# The Twilight Zone (2002 TV series)

The Twilight Zone is a science fiction horror anthology television series, presented by Forest Whitaker. It is the second of three revivals of Rod Serling's original 1959–64 television series. It aired for one season on the UPN network, with actor Forest Whitaker assuming Serling's role as narrator and on-screen host. It was a co-production between Spirit Dance Entertainment, Trilogy Entertainment Group, Joshmax Productions Services, and New Line Television. It premiered on September 18, 2002, and aired its final episode on May 21, 2003.

## Series history

Broadcast in an hour format with two half-hour stories, it was canceled after one season. Reruns continue to air in syndication and have aired on MyNetworkTV since summer 2008 and stream on Tubi as of fall 2023.
The series tended to address contemporary issues head-on; e.g. terrorism, racism, gender roles, sexuality, and stalking. Noteworthy episodes featured Jason Alexander as Death wanting to retire from harvesting souls, Lou Diamond Phillips as a swimming pool cleaner being shot repeatedly in his dreams, Susanna Thompson as a woman whose stated wish results in an "upgrading" of her family, Usher as a police officer being bothered by telephone calls from beyond the grave, Brian Austin Green as a businessman who encounters items from his past that somehow reappear, Jeffrey Combs as a hypochondriac whose diseases become reality, and Katherine Heigl playing a woman who went back in time on a suicide mission to kill the infant Adolf Hitler.
The series also includes remakes and updates of stories presented in the original Twilight Zone television series, including the famous "Eye of the Beholder" starring Molly Sims. One of the updates, "The Monsters Are on Maple Street", is a modernized version of the classic episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street". The original show was about the paranoia surrounding a neighborhood-wide blackout. In the course of the episode, somebody suggests an alien invasion being the cause of the blackouts, and that one of the neighbors may be an alien. The anti-alien hysteria is an allegory for the anti-communist paranoia of the time, and the 2003 remake, starring Andrew McCarthy and Titus Welliver, replaces aliens with terrorists.
The show also contains "It's Still a Good Life", a sequel to the events of "It's a Good Life", an episode of the original series produced 41 years earlier. Bill Mumy returned to play the adult version of Anthony, the demonic child he had played in the original story, with Mumy's daughter, Liliana, appearing as Anthony's daughter, a more benevolent but even more powerful child. Cloris Leachman also returned as Anthony's mother. Mumy went on to serve as a screenwriter for other episodes in the revival.
Other guest stars include: Penn Badgley, Scott Bairstow, Jason Bateman, Gil Bellows, Elizabeth Berkley, Xander Berkeley, Olivia d'Abo, Linda Cardellini, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Rory Culkin, Reed Diamond, Shannon Elizabeth, Ethan Embry, Sean Patrick Flanery, Lukas Haas, Wood Harris, Hill Harper, Jonathan Jackson, Moira Kelly, Erik King, Wayne Knight, Wallace Langham, Method Man, Samantha Mathis, Christopher McDonald, Tangi Miller, Pat O'Brien, Adrian Pasdar, Emily Perkins, Jeremy Piven, Jaime Pressly, James Remar, Portia de Rossi, Eriq La Salle, Michael Shanks, Jeremy Sisto, Jessica Simpson, Ione Skye, Amber Tamblyn, Christopher Titus, Robin Tunney, Vincent Ventresca, Dylan Walsh, Don S. Davis, Frank Whaley, Alicia Witt, Stephen E. Miller, and Gordon Michael Woolvett. McDonald, Langham, Xander Berkeley, and Haas had all previously guest starred in the 1980s revival.

## Theme song

An original opening was used for the first half of the season which included images of Rod Serling and a creepier musical arrangement. For unknown reasons, this was changed to the more iconic opening with a rock-theme score provided by Jonathan Davis (singer of the band Korn). This version of the opening has the Serling images removed and would be the main one used in all episodes in future reruns and on the DVD boxset release.

