The "Twilight Zone" fans better get the popcorn popping because, while everyone else is at their New Year's Eve parties, we will be curled up in front of our television sets for Syfy's 21st annual fan favorite programming event: "The Twilight Zone New Year's Eve Marathon" from Dec. 30 to Jan. 3, 2016.
This year's "Twilight Zone" Marathon will air all 156 episodes of the iconic television series in chronological order and in High Definition for the first time ever on Syfy. Yes, you read it right. One of television's most influential shows from the golden age will be aired in HD. Here is all you need to know:
Though the marathon will not include the 80s revival and the second revival in 2002, you can watch all 156 episodes from the original series in the 50s, all in HD as you welcome 2016. That's right, instead of loud music and fireworks, you can welcome the new year with "Twilight Zone's" eerie, iconic theme music composed by Marius Constant, and some of your favorite episodes such as "Time Enough at Last" and William Shatner's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet."
Play the video below before continuing to read.
When To Get The Popcorn Ready
The marathon will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30 and conclude on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 at 12 noon. The only interruption will be "WWE SmackDown" on Dec. 31 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The key of imagination will open the door to the Twilight Zone marathon just before the year ends, and with 156 episodes to cover, it's no surprise, really, that entire marathon will take 87 hours to complete. That is, 87 hours of brilliant, black and white television. What could be better than that?
Although, there's just that tiny little glitch of the two-hour interruption, which could be a good thing if you're a wrestling fan. If you're not, however, the rest might just be enough to rejuvenate you for more hours of delving into a dimension "as vast as space and as timeless as infinity" or take a thorough shower and order pizza.
What's The Line-Up?
Syfy will be playing the episodes in chronological order, which means the very first episode, "Where is Everybody?" will be opening the marathon at 7 p.m. on Dec. 30. But just to give you an idea of how the marathon will go, minus the break of course, below is the schedule for the first day of the "Twilight Zone" marathon to get you excited.
Dec. 30, Wednesday
7 p.m. - "Where is Everybody?"
7:30 p.m. - "One for the Angels"
8 p.m. - "Mr. Denton on Doomsday"
8:30 p.m. - "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine"
9 p.m. - "Walking Distance"
9:30 p.m. - "Escape Clause"
10 p.m. - "The Lonely"
10:30 p.m. "Time Enough At Last"
11 p.m. - "Perchance to Dream"
11:30 p.m. - "Judgment Night"
What Is "The Twilight Zone" About?
On the off chance that you are not familiar with the "Twilight Zone" and is silently wondering what all the ruckus is about, allow us to give you a brief background to one of the most iconic and influential shows to ever grace the small screen.
The original series of the "Twilight Zone" was created by Rod Serling in 1959 and the black and white television show ran once a week with no recurring characters. That meant each week was a widely different adventure from the last.
It's Not Your Average Sci-Fi Series
Though often seen as a fantasy/science fiction series, truthfully, the writers of the show used this tool as a vehicle for social commentary and as allegories of the characters' moral choices.
Characters and stories would usually be shown in normal, everyday situations in the beginning. Bank tellers and diner patrons for example, but the plot lines would often lead them to unusual circumstances, in true "Twilight Zone" fashion, with an ironic twist in the end.
A perfect example would be "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" which is, arguably, one of the most popular episodes in the series.
No spoilers here, but this particular episode revolves around a man, played by William Shatner, who is travelling in a commercial plane with his wife. All is normal, up until Shatner spots a creature on the plane's wing when he looks outside from his window seat.
He alerts his wife and the crew of the plane, but, of course, the gremlin-like creature is cunning enough to duck down each time anyone other than Shatner looks out of the window. If that wasn't enough, Shatner's character just happened to have a history of a severe nervous breakdown on a plane months prior to the "gremlin" incident. Oops! No spoilers. You'll have to watch the marathon to wait and see what happens.
Give It A Chance
During the time of its airing, the original "Twilight Zone" series ratings were quite average. But that doesn't really mar the influence that the show had on its viewers. Clearly, it's not your ordinary, run of the mill fantasy/sci-fi series since it's been 50 years since it aired but we're still watching.
So what do you say? Are you ready to unlock the door with the key of imagination? If you're ready to go to a land of shadow and substance, of things and ideas... we'll see you in the "Twilight Zone."
