A recent thread in the SD TV and TV Movies software section asking about The Outer Limits (New) got me thinking about this series and The Twilight Zone (The 80's version). I finally got off my butt and ordered Season 1 of The Outer Limits (New) and all 3 seasons of The Twilight Zone (The 80's version).
I'm a huge fan of the originals of both series and I think the original Limits stands on it's own as a terrific series. Of course Rod Serling's Twilight Zone was highly innovative and nothing has compared. Both original series were very different, but had an appeal that was similar.
I enjoyed most of the new The Outer Limits whenever I could see it as broadcast got sporatic and The Twilight Zone (80's version) and thought it might be interesting to discuss them.
I seem to have stronger memories of The Twilight Zone (80's) as two episodes stick in my mind and affected me as strongly as the original "Time Enough At Last". I am fan of John F. Kennedy and admired him, or the image of him. So "Profile in Silver" really had an effect on me. I remember when I first saw it, it was a terrific idea. I have not seen it since it aired, so I look forward to seeing it again. I think Andrew Robinson was terrific in the role of JFK, well before he was on DS9! I think Victor Garber was in there too as the historian.
The second episode that stuck is "The Once and Future King". I really liked the idea behind this show, if you can accept the idea that this guy somehow could go back in time. I have not seen this one in 20 years as well, so I look forward to seeing it. I still remember it clearly and I liked how the Estate of Elvis Presley approved the story credit at the end.
The New Outer Limits also had 2 shows I remember from the first year. Valerie 23 and I, Robot. I was curious how the remake of the original I, Robot would play. I have very little memory of it so it may not have been as good as the original. With Leonard Nimoy back to play the lawyer Cutler, being the prime draw for me. If Valerie 23 is the episode I remember, that one struck a cord as the main character falls for the robot. I think the original Twilight Zone did a similar story exceptionally well and you really felt for the female robot in that episode. So I'm really curious to re-view this new Outer Limits version.
It's too bad the later seasons are not out yet. There was one show I remember where the Preseident of The United States has to make a choice to either accept an alien visiting space ship or listen to advisors who believe they are not friendly and coming to invade Earth. It's a vague memory, so I might be mis-remembering. I recall the ending was quite good, without giving it away. Perhaps its in one of the compilation sets called about alien stories. There was another similar story of humans on an asteroid where they are fighting to get a long with some aliens or the result will be the destruction of both races.
If I recall correctly, I think I only saw a small number of The New Outer Limits because it went to cable and I never had cable and relied for some of the shows to come to syndication. I also happen to recently catch a remake of "A Feasibility Study" with David McCallum in the lead role. That was okay actually. The original was a true classic and affected me as a kid. Always wondered if I should drive into fog! So I might have to get the compiliation sets to see some of the shows that I missed! I think one had David Hyde Pierce too, though I don't remember the story. And another show had a story of a guy who was electrocuted while working on a power pole and survived and somehow transformed into a monster! Could have been a Twilight Zone.
Overall though, I don't have as strong memories of both of the new series, only a few episodes that really struck chords for me. I am fond of both remakes and I'd like to see them again to see if they still hold up! Any interest to discuss these two series?
I'm a huge fan of the originals of both series and I think the original Limits stands on it's own as a terrific series. Of course Rod Serling's Twilight Zone was highly innovative and nothing has compared. Both original series were very different, but had an appeal that was similar.
I enjoyed most of the new The Outer Limits whenever I could see it as broadcast got sporatic and The Twilight Zone (80's version) and thought it might be interesting to discuss them.
I seem to have stronger memories of The Twilight Zone (80's) as two episodes stick in my mind and affected me as strongly as the original "Time Enough At Last". I am fan of John F. Kennedy and admired him, or the image of him. So "Profile in Silver" really had an effect on me. I remember when I first saw it, it was a terrific idea. I have not seen it since it aired, so I look forward to seeing it again. I think Andrew Robinson was terrific in the role of JFK, well before he was on DS9! I think Victor Garber was in there too as the historian.
The second episode that stuck is "The Once and Future King". I really liked the idea behind this show, if you can accept the idea that this guy somehow could go back in time. I have not seen this one in 20 years as well, so I look forward to seeing it. I still remember it clearly and I liked how the Estate of Elvis Presley approved the story credit at the end.
The New Outer Limits also had 2 shows I remember from the first year. Valerie 23 and I, Robot. I was curious how the remake of the original I, Robot would play. I have very little memory of it so it may not have been as good as the original. With Leonard Nimoy back to play the lawyer Cutler, being the prime draw for me. If Valerie 23 is the episode I remember, that one struck a cord as the main character falls for the robot. I think the original Twilight Zone did a similar story exceptionally well and you really felt for the female robot in that episode. So I'm really curious to re-view this new Outer Limits version.
It's too bad the later seasons are not out yet. There was one show I remember where the Preseident of The United States has to make a choice to either accept an alien visiting space ship or listen to advisors who believe they are not friendly and coming to invade Earth. It's a vague memory, so I might be mis-remembering. I recall the ending was quite good, without giving it away. Perhaps its in one of the compilation sets called about alien stories. There was another similar story of humans on an asteroid where they are fighting to get a long with some aliens or the result will be the destruction of both races.
If I recall correctly, I think I only saw a small number of The New Outer Limits because it went to cable and I never had cable and relied for some of the shows to come to syndication. I also happen to recently catch a remake of "A Feasibility Study" with David McCallum in the lead role. That was okay actually. The original was a true classic and affected me as a kid. Always wondered if I should drive into fog! So I might have to get the compiliation sets to see some of the shows that I missed! I think one had David Hyde Pierce too, though I don't remember the story. And another show had a story of a guy who was electrocuted while working on a power pole and survived and somehow transformed into a monster! Could have been a Twilight Zone.
Overall though, I don't have as strong memories of both of the new series, only a few episodes that really struck chords for me. I am fond of both remakes and I'd like to see them again to see if they still hold up! Any interest to discuss these two series?
), The Voyage Home (the return of Worf--although more seriously, the sabotage angle was quite chilling in this one), The New Breed (science gone awry?), and The Choice (I thought Thora Birch was excellent in her role--very, very creepy). I also liked Sandkings, although that pilot really gets under my wife's skin--it reminds her in some ways of The Zanti Misfits. I will discuss a few of these episodes later in the thread.
, but I wasn't so sure it really adds anything to the stories. I can see in watching Valerie 23, it helped to sell the idea of a realistic female robot. I watched that episode because I only saw it once on syndication in 1995 and I remember that it had this interesting twist of the robot becoming like Fatal Attraction, so I was curious to see it again. It seemed to have a similar storyline to an original Twilight Zone called The Lonely where Jack Warden plays a prisoner sent to a desolate asteroid to serve his sentence all alone and a compassionate supply spaceship captain brings him a female robot for companionship. I thought that was a compelling episode and had a very strong story with great acting. The New Outer Limits Valerie 23 was actually pretty good I thought, I didn't remember the part where the guy felt some affection for Valerie after she first went coo-coo and he wasn't so sure it was right they were going to dissaemble her. It was like killing her. So the end was a little more sad for Valerie, but happy as he got Nancy Allen.
Man how many times did mankind buy it in that series?