Twilight Zone S1

The Twilight Zone is back and the iconic paranormal anthology series is creepier – and more relevant – than ever.

“I feel like The Twilight Zone is the greatest show of all time because it explored a character’s tragic flaws with unexplained paranormal influences,” explains narrator, director and executive producer Jordan Peele. The 40-year-old New Yorker wasn’t born by the time the original series was cancelled, having aired between 1959 and 1964. But now he’s running the show as the third reboot of The Twilight Zone reaches Showmax and DStv Now subscribers’ screens.

It was the brainchild of original narrator Rod Serling, who was behind the first two failed revivals too. While Jordan jumped at the opportunity to direct and executive produce the 2019 reboot, he was a bit more sceptical about taking Rod’s seat as narrator, adding that “there were a million ways that I could botch this”.

Everyone’s heard the phrase “it’s like I’ve got lost in the twilight zone” when something strange and unexplained has happened. It’s become a social convention, which is why the reboot made sense, explains Jordan’s executive producing partner Simon Kinberg. “We are living in a twilight zone. Nothing makes sense. Divisions are getting wider. It’s time for a show that can be entertaining but also provide moral and social parables. Jordan is uniquely well-suited to telling stories in that genre space and explore social justice issues.”

A feature of the 2019 reboot is that it tackles social issues currently plaguing the modern world. These include bullying, racial prejudice, depression and various other situations that people (ie the audience) would possibly find themselves in their real lives.

New episodes land every Friday at 22:00 on DStv Now and on Showmax at the same time, starting on 11 October.