TV

Jordan Peele’s ‘Twilight Zone’ Revival Is Perfect Television For 2019

We’ve seen the first four episodes of Jordan Peele’s revival of the iconic series and we’re obsessed.

by Cameron Williams  17 April 2019
The Twilight Zone Jordan Peele Revival

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For a show that’s 60 years old, The Twilight Zone is in good shape.

The legend goes that TV writer Rod Serling got frustrated by the negative feedback from networks about his scripts — mostly dramas addressing political issues. So, Serling pitched a show where strange occurrences would be the norm — the farfetched sci-fi premise would mean less network meddling.

The Twilight Zone was born and each week Serling, as the narrator/host, presented a different, mind-bending story with a subversive approach to big ideas.

The original series ran for five seasons (1959-1964), won two Emmys, tipped television upside down and left audiences shook — it still does.

Shows like Black Mirror, The X-Files and Castle Rock all owe a debt to The Twilight Zone — a lot of TV does, big time. The iconic series has been revived twice (1985 and 2002) and episodes were adapted for a film version, The Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).

The Twilight Zone has endured because its themes are prescient: bigotry, paranoia, technology, global warming and our humanity are at stake throughout the series.

The Twilight Zone 2019

With such an intimidating legacy how do you revive The Twilight Zone in 2019? With Jordan Peele, the writer and director of Get Out and Us, of course.

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Rumours of The Twilight Zone making a comeback have been around since 2012 when Bryan Singer was hired to make it happen.

After five years of nothing, Get Out is released in 2017 and every film and TV studio wants to work with Peele. Apparently, Peele is a fan of The Twilight Zone, and he asked the rights holders, CBS, about the possibility of reviving the series, his dream gig, and they obliged.

Peele has a dual role on Twilight Zone 2019, he’s an executive producer and the narrator, taking over from Serling as our guide through each surreal episode. Peele’s presence represents the vibe of the revived Twilight Zone, it’s assured, subtle and reverent.

The new episodes re-contextualise classics to give them new meaning while others trip us out in new ways. If you’re new to the series, you can go in cold, but if you’re a fan there are loving nods along the way that never interrupt the story.

The cast is great, too: Adam Scott, John Cho, Kumail Nanjiani, Allison Tolman, Jacob Tremblay, Steven Yeun, DeWanda Wise, Ginnifer Goodwin, Sanaa Lathan, Tracy Morgan, Greg Kinnear, Zazie Beetz, Chris O’Dowd, Damson Idris, and Seth Rogen.

In Twilight Zone 2019 the spirit of Serling’s vision remains intact, it examines social and political issues by taking a detour into implausible territory, and life in 2019 is chaotic enough for this revival to thrive.

Here’s a look at the first four trips into The Twilight Zone.

Episode 1: The Comedian

What’s it about?

A struggling stand-up comedian, Samir Wassan (Kumail Nanjiani), is wallowing after another bad set when he meets his idol, J.C. Wheeler (Tracy Morgan).

Samir asks for advice on how to improve his act and Wheeler tells him to add more personal material. Samir begins to get laughs when discussing his personal life on stage, but it comes at a cost.

The verdict

Selling out is a big theme in The Comedian but what Samir says to get a reaction from the audience represents the parts of ourselves we mine for our passions.

When Samir gets a taste of fame and more followers on Twitter, the episode becomes a darker exploration of the performative side of life in the social media age. Nanjiani, whose background is in stand-up comedy, plays up the desperation for laughs so well, it’s a career-best performance.

The paranoia kicks into overdrive as Samir’s set gets deeper into his personal life. You may feel yourself pulling at your own hair like the stressed-out comic on stage. A fantastic start to the series.

Episode 2: Nightmare at 30,000 Feet

What’s it about?

Based on one of the most iconic episodes of the original series, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (starring William Shatner), the updated version focuses on an investigative journalist, Justin Sanderson (Adam Scott), who discovers a device and a mysterious podcast while on a flight to Tel Aviv.

The verdict?

In Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, a man has a breakdown claiming there’s gremlin on the wing tearing the plane apart, but nobody believes him.

The genius of the 2019 version of this premise is where they put the monster. People are so desperate to believe they are the hero of their own story that they are blind to the consequences of their actions. Nightmare at 30,000 is a slow burn that’s missing the shock factor of the original, but it does succeed at finding a new path with the story.

Episode 3: Replay

What’s it about?

Nina Harrison (Sanaa Lathan) is on a road trip through a rural area, near where she grew up with her her son, Dorian (Damson Idris), who is about to start his first year of college. Nina is recording each moment with her son using a camcorder before she drops him off but discovers the camera does a lot more than just record.

The verdict?

Throughout Replay, the Harrisons, a black family, are constantly stopped and questioned by a white police officer (Glenn Fleshler).

Without going into too much detail, it ends badly, several times, and it’s a critique of violence toward unarmed black men and women in America. Nina tries to do everything right but it’s never good enough and it becomes an overarching theme for her life: when will anything be good enough?

A few heavy handed moments toward the end dent this racially charged episode that works best in its quieter moments.

Episode 4: A Traveler

What’s it about?

Set on Christmas eve in a small military base town in Alaska, a local sheriff (Greg Kinnear) has an annual tradition where he gets in the festive spirit and pardons one prisoner. With only one prisoner in custody, it’s going to be a breeze, but they discover there’s two men waiting in the jail cells.

The verdict?

Easily, the creepiest episode of the new batch, thanks to Steven Yuen (The Walking Dead), who plays the mysterious cellmate.

Political allegiances are where the tension lies in A Traveler and a little Cold War paranoia sneaks into a police station Christmas party. The episode also addresses the indigenous people of Alaska and the arguments made to justify occupying their land, which has far wider implications when the true nature of the uninvited guest is revealed.

One shot, you’ll know it when you see it, is guaranteed to keep you up at night.

The first four episodes of The Twilight Zone will drop on Ten All Access, 19 April 2019, with new episode available week-to-week.

Cameron Williams is a writer and film critic based in Melbourne who occasionally blabs about movies on ABC radio. He has a slight Twitter addiction: @MrCamW.