Movies - TV
The Real-Life Meaning Behind The Title Of The Twilight Zone
By MATT RAINIS
"The Twilight Zone," which ran from 1959 to 1964 and presented sci-fi American fables with an uncommon-for-the-time moralistic approach, is an unquestionably foundational work of American media. Rod Serling, the show's creator and host, came up with the eerie name from what were likely some of the darkest days of his life.
Every episode was a stand-alone story in which a normal person would experience unexplainable and unusual events, usually resulting in some sort of twist and a moral being learned at the end. Serling revealed he came up with the show's famous title from his real-life experience in World War II.
The experience and trauma from his time as an Army paratrooper are evident in his writing’s dark and moralistic tones, with the series title describing the moment the plane goes down and can no longer see the horizon. Following cancellation, Serling bemoaned how the network wanted him to give actual monsters instead of directly addressing societal issues.