Netflix’s 7-Season Dystopian Sci-Fi Reinvents The Twilight Zone For A Modern Era

A dystopian science fiction TV show has rightfully gained the title of The Twilight Zone for modern audiences, making it a must-watch. The Twilight Zone is one of the greatest science fiction television shows of all time, and its impact on television is absolutely immeasurable.

The idea of an anthological TV show wasn’t anything new when The Twilight Zone. However, Rod Serling’s series still set the mould for TV shows and movies that came after. It finessed the formatting. It tightened the storytelling and added in much more social commentary. It pushed science fiction forward and perfected the twist endings. The fact that The Twilight Zone is still lauded today speaks to how influential it was. Take me, for example. I’m a passionate fan of The Twilight Zone, but I wasn’t alive when the TV show first came out. Regardless, it was still a fundamental part of my introduction to the science fiction and horror genres. I remember the experience of watching episodes like “To Serve Man” and “Judgment Night” for the first time. Many Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z fans are in the same boat of experiencing it down the road and absolutely loving it.

In the almost seven decades since the show came out, many shows have tried to recreate what made The Twilight Zone special, and they’re colloquially called “Twilight Clones,” a play on the TV show’s title. However, very few attempts have even come close. A few of the better shows are Tales of the Void, Channel Zero, and Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. The true The Twilight Zone for the modern audience, though, is Netflix’s Black Mirror.

Black Mirror Is The Best ‘Twilight Clone’ There’s Ever Been

Black Mirror is a masterclass when it comes to creativity and storytelling. The show blends together sci-fi and horror in a very similar way to the original. Many of the episodes are absolutely nightmare-inducing, and others will leave viewers questioning the world around them.

Black Mirror also maintains the core goal of The Twilight Zone. Rod Serling didn’t originally plan to write science fiction. Serling believed that writers should be social activists and discuss serious issues of the time (via Smithsonian Magazine). However, his attempts to adapt the story of Emmett Till’s murder were thwarted. He faced censorship from TV executives and advertisers. As such, Serling created The Twilight Zone, a show that disguises social commentary as eerie and disturbing science fiction stories.

Every single episode of Black Mirror offers clear commentary on society and the social anxieties we face in the modern world. Some messages are more subtle than others, but they all serve a purpose that’s greater than pure entertainment. The show puts a particularly strong magnifying glass on the dangers of technology and capitalism.

It Says A Lot That Black Mirror Is So Much Darker Than The Twilight Zone

While Black Mirror has the same goal as The Twilight Zone, the TV show is much darker and more disturbing from a modern perspective. Part of this has to do with the time that has passed since the iconic science fiction series first aired.

Almost 67 years have gone by. Not everything that shook viewers back then will still be relevant to today’s audiences. It’s highly probable that The Twilight Zone felt just as chilling and dark to viewers when it first came out as Black Mirror is to us today. Plus, we’re so technologically advanced now that the world presented in The Twilight Zone feels distant.

That said, the darkness of Black Mirror can also be attributed to the state of society, especially in the United States and the UK. Political division feels like it’s at an all-time high. We are falling deeper and deeper into a capitalistic hellscape. Billionaires are taking advantage of and oppressing the lower and middle classes. We’re regressing in terms of civil rights.

However, it also doesn’t shy away from global issues that affect much of the world. Technology is omnipresent and is being used as a weapon. Government surveillance is now much easier worldwide. Multiple countries are actively facing genocides and wars. Plus, everyone is feeling the effects of global warming. We’re much farther down the road today than we were six decades ago on a lot of the issues the world is facing. As such, it would seem inauthentic for a modern TV show like The Twilight Zone to be anything but dark.

Release Date

December 4, 2011

Network

Channel 4, Netflix

Showrunner

Charlie Brooker

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