The End Must Be Near

For nearly 17 years, it went by the name Sci–Fi Channel — or some variation — but just about a year ago, the name was changed to Syfy.

It began its existence devoted to science fiction and fantasy programming. My interest in those genres is somewhat minimal so I rarely watched Sci–Fi — but I always tuned in on the Fourth of July and New Year's Day to see at least part of the channel's traditional Twilight Zone marathons, which typically ran for two or three days.

I don't know when this tradition began. I first became aware of it about 10 years ago, purely by accident, and I've been watching the marathons ever since. For many years, the channel showed only episodes from the series' original run back in the late 1950s and early 1960s — but last Fourth of July, Sci–Fi devoted half of its three–day marathon to seldom–seen episodes from the series' second run in the mid– to late 1980s.

Just after last year's marathon, the channel changed its name. Why? Well, I can only assume from what I have read that the channel wanted to broaden its appeal. Sci–Fi apparently was too restricting, drawing only the fringe elements of the audience.

Science fiction and fantasy haven't been discontinued on the network, we have been assured, but reality programming and more mainstream entertainment have enhanced roles in the channel's marketing strategy. Hence, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will be added to the lineup in October.

Last year, the founder of the Sci–Fi Channel said, "The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular. ... We spent a lot of time in the '90s trying to distance the network from science fiction, which is largely why it's called Sci Fi."

Presumably, the moniker Syfy — which, apparently, was chosen because it is the way it would be written in a text message — makes the channel appear less geeky and more appealing to mainstream viewers, especially females. It is intended to be visually unique while still pronounced the same, although some have taken to derisively pronouncing it "Siffy."

The change had no discernible influence on the tradition of the New Year's Twilight Zone marathon so it caught me by surprise recently when I went to Syfy's website to look at the Fourth of July schedule to see when my favorite episodes would air.

I was stunned when I found that, while there will be a marathon on that channel for the Fourth of July, it will be dedicated to episodes of The Greatest American Hero.

Maybe the Fourth of July marathon has been moved to another holiday. Maybe it has been discontinued. I don't know.

All I know is, if Syfy wants me to remain in its audience — even in what was my limited, usually twice–a–year way — it's doing all the wrong things.

And if anyone from Syfy is reading this, I have only one word of advice: Bring back Twilight Zone.

A Different Kind of Twilight Zone Marathon

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I don't get too worked up about most TV "marathons."

Some stations, like TVLand or Nick at Nite, are always doing them, but they show episodes of series they're adding to their regular schedule. It's a marketing tool. Those episodes will be repeated frequently in the months to come so there isn't anything special about them. There's no sense of urgency. If you miss one, who cares?

But several years ago, I recall, TVLand did weekend marathons of shows that weren't usually part of their regular schedules. I always enjoyed them because they were viewing treats.

Well, the Sci–Fi Channel has just such a treat in store for us in a couple of weeks.

Twice a year, the Sci–FI Channel has a marathon of "Twilight Zone" episodes — around New Year's Day and the Fourth of July. In the past, these marathons have consisted exclusively of the black–and–white Rod Serling episodes from the late 1950s and early 1960s. But the show has had several incarnations in recent years, and, in this year's marathon, Sci–Fi is going to show some episodes from the second incarnation from the mid–1980s, which made its debut about 10 years after Serling died.

From 7 a.m. (Central) on Thursday, July 2, when the marathon begins with one of the best episodes from the second series, "Nightcrawlers," until 3:30 p.m. (Central) on Friday, July 3, when the mid–1980s portion of the marathon concludes with another one of the best episodes from that time period, "The Toys of Caliban," you can see stories that did a fine job of maintaining Serling's standards — at least, in my opinion.

You can judge for yourself, because the marathon picks up with the original episodes from the late '50s and early '60s at 4 p.m. (Central) on Friday and continues to show those vintage programs through Saturday, July 4.

I know that some fans panned the show in the mid–1980s, but I didn't. And I consider myself a fan of the original "Twilight Zone."

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In the second generation of the "Twilight Zone" series, the show was an hour long, but it generally consisted of two 30–minute stories. A few of the stories were an hour long, though, and a couple of them are scheduled to be shown on Thursday — "Her Pilgrim Soul" from 1:30–2:30 p.m. (Central) and "A Message From Charity" from 3:30–4:30 p.m. (Central).

My recollection is that both of those episodes also were good — but I haven't seen them in more than 20 years.

In those days, I was working the night shift on the copy desk of a daily newspaper. I remember setting my video recorder to tape the show when it was on and then watching it when I got home later that night. But I generally watched each episode once and then taped over the recording. So I'm relying on a limited memory.

But I'm looking forward to this year's marathon because it will give me the chance to see some shows I haven't seen in a long time.

And who knows when I may see them again?

Spend the New Year in the Twilight Zone

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Are you looking for something to do on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day?

