In my opinion, The Twilight Zone is one of television's greatest accomplishments. It wraps a human message around the strangest situations, and in making our world a bit more abstract we finally see the hidden truth. Here are my very biased top ten "classic" Twilight Zone episodes (with a few extra for fun):

10) Living Doll



9) The Howling Man



8) On Thursday we Leave for Home




7) The Monsters are Due on Maple Street



6) An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge



5) Nightmare at 20,000 Feet



4) It's a Good Life



3) Five Characters in Search of an Exit


2) Time Enough at Last


1) Eye of the Beholder




EXTRA CREDIT:

Nick of Time



To Serve Man



Death's Head Revisited




As a storyteller, I've read many books that actively discourage the use of "Twilight Zone" endings, or stories that close with a dramatic twist. The interesting part of this argument is that all compelling tales are based on deliberate plot twists. Why should we discriminate merely against it's placement within the story? William Sydney Porter, who worked under the pen name O. Henry, was famous for his story shifts. His stories were so revered a group of friends started a memorial after his passing. This memorial became the O. Henry Prize Stories, a famous yearly anthology of short fiction. The list of talented artists that effectively use surprise to enhance storytelling is endless: M. Night Shyamalan, Hitchcock, Palahniuk, Lucas...all of the defining voices of their chosen mediums!

So in other words, enjoy the ride and ignore the stuffy textbooks.