## Cancellation

The series did not enjoy the same level of critical or ratings success as the original series or the 1980s revival, and only lasted one season.

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
| 1 | "Evergreen" | Allan Kroeker | Jill Blotevogel | September 18, 2002 (2002-09-18) | 106 |
| A rebellious teenage girl (Amber Tamblyn) and her struggling family move to a gated community with a stringent emphasis on conforming to certain norms... and a unique way of dealing with troubled youths. ||||||
| 2 | "One Night at Mercy" | Peter O'Fallon | Christopher Mack | September 18, 2002 (2002-09-18) | 103 |
| An up-and-coming doctor (Tyler Christopher) suffering from severe headaches encounters Death (Jason Alexander), who takes the form of a suicidal patient while looking to take a break from his life's work. ||||||
| 3 | "Shades of Guilt" | Perry Lang | Ira Steven Behr | September 25, 2002 (2002-09-25) | 107 |
| After refusing to save an African-American college professor (Hill Harper) from being fatally attacked by skinheads, a Caucasian man (Vincent Ventresca) finds himself being mistaken for an African-American man by everyone around him. ||||||
| 4 | "Dream Lover" | Peter O'Fallon | Frederick Rappaport | September 25, 2002 (2002-09-25) | 105 |
| A graphic novelist (Adrian Pasdar) suffering from a severe case of writer's block struggles to draw the line between fantasy and reality after bringing his ideal woman (Shannon Elizabeth) to life. ||||||
| 5 | "Cradle of Darkness" | Jean de Segonzac | Kamran Pasha | October 2, 2002 (2002-10-02) | 104 |
| A woman (Katherine Heigl) goes back in time to Austria, 1889, in a desperate attempt to change history by assassinating Adolf Hitler in his infancy, preventing World War II from ever taking place. ||||||
| 6 | "Night Route" | Jean de Segonzac | Jill Blotevogel | October 2, 2002 (2002-10-02) | 102 |
| An English professor (Ione Skye) trying to prepare for her wedding believes that she is being followed by a mysterious bus, which started haunting her after she and her dog narrowly avoided being hit by a car. ||||||
| 7 | "Time Lapse" | John T. Kretchmer | James Crocker | October 9, 2002 (2002-10-09) | 109 |
| An orderly (Ethan Embry) suffering from blackouts discovers his condition to be the result of a police officer using his body to prevent an assassination attempt on the President of the United States and the First Daughter. ||||||
| 8 | "Dead Man's Eyes" | Jerry Levine | Frederick Rappaport | October 9, 2002 (2002-10-09) | 108 |
| An emotionally distraught widow (Portia de Rossi) obsessed with bringing her late husband's killer to justice discovers that she can see his life, and the events surrounding his death, through his eyeglasses. ||||||
| 9 | "The Pool Guy" | Paul Shapiro | Hans Beimler | October 16, 2002 (2002-10-16) | 111 |
| A pool cleaner (Lou Diamond Phillips) working for a wealthy couple starts suffering from recurring nightmares where a man (Mackenzie Gray) approaches him, tells him to wake up, and guns him down. ||||||
| 10 | "Azoth the Avenger Is a Friend of Mine" | Brad Turner | Brent V. Friedman | October 16, 2002 (2002-10-16) | 112 |
| A young boy (Rory Culkin) abused by neighborhood bullies and his alcoholic father learns a valuable life lesson about vengeance and courage after willing his favorite barbarian superhero, Azoth the Avenger (Patrick Warburton), to life. ||||||
| 11 | "The Lineman" | Jonathan Frakes | Pen Densham | October 23, 2002 (2002-10-23) | 101 |
| After getting struck by lightning, a lineman (Jeremy Piven) gradually discovers that he's gained the ability to hear other people's thoughts. He starts using his new powers for personal and financial gain, but soon discovers that they come with a price. ||||||
| 12 | "Harsh Mistress" | Brad Turner | Bradley Thompson & David Weddle | October 30, 2002 (2002-10-30) | 110 |