For several years now, I've spent much of the holiday watching the Sci-Fi Channel's "Twilight Zone" marathon — which Sci-Fi does twice a year, actually, around the New Year's holiday and the July 4 holiday.

Typically, it's two days and two nights of Rod Serling and the original "Twilight Zone" episodes. Occasionally, it's been for three days — depending on when the holiday falls in the calendar, I suppose — but this time it's two days.

It's a significant time to hold a "Twilight Zone" marathon. The year 2009 is the 50th anniversary of the debut of that series — although the Fourth of July marathon will fall closer to the actual anniversary of its debut, which is in September.

But that's a technicality. The fact is it's been half a century since the "Twilight Zone" first appeared on America's TV screens — and what the episodes lack in color and special effects, they more than make up for in the quality of writing, acting and directing.

And, as my brother and I have observed so often, it's a great way to see many stars who were still learning their craft. Robert Redford, for example, was an early guest star on the show. So was Dick York — who later was the first Darrin on "Bewitched." So were Cloris Leachman, William Shatner, Cliff Robertson, Buddy Ebsen and lots of character actors you might recognize from movies and other TV series.

Burgess Meredith wasn't exactly starting his career when he was on the "Twilight Zone" — but he appeared in four of the episodes that are regarded as classics today.

Since this marathon comes at the start of the 50th year since the show first went on the air, I thought I'd do a little research.

A television website, TV.com, allows visitors to register and then rate episodes for every TV show that's ever been on the air. The ratings are updated daily to account for the previous day's visitors and their ratings, but it's a pretty good way to see how fans of a particular show feel about a specific episode.

Anyway, after locating the schedule for this week's marathon, I looked at TV.com to see how many of the Top 50 episodes were scheduled to be shown. I found that 14 of the Top 50 episodes (according to the ratings on that day — they may change before the marathon begins at 7 a.m. Central on Wednesday) were not scheduled to be shown. Of those 14, four were an hour long — as opposed to the 30-minute episodes that were produced in most of the five years the show was on the air.

However, the top 10 episodes will be shown.

1. The show currently rated as the best by visitors to TV.com is "The Eye of the Beholder," from November 1960. You might recognize one of the stars of the show — Donna Douglas, who later became Elly Mae on "The Beverly Hillbillies." You can see it on Sci-Fi at 7 p.m. (Central) on Wednesday.


2. The episode that is currently judged the second best is "The Midnight Sun," which tells the tale of a change in earth's orbit that draws the planet closer and closer to the sun. It stars Lois Nettleton, who died earlier this year, and you can see it at 10:30 p.m. (Central) on Wednesday. It was originally aired in November 1961.


3. The third-best episode was "A Stop at Willoughby," first shown in May 1960. James Daly starred in it, and Serling said it was his favorite episode from the first season. You can watch it on Sci-Fi at 10 p.m. (Central) on Thursday.


4. The fourth-best episode was "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You," from January 1964. Personally, I never had that much regard for it, but I can appreciate the moral of the story — "being like everybody is the same as being nobody." It will be shown at 3:30 p.m. (Central) on Thursday.


5. "To Serve Man" is the fifth-best episode, according to TV.com, and it's always been one of my favorites. It's the one about aliens coming to earth and appearing benevolent at first — but what they're really looking for is a new food source. You can see it at 9 p.m. (Central) on Wednesday.


6. The sixth-best episode is "The After Hours," another episode from the first season. First aired in June 1960, it wasn't one of my favorites. It's about store mannequins who come to life and take turns leaving the store each month to live among the living. You can see it at 11:30 p.m. (Central) on Thursday.


7. Next in the Top 10 is "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" — in which a hobo, clown, bagpipe player, ballerina and military officer find themselves trapped together. It will be shown at 11 p.m. (Central) on Wednesday.


8. The eighth-best episode is "It's a Good Life," which will be shown at 10:30 p.m. (Central) on Thursday. It's about a little boy who can read the minds of the people in his small town and make them do what he wants them to do. I'm sure you'll recognize many of the people in this episode. Billy Mumy, who plays the little boy, went on to enjoy a successful TV career. So did Cloris Leachman.


9. The ninth-best episode is "The Masks," the story of a dying, wealthy man whose family, eager to grab his possessions when he dies, visits him on his deathbed. The story takes place in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and the man instructs his family to wear specially prepared masks which, unknown to them, have very unusual powers. It will be shown at 9:30 p.m. (Central) on Wednesday.


10. The tenth-best episode, "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" is from the second season. A group of bus travelers are standed in a roadside diner by a snowstorm. While stranded, they determine that one of them must be an alien — but no one knows who it is. It will be shown at 8 p.m. (Central) on Wednesday.

Many great episodes are being shown over the two days.

Enjoy the shows and have a happy new year.