The Twilight Zone backdrop
Sci-Fi & Fantasy•Mystery•Drama

The Worst Episodes of The Twilight Zone

Every episode of The Twilight Zone ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Twilight Zone!

Binge this in 3d 3h•Peaking at 8.5/10

An anthology series containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.

Airs on
CBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons5

All12345

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
    Click to reveal
    The Twilight Zone Season 5 Episode 27 - Sounds and Silences
    5.5/10(12 votes)

    #1 - Sounds and Silences

    S5:E27

    A man's wish to listen to loud noise backfires.

    Director:Richard Donner
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. The Twilight Zone Season 3 Episode 34 - Young Man's Fancy
    5.6/10(9 votes)

    #2 - Young Man's Fancy

    S3:E34

    When a newlywed couple briefly return to the groom's childhood home, the ties of the past prove too strong to resist.

    Director:John Brahm
    Writer:Richard Matheson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. The Twilight Zone Season 4 Episode 18 - The Bard
    5.6/10(1848 votes)

    #3 - The Bard

    S4:E18

    An untalented would-be writer's career takes off when the ghost of William Shakespeare writes his script.

    Director:David Butler
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. The Twilight Zone Season 2 Episode 14 - The Whole Truth
    5.7/10(19 votes)

    #4 - The Whole Truth

    S2:E14

    A peculiar Model A automobile compels a used car dealer to tell only the truth.

    Director:James Sheldon
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 35 - The Mighty Casey
    5.8/10(20 votes)

    #5 - The Mighty Casey

    S1:E35

    A baseball manager takes his team to the championships thanks to a robot pitcher.

    Directors:Robert Parrish, Alvin Ganzer
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. The Twilight Zone Season 3 Episode 29 - Four O'Clock
    5.8/10(12 votes)

    #6 - Four O'Clock

    S3:E29

    Oliver Crangle is a bitter, prejudiced man. Through unknown means he intends to shrink every evil person in the world at four o'clock.

    Director:Lamont Johnson
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of The Twilight Zone

    READ
  7. The Twilight Zone Season 5 Episode 18 - Black Leather Jackets
    5.9/10(9 votes)

    #7 - Black Leather Jackets

    S5:E18

    Three tough-looking men on motorcycles disrupt a peaceful suburb when they move in. Yet the neighbors could never imagine just how dangerous these men really are.

    Director:Joseph M. Newman
    Writers:Earl Hamner, Jr.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. The Twilight Zone Season 2 Episode 1 - King Nine Will Not Return
    6.0/10(27 votes)

    #8 - King Nine Will Not Return

    S2:E1

    A WWII captain finds himself in the desert, next to his crashed plane, and desperately tries to find out what happened to the rest of his crew.

    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. The Twilight Zone Season 2 Episode 4 - A Thing About Machines
    6.0/10(23 votes)

    #9 - A Thing About Machines

    S2:E4

    A writer feels that the machines in his house are conspiring against him.

    Director:David Orrick McDearmon
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. The Twilight Zone Season 3 Episode 11 - Still Valley
    6.0/10(11 votes)

    #10 - Still Valley

    S3:E11

    Confederacy scout Sgt. Joseph Paradine finds a town full of Union soldiers, and an old man who claims he used witchcraft to paralyze them.

    Director:James Sheldon
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. The Twilight Zone Season 3 Episode 36 - Cavender is Coming
    6.0/10(10 votes)

    #11 - Cavender is Coming

    S3:E36

    Cavender, an angel trying to win his wings, tries to help down-on-her-luck Agnes, who has just been fired.

    Director:Christian Nyby
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. The Twilight Zone Season 5 Episode 28 - Caesar and Me
    6.0/10(10 votes)

    #12 - Caesar and Me

    S5:E28

    A ventriloquist's dummy goads him into committing burglaries.

    Director:Robert Butler
    Writer:Adele T. Strassfield

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. The Twilight Zone Season 4 Episode 15 - The Incredible World of Horace Ford
    6.1/10(1897 votes)

    #13 - The Incredible World of Horace Ford

    S4:E15

    Toy designer Horace Ford spends most of his time reminiscing about his idyllic childhood. But when he gets a chance to go back to those years he gets a bitter taste of reality.

