jrpa
My memories of the 1985 reboot were not very good, with the exception of a couple of episodes like "Shatterday" and "Kentucky Rye".
However, on rewatching it, all of it, i have changed my mind. There are some fantastic episodes in the first and second seasons. They differ significantly from the original series in that they are almost -- not all -- completely predictable straightline stories.
What happened to cause the sudden quality/production/story dropoff with the third season i am unsure (though it has one of the best episodes, "Love is Blind").
hellraiser7
This show is another relic from my childhood and it's my fourth favorite anthology horrors and TV shows of all time. At the time I never even knew about the original Twilight Zone, so in a way this show was my way to it. Some would say that this show is not as good as the original but lets face it, the original is a tough act to follow. What makes this version stand out for me is that it's not trying to, it's trying to do it's own thing but at the same time stay true to the spirit of it's predecessor.The effects are solid, well OK not all but effects for me aren't what make this show but really the storytelling and there are lots of great stories in this show that are great editions to the Twilight Zone mythos. I really love the theme opening which is another one of my favorite themes, it's also one of the creepiest one's I've ever seen up there with the openings of "Tales from the Darkside" and "Are you Afraid of the Dark" as we see some globe come through a window and there are some random bizarre images along with really creepy tunes from a carousel horse, a creepy looking doll, a nuke explosion. But that opening perfectly set the tone for the anthology where anything can go and anything is possible.This show also had a lot of well known directors and writers whom have contributed to this show. Directors like the late great Wes Craven, Joe Dante, etc. Down to some writers like one of my favorite sci-fi writers "Greg Bear" if you can believe that, J.Michael Strynski, Steven King, etc. These facts make watching the show all the more interesting just to see their imput/contributions to the Twilight Zone mythos.There are plenty of memorable stories a few of my favorites are "Matter of Minutes" which is a bizarre story that really tackles a very interesting concept about time. "Profile in Silver" this story predates Steven King's "11/22/63" as both uncannily have the same plot line about a man traveling back in time to prevent the assassination but comes back with mixed results. "His Pilgrim Soul" which was written and directed by Wes Craven is a really bittersweet tale that can really tug at your heartstrings. And of course my favorite "Dead Run" which is thrilling and really takes some turns you'd never see coming.The 80's Twilight Zone is a dimension worth visiting.Rating: 4 stars
Mythicalreviewer
I'm glad I never watched this show when it came out.I just wondered why it lasted 4 years. It reminds me of the terrible 80's with fake people, fake clothes, and fake music. How did I ever survive growing up in this era? The acting in the majority of episodes I have watched are forced. This makes for very boring shows. The plot lines are not very interesting as the old Twilight Zone shows. The old show inspired the imagination and made one look forward to the next show. Stick with the old Twilight Zone shows and spare yourself the pain of watching garbage.
gmurdock
The newest version of the Twilight Zone that premiered in September, 2002, makes me realize just how good the 1985 series was. They were so good, in fact, I still remember some of my favourite episodes: the relative of JFK who went back in time and ends up stopping the assassination, the Viet Nam vet whose afraid to go to sleep, the man who must become 'invisible' for one year....ah, those were the days. I was excited a few years back to see them running in syndication only to realize that the episodes had been chopped down and key scenes removed (to fit into a half hour block instead of an hour). This made me stop watching them. I hope that CBS will release the full original uncut 1985 Twilight Zone on DVD someday, but it's probably going to be a long wait.