Are These the Best ‘Twilight Zone’ Episodes Of All Time?

It’s been just over 60 years since the show was originally released, yet The Twilight Zone continues to remain as popular today as it was in the mid 1960s.

Among the most revolutionary TV series ever put to the screen, Rod Serling forever redefined the nature of television itself with The Twilight Zone, recontextualizing sci-fi, fantasy, and horror for every generation that followed in its wake.

While we can go on and on highlighting The Twilight Zone’s larger influence on the entertainment industry as a whole, it’s worth pointing out the strength of the series’ episodes in and of themselves, many of which continue to stand the test of time over half a century later. With that being said, here are some of the absolute greatest Twilight Zone episodes ever made, ranked in order from worst to best.

“To Serve Man”

As most fans of the series will tell you, some episodes of The Twilight Zone were rooted around their infamous twist endings, catching viewers off guard whenever they least expected it. Nowhere is this characteristic more readily seen than “To Serve Man,” a shocking parable about a group of seemingly benevolent aliens who arrive on Earth with a dark secret. Featuring one of the most genuinely frightening endings to a Twilight Zone episode in the show’s history, “To Serve Man”’s closing moments still have a way of chilling us to the very core every time we revisit it to this day.

“The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”

One of the most ingenious aspects of The Twilight Zone was Rod Serling’s fearless ability to tackle real-world subject matters. In the case of “The Monsters Due on Maple Street,” Serling turns his attention to exploring the paranoid fears over Cold War invasion, as well as the almost inhuman change in personality capable of affecting even our most genial next-door neighbors. In a show filled with killer aliens, scheming devils, and nightmarish dolls, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” shows us that, sometimes, the most disturbing creatures we can imagine is an ordinary person right outside our front door.

“Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?”

As with the aforementioned “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” ingeniously touches upon the Cold War anxiety fueling ‘60s America – an environment where even our closest friends and loved ones might not be who they seem. An entertaining whodunit with a fantastic one-two double plot twist, “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” never fails to gauge our interest, even when we know who exactly the real Martian is.

“It’s a Good Life”

Like all the best sci-fi horror stories, “It’s a Good Life” hinges on a simple but effective premise: “What if a young child had the powers of a literal god?” Taking that idea and exploring to its fullest creative potential, “It’s a Good Life” feels like the kind of dark version of The Andy Griffith Show we’d dream of as we’re battling a bad fever. While some episodes of The Twilight Zone might be technically better, a strong case can be made outlining “It’s a Good Life” as the show’s most unnerving episode. 

“Eye of the Beholder”

Some of the strongest Twilight Zone episodes whisk viewers away to alternative universes beyond our wildest imaginations, allowing us to better understand the problems of our own society with both distance and objectivity on our side. Exploring topics related to societal standards for beauty, conformity, and one’s physical appearance, “Eye of the Beholder” is a must-see sci-fi story as timeless and relatable now as it was in the early ‘60s.

“Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”

Mocked, parodied, and referenced in everything from The Simpsons to 3rd Rock from the Sun, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” assuredly stands tall as one of the most memorable Twilight Zone episodes the series ever produced. While there’s plenty to love about Will Shatner’s breathless performance, the sheer sense of helplessness the episode instills is enough to make even the most veteran airplane passenger cringe with anxiety and discomfort. 

“Time Enough at Last”

It says a lot that Rod Serling himself often named “Time Enough at Last” as one of his personal favorite Twilight Zone episodes. And of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t wholeheartedly agree with him. Like most episodes before and after it, “Time Enough at Last”’s downbeat, cynical tone never fails to leave an impression on viewers, forcing us to wonder about the larger implications our greatest wishes might have should they come true. But unlike other Twilight Zone parables with less-than-sympathetic protagonists, Henry Bemis’ likable personality and simple desire to read makes his grim fate that much more hard-hitting to watch. We agree with you, Henry – it’s not fair. It’s not fair at all.