Nostalgia plays a huge role in the current culture today. Stores such as Target and Cracker Barrel even have whole sections of their stores dedicated to Rubik’s Cubes, “I Love Lucy,” and “Transformers.” One program that also has prominence and nostalgia for many would be “The Twilight Zone.”
Created in 1959 by Rod Serling, the program sought to transport viewers into the extra dimension, known coincidentally as the Twilight Zone. It clearly holds a place in the hearts of many, as it is still popularly discussed today and even has an insanely popular attraction at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida with the Tower of Terror.
Furthermore, like many popular elements of nostalgia, the show has been rebooted for CBS’s streaming service, CBS All Access. The first few episodes have been released, but does it hold up to the beloved standard of the original?
The first episode available to streamers is titled “The Comedian.” It is directed by Owen Harris and stars actor Kumail Nanjiani. Nanjiani portrays struggling comedian Samir Wassan. After a particularly difficult set, he makes a deal with a shady comedian, played by Tracy Morgan. This comedian advises Samir to make his acts personal, which he begins to do. From here, strange occurrences began to befall Samir and those around him.
As a whole, the episode served as a good introduction to those not familiar with “The Twilight Zone.” The premise of the episode was basic enough to not lose any first-time viewers. The story also set up the characters and world of “The Twilight Zone” well, an aspect that is sure to benefit episodes to come.
The performances in this episode are also top notch. Nanjiani, known primarily for comedies like “The Big Sick,” absolutely nails this dramatic turn. While some dramatic beats came through in his past works, this performance showed true skill as he needed to react to all of the turmoil around him. Tracy Morgan also offers a bizarre take as this idolized comedian. It’s honestly nothing he has ever done before, and he does a good job with his limited screen time.
While this episode primarily worked for me, I’d be lying if I said it was flawless. While the story serves the characters well, it’s rather predictable. I was pretty much able to foresee just about everything that would happen, up to and including the end. This can be a bummer, especially for a show that lives on suspense, as this one does.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this first offering of “The Twilight Zone” reboot and can’t wait to dig into the upcoming episodes.
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