The Twilight Zone (2002 TV series)

The Twilight Zone
File:Twilight Zone 2002 logo.png
Genre	Science fiction Fantasy Horror Mystery Thriller
Created by	Rod Serling (a second revival of the 1959 TV series)
Presented by	Forest Whitaker
Composer	Mark Snow
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	43
Production
Executive producers	John Watson Mark Stern Ira Steven Behr Pen Densham
Production locations	Vancouver, British Columbia
Running time	22 minutes
Production companies	New Line Television Spirit Dance Entertainment Trilogy Entertainment Group Joshmax Productions Services
Original release
Network	UPN
Release	September 18, 2002 (2002-09-18) – May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21)

The Twilight Zone 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 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. The opening theme music was provided by Jonathan Davis (singer of the band Korn).

The series tended to address contemporary issues head-on; i.e. 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 "The 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 similarly called "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 screenwriter for other episodes in the revival.

Other guest stars include, but are not limited to: Penn Badgley, Scott Bairstow, Jason Bateman, Gil Bellows, Elizabeth Berkley, Xander Berkeley, 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, Frank Whaley, Alicia Witt, and Gordon Michael Woolvett. McDonald, Langham, Xander Berkeley, and Haas had all previously guest starred in the 1980s revival.

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
The family of a rebellious teenager (Amber Tamblyn) moves to a gated community which has a unique and grisly way of dealing with troubled youth.
2	"One Night at Mercy"	Peter O'Fallon	Christopher Mack	September 18, 2002 (2002-09-18)	103
A doctor named Dr. Jay Ferguson (Tyler Christopher) saves a strange patient (Jason Alexander) from suicide, only to learn that he is Death incarnate 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 help a black professor (Hill Harper) who's being beaten up by skinheads, a white man named Matt McGreevy (Vincent Ventresca) finds himself becoming the victimized professor and ends up targeted for racial hatred.
4	"Dream Lover"	Peter O'Fallon	Frederick Rappaport	September 25, 2002 (2002-09-25)	105
A comic book graphic artist named Andrew Lomax (Adrian Pasdar) somehow makes his dream girl (Shannon Elizabeth) real to help him with his writer's block. However, who is real and who is fictional becomes unclear.
5	"Cradle of Darkness"	Jean de Segonzac	Kamran Pasha	October 2, 2002 (2002-10-02)	104
A woman (Katherine Heigl) working for a time travel organization is sent back in time to kill Adolf Hitler in infancy and prevent his reign of terror.
6	"Night Route"	Jean de Segonzac	Jill Blotevogel	October 2, 2002 (2002-10-02)	102
After nearly being hit by a car, a female English professor named Melina Kroner (Ione Skye) is haunted by a strange bus appearing in her street.
7	"Time Lapse"	John T. Kretchmer	James Crocker	October 9, 2002 (2002-10-09)	109
An orderly named Zack Walker (Ethan Embry), suffering from blackouts, learns that his condition is the result of a cop using his body to stop an assassination attempt on the U.S. President and his daughter.
8	"Dead Man's Eyes"	Jerry Levine	Frederick Rappaport	October 9, 2002 (2002-10-09)	108
A widow named Lauren Janus (Portia di Rossi) discovers that she can see her deceased husband's life through his glasses...and uses the ability to figure out who the murderer is when she's called into court as a witness.
9	"The Pool Guy"	Paul Shapiro	Hans Beimler	October 16, 2002 (2002-10-16)	111
A pool cleaner named Richie Almares (Lou Diamond Phillips) is having a recurring nightmare of a deceased man (Mackenzie Gray) who keeps telling him to wake up before shooting him.
10	"Azoth the Avenger Is a Friend of Mine"	Brad Turner	Brent V. Friedman	October 16, 2002 (2002-10-16)	112
A young boy named Craig Henson (Rory Culkin), beset by abuse from the neighborhood bullies and his alcoholic, short-tempered father, wills his favorite superhero Azoth the Avenger (Patrick Warburton) to life, who teaches him about vengeance and courage.
11–12	"The Lineman"	Jonathan Frakes	Pen Densham	October 23, 2002 (2002-10-23)	101
After being struck by lightning, a lineman named Tyler Ward (Jeremy Piven) gains the ability to hear other people's thoughts. Using his newfound powers for his own personal and financial gain, he soon realizes that everything comes with a price.
13	"Harsh Mistress"	Brad Turner	Bradley Thompson & David Weddle	October 30, 2002 (2002-10-30)	110
A struggling musician named Cory Williams (Lukas Haas) purchases an infamous guitar, which leads to him gaining vast international stardom and wealth, but both come with a surprising price tag.
14	"Upgrade"	Joe Chappelle	Robert Hewitt Wolfe	October 30, 2002 (2002-10-30)	113