    Director:Abner Biberman
    Writer:Reginald Rose

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. The Twilight Zone Season 5 Episode 34 - Come Wander with Me
    6.1/10(9 votes)

    #14 - Come Wander with Me

    S5:E34

    A singer searches for an authentic folk song.

    Director:Richard Donner
    Writer:Anthony Wilson

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. The Twilight Zone Season 5 Episode 36 - The Bewitchin' Pool
    6.1/10(9 votes)

    #15 - The Bewitchin' Pool

    S5:E36

    Two unhappy children find a happy escape in a swimming pool.

    Director:Joseph M. Newman
    Writers:Earl Hamner, Jr.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 27 - The Big Tall Wish
    6.2/10(26 votes)

    #16 - The Big Tall Wish

    S1:E27

    Washed-up boxer Bolie Jackson, with the help of a special wish from his young friend Henry, miraculously switches places with his opponent during a comeback fight, turning the tide in his favor.

    Director:Ron Winston
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. The Twilight Zone Season 4 Episode 12 - I Dream of Genie
    6.2/10(1842 votes)

    #17 - I Dream of Genie

    S4:E12

    A man considers several possibilities when offered one wish by a genie.

    Director:Robert Gist
    Writers:John Furia, Jr.

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. The Twilight Zone Season 5 Episode 1 - In Praise of Pip
    6.2/10(12 votes)

    #18 - In Praise of Pip

    S5:E1

    Max Phillips is an alcoholic bookie that regrets that he wasn't a better father to his son, Pip, critically wounded in South Vietnam. A visit to an amusement park gives them both a second chance.

    Director:Joseph M. Newman
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. The Twilight Zone Season 5 Episode 11 - A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain
    6.2/10(8 votes)

    #19 - A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain

    S5:E11

    Trying to keep up with his younger wife, Harmon convinces his brother to inject him with an experimental youth serum.

    Director:Bernard Girard
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 17 - The Fever
    6.3/10(28 votes)

    #20 - The Fever

    S1:E17

    Tight fisted Franklin Gibbs is not pleased when his wife wins a trip for two to Las Vegas. But things change when he falls under the spell of a slot machine that calls his name.

    Director:Robert Florey
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. The Twilight Zone Season 2 Episode 27 - The Mind and the Matter
    6.3/10(18 votes)

    #21 - The Mind and the Matter

    S2:E27

    A book on the power of thought enables an irritable worker to re-create the world exactly as he wants it. But what he wants and what he gets are two different things!

    Director:Buzz Kulik
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. The Twilight Zone Season 3 Episode 6 - The Mirror
    6.3/10(15 votes)

    #22 - The Mirror

    S3:E6

    After a poor but ambitious Central American farm worker overthrows his country's tyrannical leader, he believes he sees assassins everywhere. A look in the mirror reveals his most dangerous enemy.

    Director:Don Medford
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. The Twilight Zone Season 3 Episode 32 - The Gift
    6.3/10(10 votes)

    #23 - The Gift

    S3:E32

    An alien who crash-lands into a remote mountain village stirs up the villagers' fears and animosity, but he befriends a little boy and gives him a mysterious present.

    Director:Allen H. Miner
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. The Twilight Zone Season 5 Episode 23 - Queen of the Nile
    6.3/10(9 votes)

    #24 - Queen of the Nile

    S5:E23

    A columnist interviews a famous movie actress who has a secret to her eternal beauty.

    Director:John Brahm
    Writers:Jerry Sohl, Charles Beaumont

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. The Twilight Zone Season 5 Episode 33 - The Brain Center at Whipple's
    6.3/10(9 votes)

    #25 - The Brain Center at Whipple's

    S5:E33

    A factory CEO replaces human workers with machines.

    Director:Richard Donner
    Writer:Rod Serling

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Worst Episodes Summary

"Sounds and Silences" is the worst rated episode of "The Twilight Zone". It scored 5.5/10 based on 12 votes. Directed by Richard Donner and written by Rod Serling, it aired on 4/3/1964. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Young Man's Fancy".