17 "Twilight Zone" Episodes To Watch If You've Never Seen "The Twilight Zone"

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1-10:

1. “Where Is Everybody?” (Season 1, Episode 1, 1959)



Good if you like: Westerns, mysteries, last man on Earth, slowly going crazy

The very first Twilight Zone episode features a man who finds himself completely alone in an otherwise seemingly active town. With themes of isolation and human psychology and a twist ending, it’s a great introduction to the overall feel of the show.



2. “Time Enough At Last” (Season 1, Episode 8, 1959)



Good if you like: Irony, last man on Earth, simplicity

This classic episode follows an unhappy man who really just wants time to read, and his wish is granted when he’s the sole survivor of a nuclear war. The ending will leave you groaning in frustration (in a very good way).



3. “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (Season 1, Episode 22, 1960)



Good if you like: Mob mentality, small-town psychology, heavy morals

This one is also known by many high schoolers as the script they had to read to learn about the dangers of mob mentality, and it’s a good lesson. Watch these townspeople tear each other apart trying to guess who’s the impostor among them.



4. “The After Hours” (Season 1, Episode 34, 1960)



Good if you like: Alfred Hitchcock films, thrillers, happy endings

If you’ve ever been creeped out by those full-body mannequins in a clothing store, this is either the best or worst episode for you. A woman gets trapped on a deserted department store floor and is treated very oddly by the clerks.



5. “The Howling Man” (Season 2, Episode 5, 1960)



Good if you like: Greek myths, fantasy, good vs. evil

It’s the classic tale of an evil being convincing the good-doer to help them escape, and it’s done really well. I mean, what would you do if a seemingly tortured prisoner begged you to set them free?



6. “Eye of the Beholder” (Season 2, Episode 6, 1960)



Good if you like: The Uglies, modernity gone wrong, dismantling social norms, twists

This episode paints a picture of some world in which the State pays for surgical operations on particular people who do not meet the beauty standards set in place. It follows a woman wrapped in bandages in her last attempt to become “normal,” leaving you to ponder our own world’s standards of “normal.”




7. “Nick of Time” (Season 2, Episode 7, 1960)



Good if you like: Ambiguous magic, self-fulfilling prophecies, addiction narratives

A young (and very pretty) William Shatner and his newlywed wife get addicted to a fortune-telling machine they find in a diner. If you enjoy a sort of grim fascination with watching people self-destruct, this episode will definitely resonate with you.



8. “The Invaders” (Season 2, Episode 15, 1961)




Good if you like: Alien, thrillers, creepy aesthetic, twists

One of the scariest episodes in the series, and it does it all with practically no dialogue. Though you root for the old woman defending herself from invaders, you’ll find yourself thrown when their true origin is revealed.




9. “Long Distance Call” (Season 2, Episode 22, 1961)



Good if you like: Ghost stories, supernatural, creepy grandmas

A lesser-known episode, but a very creepy one. After his grandmother dies, a little boy uses the toy phone she gave him to speak to her beyond the grave — and Dead Grandma has some pretty dark requests.



10. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (Season 2, Episode 28, 1961)




Good if you like: Murder mysteries, alien impostors

After hearing a radio report about a crashed spaceship, customers trapped in a snowed-in diner grow suspicious of each other. Honestly the whole episode is worth it for the killer costuming in the final shot.

[Zoneboy]

11-17:

11. “It’s a Good Life” (Season 3, Episode 8, 1961)



Good if you like: Horror, creepy little kids, superpowers

Ever wonder what would happen if a child controlled the world? This episode has a theory. A little boy with great powers terrorizing his community, who must all give him whatever he wants — unless they want to get sent to the cornfield.



12. “The Midnight Sun” (Season 3, Episode 10, 1961)



Good if you like: Apocalypse narratives, disaster films, slowly going crazy

No, it’s not another Stephenie Meyer sequel — this Twilight had the title first. The editing and effects in the climactic scene will haunt you for days after you watch this one about the last people alive while the Earth hurtles toward the sun.




13. “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (Season 3, Episode 14, 1961)




Good if you like: Mysteries, waking up in a room, bottle episodes

Five people wake up in a room with no idea of who they are, how they got there, or how to get out. Can you guess the twist?




14. “Kick the Can” (Season 3, Episode 21, 1962)



Good if you like: Bittersweet stories, irony, fantasy, nostalgia

This episode deals with questions of youth and aging, as it follows a group of elderly friends living out their last years in an assisted living home. It is beautiful, heartbreaking, and incredibly well-written.




15. “To Serve Man” (Season 3, Episode 24)



Good if you like: Aliens, mysteries, twists

This episode explores how humans would learn to interact and communicate with an alien race that arrives on Earth. It also has one of the best twist endings of the series.



16. “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (Season 5, Episode 3, 1963)



Good if you like: Psychological thrillers, high tension, bottle episodes

This classic will have you on the edge of your seat as an airline passenger deals with visions of Gremlins…or are they real? And yes, that is a young William Shatner, aka Captain Kirk, again.




17. “Living Doll” (Season 5, Episode 6, 1961)



Good if you like: Horror, creepy dolls, poetic justice

Before Chucky there was Talky Tina. It’s all well and good to watch an evil doll torture an ******* stepdad — until you realize that she’s out to get you, too.

[OH Nuts!]

All 17 are great episodes-actually I can't even think of TZ ep that was less than very good.

But my all time fav is To Serve Man - of all the TZ eps, this was the one with the most riveting surprise ending.

I'd have to think long and hard what 2-5 would be for my personal fav TZ eps; so many OUTSTANDING eps to choose from.

(If I were ever on a stranded island, and I could only have 5 shows, TZ would absolutely be one of them.)

[dakert]

I always watch Kick The Can/Walking Distance back to back

[H.Munster]

Walking distance
Kick The Can
A Stop Willoughby
After Hours
The Rip Van Winkle Caper
Back There
The Lonely
The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine
Nick of Time
What You Need
A Most Unusual Camera

..I could go on and on