A housewife named Annie (Susanna Thompson) wishes for a better life, only to find that reality wants to replace her as well.
15	"To Protect and Serve"	Joe Chappelle	Kamran Pasha	November 6, 2002 (2002-11-06)	115
Eric Boggs (Usher), an idealistic police officer, tries to rescue a prostitute from her pimp -- even if it means going into the afterlife.
16	"Chosen"	Winrich Kolbe	Ira Steven Behr	November 6, 2002 (2002-11-06)	114
A hopeless and destitute man named Vincent Hansen (Jake Busey) angrily rebuffs two persistent missionaries who may well have the answer to all of his problems at the time when some people start to disappear.
17	"Sensuous Cindy"	John T. Kretchmer	James Crocker	November 13, 2002 (2002-11-13)	116
Having sworn off all other women upon getting engaged, a man named Benjamin Baker (Greg Germann) is put to the test by a virtual-reality beauty named Cindy (Jaime Pressly) who wants him all to herself.
18	"Hunted"	Patrick Norris	Christopher Mack	November 13, 2002 (2002-11-13)	117
A futuristic society is attacked by a vicious and mysterious murderer named Kreetor.
19	"Mr. Motivation"	Deran Sarafian	Teleplay by: Brent V. Friedman Story by: Steven Aspis	November 20, 2002 (2002-11-20)	118
A sinister toy doll (voiced by Pat O'Brien) encourages a timid man named Charles Stickney (Wallace Langham) to stand up to his boss Rick (Christopher McDonald) and take control of his life. Note: An interesting Easter Egg found in this episode shows a poster in the background of a scene advertising "Nerverol Xanax 30mg".
20	"Sanctuary"	Patrick Norris	James Crocker	November 20, 2002 (2002-11-20)	119
Stranded in a modern day Garden of Eden, a sports agent named Scott Turner (Rob Estes) and a real estate agent named Marisa Sanborn (Elizabeth Berkley) soon find their idyllic world crumbling thanks to an injured motorcyclist (Nicki Aycox) and her working cell phone.
21	"Future Trade"	Bob Balaban	Clyde Hayes	November 27, 2002 (2002-11-27)	121
A man named Martin Donner (Frank Whaley) with a dead-end job at a big-box store and a dysfunctional family is lured into trading his future for that of a seemingly privileged man with a trophy wife (Sofia Milos)...only to find out that the privileged life isn't everything.
22	"Found and Lost"	Vern Gillum	Teleplay by: Frederick Rappaport Story by: Bill Mumy	November 27, 2002 (2002-11-27)	120
A businessman named Sean Moore (Brian Austin Green) gets a chance to revisit the past and make another bid for Elizabeth Wicker (Moira Kelly) who was the woman that he loved.
23	"Gabe's Story"	Allan Kroeker	Dusty Kay	December 11, 2002 (2002-12-11)	123
A deliveryman named Gabe O'Brien (Christopher Titus) suffering from consistent bad luck is given a surprising chance to change his destiny.
24	"Last Lap"	Brad Turner	Rob Hedden	December 11, 2002 (2002-12-11)	122
A terminally ill young man named Andy Perez (Clifton Collins, Jr.) and his best friend Marco Flores (Greg Serano) take a final ride in their souped-up racer that results in unexpected consequences for both.
25	"The Path"	Jerry Levine	James Crocker	January 8, 2003 (2003-01-08)	125
A dissatisfied tabloid journalist named Ally Warner (Linda Cardellini) entrusts her fate in the hands of a fortune teller named Kamayo (Method Man) who gives her scoops in advance. However, her "sure thing" has hidden problems.
26	"Fair Warning"	John T. Kretchmer	David Weddle & Bradley Thompson	January 8, 2003 (2003-01-08)	124
A flower shop clerk named Tina Bishop (Taryn Manning) is viciously stalked by one of the multiple personalities of a troubled pet store employee named George Straitton (Devon Gummersall).
27	"Another Life"	Risa Bramon Garcia	Amir Mann & Brent V. Friedman	February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05)	126
Famous rapper Marvin Gardens (Wood Harris) overcame a tough childhood in the projects to become a millionaire with a wife, son, and mansion. However, painful & confusing visions plague him to the point that the thin line between real and fantasy is crossed.
28	"Rewind"	Kevin Bray	James Crocker	February 5, 2003 (2003-02-05)	127
A compulsive gambler named Jonah Beach (Eddie Kaye Thomas) who's given an old tape recorder which allows him to rewind time, believes he has found a sure bet to win big at the casinos. He soon discovers, however, that everything is a gamble.
29	"Tagged"	James Head	Story by: Charles Largent Teleplay by: Michael Angeli	February 12, 2003 (2003-02-12)	129
A gang member and tagger named Marcus Fisher (Todd Williams) confesses to murder when a mural painted by the victim transforms itself into a version of the crime scene.
30	"Into the Light"	Lou Diamond Phillips	Moira Kirland Dekker	February 12, 2003 (2003-02-12)	128
A teacher (Samantha Mathis) gains the power to predict death.
31	"It's Still a Good Life"	Allan Kroeker	Ira Steven Behr Based on Characters Created by: Jerome Bixby	February 19, 2003 (2003-02-19)	131
