.
- The Comedian (1:27)
- Nightmare at 30,000 Feet (1:58)
- Replay (2:18)
- A Traveler (2:20)
- The Wunderkind (2:10)
- Six Degrees Of Freedom (2:19)
- Not All Men (2:21)
- Point Of Origin (2:31)
- The Blue Scorpion (2:08)
- Blurryman (2:35)
- Deleted/Extended Scenes: Brief unused snippets are provided here which are not too in-depth, but more than worth checking out for fans.
- The Comedian (1:00)
- Nightmare at 30,000 Feet (0:34)
- Replay (1:08)
- The Wunderkind (1:27)
- Six Degrees Of Freedom (2:16)
- The Blue Scorpion (3:11)
- Music Video: A two-minute music video from The Wunderkind is provided here.
- Season 1 Promo: A minute-and-a-half promo is provided for the season.
- Remembering Rod Serling: A terrific 37-minute featurette which takes a long at the iconic originator of the landmark series and how the show impacted television for decades to come.
- Gag Reel: Three minutes of flubbed lines, ruined takes, goofing around and other humorous moments from the production of the season that provides some chuckles.
- Easter Eggs Revealed: A nearly three-minute look at all of the easter eggs throughout the season which harkin back to the original series.
- Crossing Over – Living In The Twilight Zone
- Part One: A Dimension Of Mind – Development: A 29-minute featurette in which Peele and the create team discuss why they decided now was the time to resurrect this classic series, what they wanted to accomplish with this fresh version, why the original Serling version was so important to television and more.
- Part Two: A Dimension Of Sight And Sound- Production: This 38-minute featurette picks up where the previous part left off as we start exploring the actual production of the series, the casting and crafting of each episode, developing a score for the series, establishing a look for the show and more.
Season Two
- Deleted and Extended Scenes: Six minutes of unused material is provided here mostly from the episodes “Ovation” and “Small Town.” Most of these moments are small and do not add up to much, and some shots feature unfinished effects work.
- Gag Reel: Four minutes of flubbed lines, ruined takes, goofing around and other humorous moments from the production of the season that provides some chuckles.
Final Thoughts
The Twilight Zone reboot from Jordan Peele is a little less consistent than the Rod Serling classic, but the same could be said of most shows. Taken as its own thing, the show delivers some really compelling stories with an inventive bent that provides some interesting food for thought. The familiar faces that pop up throughout each season are a welcome sight and help every episode impress to one degree or another. CBS Home Entertainment has provided a new DVD set gathering together each season of the short-lived reboot which gets the job done, but those who want the best quality will want to spring for the individual Blu-Ray releases so you can see the show in the best quality possible. You at least owe yourself that. Recommended
The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series will be available to purchase on DVD on October 4, 2022.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the DVD.
Disclaimer: CBS Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