| A wannabe rock star (Lukas Haas) gains talent, wealth, and international stardom after purchasing a classic guitar with dark powers and an equally dark past. ||||||
| 13 | "Upgrade" | Joe Chappelle | Robert Hewitt Wolfe | October 30, 2002 (2002-10-30) | 113 |
| A housewife (Susanna Thompson) tries to move into a new house with her dysfunctional family while fantasizing about the life she wants to live, preventing her seemingly idyllic fantasies from becoming reality. ||||||
| 14 | "To Protect and Serve" | Joe Chappelle | Kamran Pasha | November 6, 2002 (2002-11-06) | 115 |
| An idealistic young police officer (Usher) dedicates himself to doing whatever it takes to protect a prostitute and family friend (Samantha Becker) from the vindictive ghost of her pimp (Dion Johnstone), who the officer was forced to shoot and kill in the line of duty. ||||||
| 15 | "Chosen" | Winrich Kolbe | Ira Steven Behr | November 6, 2002 (2002-11-06) | 114 |
| A destitute man (Jake Busey) sets out to unearth what he believes to be a conspiracy coinciding with the arrival of two persistent evangelists (Andrew Moxham and Kim Hawthorne), several disappearances, and a potential nuclear Armageddon. ||||||
| 16 | "Sensuous Cindy" | John T. Kretchmer | James Crocker | November 13, 2002 (2002-11-13) | 116 |
| A magazine writer (Greg Germann) whose fiancée firmly refuses to have sex until after marriage interacts with a virtual-reality simulation to relieve his stress with Sensous Cindy (Jaime Pressly), an artificial intelligence taking the form of a beautiful woman who wants him all to herself. ||||||
| 17 | "Hunted" | Patrick Norris | Christopher Mack | November 13, 2002 (2002-11-13) | 117 |
| The members of an elite special forces team (Scott Bairstow and Marisol Nichols) of a futuristic utopia free of violence and criminal activity set out to track and execute a vicious creature responsible for the deaths of several civilians. ||||||
| 18 | "Mr. Motivation" | Deran Sarafian | Story by : Steven Aspis Teleplay by : Brent V. Friedman | November 20, 2002 (2002-11-20) | 118 |
| Mr. Motivation (voiced by Pat O'Brien), a doll with a sinister personality, encourages a timid pharmaceutical employee (Wallace Langham) to stand up to his crooked boss (Christopher McDonald) and take control of his life. ||||||
| 19 | "Sanctuary" | Patrick Norris | James Crocker | November 20, 2002 (2002-11-20) | 119 |
| Two agents, one in sports (Rob Estes) and the other in real estate (Elizabeth Berkley) find themselves stranded in a modern version of the Garden of Eden. They struggle to keep their idyllic world from crumbling when an injured motorcyclist (Nicki Aycox) with a working cell phone arrives. ||||||
| 20 | "Future Trade" | Bob Balaban | Clyde Hayes | November 27, 2002 (2002-11-27) | 121 |
| A man (Frank Whaley) with a dead-end job at a big-box store and a dysfunctional family learns that leading a rich life isn't everything he hoped after trading his future for that of a man with a trophy wife (Sofia Milos). ||||||
| 21 | "Found and Lost" | Vern Gillum | Story by : Bill Mumy Teleplay by : Frederick Rappaport | November 27, 2002 (2002-11-27) | 120 |
| A troubled businessman (Brian Austin Green) receives the opportunity to go back in time, revisit his past, and make a second attempt to win the heart of the young woman he once loved (Moira Kelly). ||||||
| 22 | "Gabe's Story" | Allan Kroeker | Dusty Kay | December 11, 2002 (2002-12-11) | 123 |
| Deliveryman Gabe (Christopher Titus), who suffers from consistent bad luck, sets out to challenge fate after getting into a car accident, hitting his head, and gaining the uncanny ability to see the events surrounding his unlucky breaks, where he sees a mysterious man in a jumpsuit (Kelly Perine). ||||||
| 23 | "Last Lap" | Brad Turner | Rob Hedden | December 11, 2002 (2002-12-11) | 122 |