In the sequel to the 1961 episode "It's a Good Life", Anthony Fremont (Bill Mumy), the young boy who once terrorized his town with his amazing mental powers, is now a man and the proud father of a little girl (Liliana Mumy) whose mental powers are stronger than his.
32	"The Monsters Are on Maple Street"	Debbie Allen	Teleplay by: Erin Maher & Kay Reindl Story by: Rod Serling	February 19, 2003 (2003-02-19)	130
In this update of the 1960 episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," a neighborhood begins suspecting their new neighbors of terrorism after the power and water get cut off.
33	"Memphis"	Eriq La Salle	Eriq La Salle	February 26, 2003 (2003-02-26)	133
A law clerk named Ray Ellison (Eriq La Salle) with only six months to live due to a brain tumor finds himself in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968 on the day Martin Luther King, Jr. is going to be assassinated.
34	"How Much Do You Love Your Kid?"	Allison Liddi-Brown	Michael Angeli	February 26, 2003 (2003-02-26)	132
A woman named Donna Saicheck (Bonnie Somerville) who is contemplating divorce from her husband Ted (Steve Bacic) gets a phone call from the police that her son has been kidnapped. Donna then sees this as part of a twisted reality game show hosted by a man known as Nick Dark (Wayne Knight).
35	"The Placebo Effect"	Jerry Levine	Teleplay by: Brent V. Friedman Story by: Rebecca Swanson	April 2, 2003 (2003-04-02)	134
A description of an unnamed disease that the hypochondriac Harry Raditch (Jeffrey Combs) supposedly has comes to life when those around him become infected.
36	"Cold Fusion"	Eli Richbourg	Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz	April 2, 2003 (2003-04-02)	135
A brilliant physicist named Paul Thorson (Sean Patrick Flanery) is ordered by the military to a remote Arctic lab where the final start-up preparations for an infinite power source are taking place. He becomes involved in a deadly psychological struggle with the device's creator (Ian McShane).
37	"The Pharaoh's Curse"	Bob Balaban	Stephen Beck	April 23, 2003 (2003-04-23)	139
An aspiring magician named Mario Devlin (Shawn Hatosy) seeks to learn the secret behind a legendary trick by legendary magician Harry Kellogg (Xander Berkeley).
38	"The Collection"	John T. Kretchmer	Erin Maher & Kay Reindl	April 23, 2003 (2003-04-23)	138
A night of babysitting turns to cold terror when a young woman named Miranda Evans (Jessica Simpson) realizes that the eerily lifelike doll collection of her client Danielle Rander (Ashley Edner) may explain the mysterious disappearances of the previous babysitters.
39	"Eye of the Beholder"	David R. Ellis	Rod Serling	April 30, 2003 (2003-04-30)	140
In this remake of the classic Twilight Zone episode, a beautiful woman named Janet Tyler (Molly Sims) in a futuristic society where everyone is hideous undergoes her 11th attempt at surgically being like everyone else.
40	"Developing"	Allison Liddi-Brown	Moira Kirland Dekker	April 30, 2003 (2003-04-30)	141
A young photographer named Edie Durant (Robin Tunney) discovers photos of her dead fiancé that could never had been taken and remains convinced that it is her deceased lover calling her to be with him in death.
41	"The Executions of Grady Finch"	John Peter Kousakis	Teleplay by: Ira Steven Behr and Brent V. Friedman Story by: Frederick Rappaport	May 7, 2003 (2003-05-07)	143
A death row inmate named Grady Finch (Jeremy Sisto) claims to his lawyer Liz (Alicia Witt) that he is innocent as an unknown force ends up interfering in his executions.
42	"Homecoming"	Risa Bramon Garcia	Teleplay by: Michael Angeli Story by: Bradley Thompson & David Weddle	May 7, 2003 (2003-05-07)	142
An army officer named Rob Malone (Gil Bellows) comes home to try and make amends with his wayward son Trace (Penn Badgley) before the boy learns his terrible secret.
43	"Sunrise"	Tim Matheson	Teleplay by: Frederick Rappaport Story by: Katrina Cabrera Ortega	May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21)	137
Five college students named Marty (Jonathan Jackson), Amber (Sarah Carter), Noah (Michael Peña), Eve (Lauren Lee Smith), and Wesley (Tyler Labine) explore an Aztec site. They carelessly knock over a jug filled with blood and in an instant, the sun goes out. The Earth will die unless something is done. According to some carvings, the only way to reverse the curse is to sacrifice someone.
44	"Burned"	John T. Kretchmer	Seth Weisburst & Daniel Wolowicz	May 21, 2003 (2003-05-21)	136
An agoraphobic real-estate mogul named Scott Crane (Jason Bateman) is haunted by the ghosts of twin children killed in an arson he paid a man to commit.

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.

See also

• The Twilight Zone (franchise)
• The Twilight Zone (1985)

External links

• The Twilight Zone at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show
• Discussion of the episodes
• Episode numbers and details