‘The Twilight Zone’: Everything to Know About Jordan Peele’s CBS All Access Reboot

Jordan Peele‘s reboot of The Twilight Zone will be airing on CBS All Access soon, and we have a list of things you need to know before the first episodes launch.

The reborn science-fiction series has had fans of the original excited for several months now, and the big premiere is almost here.

Below, you will find a run down of details and info that will be helpful for anyone planning to tune into the new series. Scroll down to read all about the Twilight Zone reboot, and let us know in the comments if you plan to watch!

History of ‘The Twilight Zone’

The Twilight Zone was science fiction anthology series that originally debuted on CBS in 1959. It was created by Rob Serling and ran until 1964.

The series was rebooting two more times after that. The first revival came in the mid-’80s, and the second came in the early ’00s. The new reboot will mark the third time that The Twilight Zone was revived.

The original Twilight Zone also spawned a major motion picture, titled Twilight Zone: The Movie. It was released in 1983 and featured segments directed by the likes of, Steven Spielberg, John Landis George Miller, and Joe Dante.

Who is Jordan Peele?

Jordan Peele is the man behind and in-front of the camera on The Twilight Zone reboot. In addition to being a producer of the new series, he will also be the narrator.

Peele originally comes from the world of comedy, having been cast on Mad TV in 2003 and later creating the iconic Comedy Central series Key & Peele with his former Mad TV co-star Keegan-Michael Key.

More recently, Peele made his horror-genre debut with the Oscar-winning film Get Out, and then following that up with this month’s record-breaking Us.

How the Reboot Came Together

In a previous interview with Variety, Peele stated that he was approached about the reboot, but explained that he was initially “terrified” of remaking the iconic series so he turned down the opportunity.

“Why would I ever jump into the most established, pristine shoes in all of the genre? I could rip Twilight Zone off and call it something different and not be compared to Rod Serling. So I stepped away from it,” he confessed. “And then several months later I got another call.”

He then was talked into meeting with the reboot’s co-executive producer Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Days of Future Past, the upcoming Dark Phoenix), which Peele says set his mind at ease and made him feel much more excited about being a part of the reboot.

“The realization, for me, was that it was an opportunity to attempt to continue with Serling’s mission,” he said. “If we approach it without ego and sort of bow to Serling, that will hopefully suffice for our fellow Twilight Zone fans but also bring back a show that I think is needed right now. Because it’s a show that has always helped us look at ourselves, hold a mirror up to society.”

Series Details

The Twilight Zone reboot will consist of 10 episodes. The first two episodes will debut next week, with each subsequent episode airing on Thursdays.

Currently, the series holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 84 percent Fresh, and is receiving resounding acclaim from critics.

The Cast

A number of A-list stars have signed up for the new Twilight Zone remake, including Steven Yeun (above), Adam Scott, Ike Barinholtz, Zazie Beetz, John Cho, Chris Diamantopoulos, Taissa Farmiga, James Frain, Betty Gabriel, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Greg Kinnear.

Additionally, Luke Kirby, Amy Landecker, Sanaa Lathan, Tracy Morgan, Kumail Nanjiani, Chris O’Dowd, Rhea Seehorn, Allison Tolman, Erica Tremblay, Jacob Tremblay, Jonathan Whitesell, Jessica Williams, DeWanda Wise and Seth Rogen will all appear in the first season of the reboot series as well.

The original Twilight Zone featured iconic actors like William Shatner, Robert Redford, Carol Burnett, George Takei, Elizabeth Montgomery, Jonathan Winters, Burgess Meredith, and Cloris Leachman.

The Episodes

The first two episodes of the Twilight Zone reboot are “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet” and “The Comedian.”

“Nightmare at 30,000 Feet” pays homage to “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” one of the most classic Twilight Zone episodes of all-time. The episode starred William Shatner as a man who was tormented by a gremlin on an airplane while soaring through the cloudy night skies. It was later remade for the Twilight Zone film with John Lithgow in the starring role.

Another episode that will be airing is title “The Traveler,” which stars former The Walking Dead actor Steven Yeun.

Producers have said that none of the episodes will be direct remakes of originals, but many will recall moments, ideas, and even props from the first series.

How to Watch

The Twilight Zone reboot will be exclusive to CBS ALL Access.

This is the CBS network’s streaming service where they make their broadcast shows available to subscribers, but many original series are available as well.

In addition to The Twilight Zone users can check out other great original series such as  Star Trek: Discovery, The Good Fight (a legal dramaspinoff of The Good Wife), and the dark thriller series Tell Me a Story.

When it Airs

The wait for The Twilight Zone reboot is very nearly over.

CBS All Access users will be able to be stream the first two episodes beginning on Monday, April 1.

The remaining eight episodes will launch weekly, on Thursdays, starting on April 11.