Sci-Fi Storm

With Star Trek: Discovery pulling in good numbers for CBS All Access, the parent network is looking to bolster original programming, it’s once again digging into the vault for a beloved classic – and this time pulling out The Twilight Zone.

During the earnings report investor call, CBS boss Les Moonves said today that they will reboot the iconic series for the streaming network, but also said that the new series would need to “stand out” to draw audiences. The audience for CBS All Access skews much younger than the broadcast network – an average of 20 years younger.

CBS has rebooted The Twilight Zone twice already – first in 1985 for three seasons (one of which was in syndication), and once more in 2002 for sister network UPN for a single season. Neither were considered successful – the third syndicated season was largely to meet obligations as they had pre-sold syndication rights before the show aired – but with the increasing interest in anthology-style shows (such as the long-format American Horror Story and Channel Zero), perhaps the time approaches for short-form anthologies again?

Beware…I’m sensing…The Love Boat…

Syfy will honor the extraordinary legacy of Leonard Nimoy with a special five hour programming salute this Sunday, March 1 from 9AM-2PM (ET/PT), kicking off with his role in an episode of the original Twilight Zone series; his guest star arc on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the final Star Trek original cast movie, Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country.

9:00AM The Twilight Zone/”A Quality of Mercy”
9:30AM Star Trek: The Next Generation/”Unification: Part I”
10:30AM Star Trek: The Next Generation/”Unification: Part 2”
11:30AM Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country

Once again, while the cookouts take place and the fireworks fly, Syfy will celebrate America’s birthday by transporting viewers into a fifth dimension with its traditional The Twilight Zone marathon. The iconic series will air Wednesday, July 4 from 8AM through 5AM (ET/PT).

The marathon kicks off a rich programming schedule in July, including the premiere of Haunted Highway on Tuesday, July 3; the fifth season return of Destination Truth on Tuesday, July 10; the series finale of Eureka on Monday, July 16 and the season premieres of Warehouse 13 and Alphas on Monday, July 23.

Twilight Zone and Night Gallery creator Rod Serling, who also co-wrote the original screenplay for Planet of the Apes, will get a movie about his life. Andrew Meieran through his Bureau of Moving Pictures acquired the rights and will produce along with Serling’s widow, Carol Serling. Stanley Weiser (Wall Street) will write it.

Serling was more than just the guy who introduced and narrated Twilight Zone episodes. He was a paratrooper and a member of the demolition squad in WWII stationed in the Philippines, and even boxed for a time – a life from which he drew experiences for the many episodes of various drama programs and TV movies in the 50s and 60s. He passed away in 1975 at the age of 50, attributed to his life-long chain smoking, but his legacy included several revivals of his programs and even a thrill ride at several Disney theme parks around the world.

Along with the big programming announcement, Syfy also said that with the success of their “Countdown to Christmas Week” last December which featured special holiday episodes of Eureka and Warehouse 13, this year those shows plus Ghost Hunters and Haven will feature holiday-themed episodes, and the week’s centerpiece this year will be Neverland, featuring the voice of Keira Knightley as Tinker Bell, which we’ve reported on earlier.

Syfy will also have a Twilight Zone New Years marathon for the 17th straight year.

Doing my periodic update of our Sci-Fi TV Store (if you think anything should be included, let me know!)…the next two classic Doctor Who releases will be [sfs=1107]”Frontios”[/sfs] and [sfs=1108]”Time And The Rani”[/sfs], released on June 14th; the classic Krofft show H.R. Pufnstuf gets a new [sfs=1109]Collector’s Edition[/sfs] which includes the only episode of “Horror Hotel”, a combo-spinoff featuring characters from Pufnstuff and Lidsville (along with a new [sfs=1110]standard release[/sfs]), out on April 12th; the MacGyver [sfs=1111]TV movies[/sfs], (released last June but I missed it); the CGI series ReBoot finally get’s its [sfs=1113]first two seasons[/sfs] released on DVD on March 1st; and The Twilight Zone get its Blu-Ray releases, with [sfs=1116]Season 3[/sfs] just out and [sfs=1117]Season 4[/sfs] due in May.

On the movie side, The Chronicles of Nania: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be released on April 8th on [sfs=1118]Blu-ray[/sfs] and [sfs=1119]DVD[/sfs].

The 2010 Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention is taking place this year in Maryland from Sept 23-25. Mark Goddard from Lost in Space will be one of the many guests, and there will be lots of science fiction stuff on the menu.

To check out videos from previous conventions (a radio re-enactment of a sci fi ep, and Martin Grams Jr. giving a talk on the Twilight Zone) check out: http://dailyspace.blogspot.com/2010/02/theater-of-mind-old-time-radio-at-2010.html

Allie Valentine writes “Fifty Years After Twilight Zone, New Series, New Host Carry Its Storytelling Torch;DARK MATTER DVDs recapture the golden era of TV with fresh voices, ideas and fans can try them free.

HOLLYWOOD – For many, Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone represents television’s watershed moment and that all TV that followed was a slow devolution leading to today’s reality show carnival. For generations of Americans, a certain nostalgia for the kind of stories Serling dished up remains to this day. Morality tales, twist endings and irony were all part of the mix that equaled one shining slogan to count on: Expect the unexpected.”

Read More for more details. It sounds interesting – although the more recent The Outer Limits ran for many years, I’ve felt that anthology series can be tough to produce as viewers don’t have anything to get attached to other than the storytelling itself, and that needs to be exceptional to bring them back over and over. Perhaps this is another medium for which these tales can now be told…

(continue reading…)

The Thunder Child writes “There are 156 episodes in the original TV series, The Twilight Zone, and every July 4th, the SciFi Channel typically airs a marathon of this classic show.

But, they don’t air the shows in chronological order. So…do you know if you’ve seen all of The Twilight Zone episodes?

Be sure, with our Twilight Zone Checklist. Download it for free at the webpage below. It’s a free, 9-page PDF file. Consists of the episode’s title, its original airdate, the two major stars, and a column for you to check whether or not you’ve seen it.

http://volcanoseven.com/TheThunderChild/Downloads/ TwilightZonesEpisodes.html“ Well, maybe a little late…