It seems that television series come and go with amazing rapidity. Sometimes a new show lasts only two or three episodes before the ax of cancelation come crashing down to end its brief existence. For a show to remain popular and well sought after for almost sixty years is a feat that is nothing short of miraculous. One series that can make this claim is a perennial favorite; ‘The Twilight Zone’. Since the late fifties this series as never waned in popularity. In fact just go to any science fiction or fantasy conference mention ‘The Twilight Zone’ and you are certain to be surrounded by a swarm of loyal fans. For all these years this series has established the standard for excellence on television; frequently imitated but never surpassed. This series represents a time when television was still fairly new and the pioneers of the media where very active in the formation of its programming. The series creator, Rod Serling, was a renowned author, activist and advocate for the free exchange of ideas and creativity through TV. As an anthology Sterling was able to provide a platform for some of the world’s best science fiction and fantasy authors making each episode somewhat of a classic story on its own. Such genre luminaries as Arthur C. Clark, Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison and Richard Matheson all had some of their most notable stories used as the basis for episodes of this ground braking series. These were many of the authors of novel and short stories that brought an entire generation into a lifelong love affair with the genre. Unfortunately, you just don’t see the quality that this series presented. Every episode is a classic and certain to be a favorite for some group of fans. There have been many DVD releases of the series in several variations ranging from volume sets to favorite editions and full seasons. Last year Image Entertainment began the release of the ultimate ‘Twilight Zone’ collection; high definition. Rather than make us fans pant in anticipation waiting for each of the five seasons Image has done everything possible to show the fan base the proper respect. Season one came out in September 2010 followed a few months later by season two. They are now up to season four headed to all five within a year. Instead of waiting for the annual Fourth of July marathon you can soon own every episode in brilliantly remastered 1090p video and lossless audio.

This penultimate season of the classic version of the series brought several changes some of which did not sit well with the fans. At the end of the third season it looked as if CBS was ready to cancel the show mostly because the ratings mustered by the fan base weren’t sufficient to please the studio bean counters. Another series, ‘Fair Exchange’ Briefly replaced the ‘Twilight Zone’ only to be quickly bumped by its return. In order to fit an hour block of time ‘The Twilight Zone’ was forced to expand to fill the block. The half hour format was considered perfect for the science fiction and fantasy short stories so doubling the slot put the producers and writers into a precarious position. Adding to the difficulties was the replacement producer Buck Houghton with Herbert Hirschman. It was also noticeable that Serling was falling victim to his success; he had to cut back on the number of scripts he authored as well as with work as the executive producer. A change more obvious to the keen eyed viewer Serling no longer walked in on the opening scene of the episode substituting a generic grey backdrop. Despite the alterations in production the show continued to strive towards the excellence it had become known for. To a large extent this was due to retaining the servers of the pioneers of the genre who ensure the episodes retained their trademark twist. Not as many of the stories that are best remembered were aired in this season there are several that remain memorable.

The season opens up with a tale from Charles Beaumont ‘In His Image’. This presents one of the favorite themes employed by the show; not being able to trust your own memories or perceptions. In this case the protagonist has to go back to his home town only to discover the unthinkable truth about himself. This went directly to one of the greatest fears of our species; uncertainty about the state of your own mind. As little supernatural twist is found in ‘The Thirty-Fathom Grave’ written by Serling where a sunken submarine is located decades after the War and there are sounds coming from within it. the series creator also provided some outer space with ‘Parallel’ and the surprise twist ending for one of the best known episodes ‘He’s Alive’ featuring an extremely youthful Dennis Hopper. This series not only was a proving ground for talented writer but many of the industry’s best actors have an episode or two of this series early in their resumes. Another example of an award winning actor at the start of his career is Robert Duvall portraying a man who falls in love with a doll. (Burgess Meredith returns to the series in ‘Pinter’s Devil’ where he was able to work on his trademark devilish grin. Richard Matheson gets his turn at bat penning the story for ‘Death Ship’ in which another primal fear is examined when a space encounters a wreaked ship containing doubles of the crew members. This goes right to the need every human has to be unique and sure of our own existence. The season concludes with a more light hearted story from Serling where William Shakespeare comes back to help as hapless hack writer.

Once again the 1080p and enhanced sound stage offer these familiar episodes in a way that you feel you are seeing them for the very first time. Note the textures and richness of the shadings that add a level of realism unachievable even with the DVD releases. Now, we wait for the fifth and final season in high definition.