| A young man (Greg Serano) takes his terminally ill childhood friend (Clifton Collins, Jr.) to a local racetrack for a last ride in his GT street racer, resulting in unexpected consequences for both men. ||||||
| 24 | "The Path" | Jerry Levine | James Crocker | January 8, 2003 (2003-01-08) | 125 |
| A dissatisfied tabloid magazine writer (Linda Cardellini) gradually grows obsessed with relying on a fortune teller (Method Man) who provides uncannily accurate predictions about where her life is headed. ||||||
| 25 | "Fair Warning" | John T. Kretchmer | David Weddle & Bradley Thompson | January 8, 2003 (2003-01-08) | 124 |
| A flower shop employee (Taryn Manning) finds herself struggling to convince people that a pet store employee (Devon Gummersall) suffering from dissociative identity disorder is stalking her. ||||||
| 26 | "Another Life" | Risa Bramon Garcia | Amir Mann & Brent V. Friedman | February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05) | 126 |
| A celebrated hip-hop artist (Wood Harris) with a privileged life and a loving family experiences confusing visions, which plague him to the point where the lines separating fantasy and reality start to blur. ||||||
| 27 | "Rewind" | Kevin Bray | James Crocker | February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05) | 127 |
| A compulsive gambler (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is gifted a cassette recorder with the power to repeatedly send him five minutes back in time, and tries to use it to beat the local casino owner (Ben Bass) and the mob. ||||||
| 28 | "Tagged" | James Head | Story by : Charles Largent Teleplay by : Michael Angeli | February 12, 2003 (2003-02-12) | 129 |
| A gang member and street tagger (Todd Williams) becomes consumed with guilt after killing a man he caught painting over his mural and seeing the mural itself transform into a real-life portrait of his crime. ||||||
| 29 | "Into the Light" | Lou Diamond Phillips | Moira Kirland Dekker | February 12, 2003 (2003-02-12) | 128 |
| A high school English teacher (Samantha Mathis) set on resigning due to a lack of interest from her apathetic students, develops the ability to predict when a person is going to die when she looks at their face. ||||||
| 30 | "It's Still a Good Life" | Allan Kroeker | Based on characters created by : Jerome Bixby Teleplay by : Ira Steven Behr | February 19, 2003 (2003-02-19) | 131 |
| In the sequel to It's a Good Life, Anthony Fremont (Bill Mumy), all grown up and still terrorizing the residents of Peaksville with his unlimited mental powers, discovers that his young daughter (Liliana Mumy) has powers that are even stronger than his. ||||||
| 31 | "The Monsters Are on Maple Street" | Debbie Allen | Story by : Rod Serling Teleplay by : Erin Maher & Kay Reindl | February 19, 2003 (2003-02-19) | 130 |
| In an updated version of the original series episode The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, an unexpected power and water failure prompts the residents (Andrew McCarthy, Titus Welliver, Kristi Angus, and Peter Williams) of a quiet suburban neighborhood to grow increasingly suspicious of their new neighbors and accuse them of being terrorist sleeper agents. ||||||
| 32 | "Memphis" | Eriq La Salle | Eriq La Salle | February 26, 2003 (2003-02-26) | 133 |
| A law clerk (Eriq La Salle) with an inoperable brain tumor who has only six months left to live finds himself transported back in time to Memphis, Tennessee on the day of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. ||||||
| 33 | "How Much Do You Love Your Kid?" | Allison Liddi-Brown | Michael Angeli | February 26, 2003 (2003-02-26) | 132 |
| A woman (Bonnie Somerville) contemplating divorcing husband (Steve Bacic) discovers that her son has been kidnapped via phone call, and she is forced to participate in a twisted reality game show hosted by Nick Dark (Wayne Knight) to get him back. ||||||
