Ethereal Time and Space (Original Version) Season Five

The "Twilight Zone" series was created and named by Serling's Cayuga Productions, Inc. The company name reflects Serling's background in central New York, where Ithaca College, which Serling attended, is located on Cayuga Lake. In addition to Serling, who wrote or modified nearly two-thirds of the series, other authors of the "Twilight Zone" include main writers such as Charles Beaumont, Ray Bradbury, Earl Hamner, Jr., George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson, Reginald Rose, and Jerry Sohl. Additionally, "The Twilight Zone" adapted many classic stories from writers like Ambrose Bierce, Jerome Bixby, Damon Knight, John Collier, and Lewis Padgett. The authors of "The Twilight Zone" often used science fiction themes as a vehicle for social commentary, since networks and sponsors typically only scrutinized controversial content in live series, while seemingly harmless fantasy and science fiction stories were less scrutinized. Common themes in "The Twilight Zone" include nuclear war, McCarthyism, and collective hysteria—subjects that would normally be avoided in prime time television. For example, "He’s Alive" or "Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" are specific commentaries on current events and social issues. Other stories, such as "The Masks," "My Dream, the Genie," or "Mr. Denton on Doomsday," serve as allegories, metaphors, or fables that reflect the moral and philosophical choices of the characters.