I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I'm just now watching The Twilight Zone. For some reason, I didn't encounter it when I was younger and never felt drawn to it until recently. It's a shame I waited so long because it's one of the greatest shows I've ever watched.
I recently watched the documentary, Rod Serling: Submitted For Your Approval. In it, someone describes the episodes as "miniature noirs," and that's exactly what they are. Another person observes that Rod Serling had an affinity for the dispossessed and the unloved. I agree. I also think he understood the feeling of never being at home in the world. I can certainly relate to that.
The show is unsettling, philosophical, eerie, and also compassionate. It asks big questions about what it means to be human and how we hold on to our humanity in a world that is dehumanizing and alienating. I think Rod Serling was one of the greatest writers. Period. Not just a television writer. The episodes he wrote for The Twilight Zone could stand up to the short stories of some of the literary titans. I truly believe that.
My Favorite Episodes So Far (I still have a lot to watch):
Walking Distance
Time Enough at Last
It's a Good Life
The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
Eye of the Beholder
The Hitch-Hiker