| 34 | "The Placebo Effect" | Jerry Levine | Story by : Rebecca Swanson Teleplay by : Brent V. Friedman | April 2, 2003 (2003-04-02) | 134 |
| A medical practitioner (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) attempts to dissuade a hypochondriac (Jeffrey Combs) from believing that he has contracted a virulent disease found in the pages of a science-fiction novel. ||||||
| 35 | "Cold Fusion" | Eli Richbourg | Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz | April 2, 2003 (2003-04-02) | 135 |
| A brilliant physicist (Sean Patrick Flanery) becomes involved in a deadly psychological struggle with a rivalling scientist (Ian McShane) after being tasked with taking part in the final preparations for an infinite power source. ||||||
| 36 | "The Pharaoh's Curse" | Bob Balaban | Stephen Beck | April 23, 2003 (2003-04-23) | 139 |
| An up-and-coming illusionist (Shawn Hatosy) insinuates himself into the lives of a reclusive veteran magician (Xander Berkeley) and his young wife (Lindy Booth) in an attempt to unlock the secrets behind their centuries-old illusion. ||||||
| 37 | "The Collection" | John T. Kretchmer | Erin Maher & Kay Reindl | April 23, 2003 (2003-04-23) | 138 |
| A babysitter (Jessica Simpson) suspects that a collection of eerily life-like dolls belonging to her latest client's charge (Ashley Edner) is connected to the mysterious disappearances of her previous sitters. ||||||
| 38 | "Eye of the Beholder" | David R. Ellis | Rod Serling | April 30, 2003 (2003-04-30) | 140 |
| In a retelling of the original series episode Eye of the Beholder, a young woman with a hideous facial deformity (Molly Sims) living in a futuristic totalitarian society waits to learn if the 11th and final attempt to surgically make her look like everyone else is successful or not. ||||||
| 39 | "Developing" | Allison Liddi-Brown | Moira Kirland Dekker | April 30, 2003 (2003-04-30) | 141 |
| A photographer (Robin Tunney) becomes convinced that her deceased fiancé is attempting to contact her from beyond the grave after finding him in several photographs that never could have been taken. ||||||
| 40 | "The Executions of Grady Finch" | John Peter Kousakis | Story by : Frederick Rappaport Teleplay by : Ira Steven Behr and Brent V. Friedman | May 7, 2003 (2003-05-07) | 143 |
| A death row inmate (Jeremy Sisto) sets out to convince his defense attorney (Alicia Witt) that he didn't commit the crime he was convicted of, while an unknown force starts interfering with his executions. ||||||
| 41 | "Homecoming" | Risa Bramon Garcia | Story by : Bradley Thompson & David Weddle Teleplay by : Michael Angeli | May 7, 2003 (2003-05-07) | 142 |
| A Delta Force officer (Gil Bellows) recently discharged from combat tries to make amends with his wayward teenage son (Penn Badgley), while also preventing him from unearthing a mysterious secret. ||||||
| 42 | "Sunrise" | Tim Matheson | Story by : Katrina Cabrera Ortega Teleplay by : Frederick Rappaport | May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21) | 137 |
| Five college students (Jonathan Jackson, Sarah Carter, Michael Peña, Lauren Lee Smith, and Tyler Labine) exploring an ancient Aztec ritual site struggle to decide whom they must sacrifice after knocking over a jug filled with blood and enacting a curse that causes the sun to go out. ||||||
| 43 | "Burned" | John T. Kretchmer | Seth Weisburst & Daniel Wolowicz | May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21) | 136 |
| An agoraphobic real estate mogul (Jason Bateman) finds himself being forced to confront the sins of his past when the vindictive ghosts of two young children killed in an arson fire he orchestrated start haunting him. ||||||

## Home media

The complete series was released on DVD by New Line in a six disc box set on September 7, 2004. The episodes are presented in their production order, not their broadcast order.