Would A Show Like The Twilight Zone Work In Today’s Politically Divided World?

The Twilight Zone is a classic for many reasons, one of which is that Rod Serling was a genius at hiding social messaging in sci-fi and fantasy stories.

When the anthology series began, Serling had discovered that themes such as the danger of scapegoating and the importance of standing up to authority weren’t welcome if he wrote about them directly, but if he told allegories about people in other worlds or other times, he got a different reception.

Could the The Twilight Zone work today? I’d like to think so, but the world is so politically divided that it’s hard to say with any certainty.

How The Twilight Zone Used Science Fiction For Social Messaging

The Twilight Zone was one of the first anthology series — arguably, American Horror Story and similar shows wouldn’t exist without the Twilight Zone doing it first.

However, this series had a different story each episode rather than season-long arcs.

• The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Episode 7 Review: The Shattered Ones Strike Back
  by Carissa Pavlica
• Paradise Season 1 Episode 5 Fills in Some Blanks, and Leaves Sinatra’s Reign in Question
  by Paul Dailly
• NCIS Season 22 Finale Review: Secrets, Sociopaths, and a Shocking Goodbye
  by Carissa Pavlica

This format allowed Rod Serling and the other writers for the series to express themselves freely.

Each 30-minute episode sandwiched science fiction tropes or strange happenings between Serling’s opening and closing narration, which drove home the points he was trying to make.

The series was popular because it often showed ordinary people in creepy or weird situations, and there was almost always an ironic twist right before Serling reappeared to wrap things up.

It was successful for several reasons, but to understand how amazing a feat it was for Serling to get his themes approved, you have to understand the political and social values of the time.

Fear of Communism Made Producing The Wrong Shows Dangerous

The Twilight Zone debuted during the 1950s, when McCarthyism was a real threat, especially in Hollywood.

Senator Joe McCarthy was holding hearings in Congress to prove that certain actors and writers were Communists — if found guilty of this supposed unAmerican activity, an actor or writer would be blacklisted, unable to get any work because they were believed to be traitors.

There was no social media and no means of independently publishing or producing art like there is today.

So writers like Serling were wholly dependent on publishers and production companies, many of whom were understandably gun-shy about certain themes that could attract unwanted attention from McCarthy and his allies in the government.

Yet Rod Serling was able to promote messages of inclusion and equality that were not popular at the time. He even critiqued McCarthyism itself without mentioning it by name.

One of the most famous episodes of The Twilight Zone, “The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street,” is about a suburban community where the people turn on one another.

They wind up accusing their neighbors of being responsible for power failures and other problems caused by aliens who are causing trouble as a science experiment.

• CBS Cancels Hits — Because Who Needs Viewers, Right?
  by Paul Dailly
• Fire Country Killing Off Billy Burke’s Vince Is a Surefire Way to Ruin the Show
  by Denis Kimathi
• Yellowjackets is a Bait-and-Switch for First-Time Viewers
  by Joshua Pleming

On a basic level, of course, this is about how easy it is for people to turn against their neighbors when they get scared they won’t survive.

The seemingly normal people on this street turn into a suburban version of Lord of the Flies very quickly.

However, it can also be read as a scathing critique of McCarthyism, pointing out that McCarthy’s hearings were turning people against one another for no good reason, at a time when such messages were likely to land someone in serious trouble.

Taking a Look At Modern Society

Arguably, we are facing similar crises today, with a very politically divided country, conservative school boards that want to ban LGBTQ+-friendly literature, a government that wants to undo all civil rights legislation, and mass fear of being targeted next.

Today’s audiences don’t like being hit over the head with the writers’ political beliefs — they’d rather make up their own minds.

But Serling never did that in the first place. The Twilight Zone works not because its messages are universally accepted but because it wraps them in interesting stories that make people question their own beliefs.

Serling also didn’t make every episode about the same themes. There were many episodes about social and political issues, but others that were not.

For example, “Nervous Man In A Four-Dollar Room” was about a man battling his fear to become a person who stood up to bullies in his life instead of acting self-destructively because he lacked courage.

“Long-Distance Call” was a scary story in which a dead grandmother pushed a child toward suicide because she wanted him to come to the afterlife to be with her.

Not every show gets love, but we still cover them.
If you made it this far, you probably care too. Drop a note, hit share, and keep rooting for the little guys — us and the show.

Entertaining people with stories that matter, mixing up types of stories weekly, and featuring guest stars who were already popular or famous was a winning formula that absolutely could be replicated today.

However, there is one huge problem: Rod Serling is long dead, and no one else can replace his vision.

Serling was well aware of threats to American and world freedom, sometimes before other people were. 1961’s “Midnight Sun” was produced a year before Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring kicked off discussions about threats posed by climate change.

He was unafraid to see what he thought and knew exactly how to get around censorship and connect with his audience.

Without Serling, The Twilight Zone works to an extent, but all other versions of the series have fallen flat because they lacked his vision.

What Do You Think?

Could the Twilight Zone work today?

This is too important a conversation to pass by silently — hit the comments with your thoughts.
Your voice matters. Share your opinion and pass this article to a friend who might have something to say, too.

Watch The Twilight Zone Online

TV Fanatic is searching for passionate writers to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic? Click here for more information and next steps.

The post Would A Show Like The Twilight Zone Work In Today’s Politically Divided World? appeared first on TV Fanatic.