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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!

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A 2002 revival of Rod Serling's 1950/60s television series, The Twilight Zone, with actor Forest Whitaker assuming Serling's role as narrator and on-screen host.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 12 - Harsh Mistress
    3.8/10(6 votes)

    #1 - Harsh Mistress

    S1:E12

    A struggling musician named Cory purchases a rather infamous guitar, which leads to him gaining vast international stardom and wealth, but both come with a surprising price tag.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writers:Bradley Thompson, David Weddle

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  2. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 14 - To Protect and Serve
    3.8/10(6 votes)

    #2 - To Protect and Serve

    S1:E14

    A young cop falls madly in love with a prostitute, and he continues to protect her even when they are both killed.

    Director:Joe Chappelle
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 8 - Dead Man's Eyes
    4.3/10(6 votes)

    #3 - Dead Man's Eyes

    S1:E8

    A distraught widow and former rehab patient on the verge of a total mental collapse, heavily invested in finding her husband's killer, discovers that her murdered husband's eyeglasses reveal the last moments of his life and possibly the identity of his killer...

    Director:Jerry Levine
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 4 - Dream Lover
    4.7/10(7 votes)

    #4 - Dream Lover

    S1:E4

    To help overcome his writer's block and make his life easier and more relaxed, an artist named Andrew wills his dream woman Sondra to life, but the lines between reality and fantasy quickly begin to blur. Sondra soon starts hitting on the cable guy and gaining a life of her own.

    Director:Peter O'Fallon
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 16 - Sensuous Cindy
    5.0/10(6 votes)

    #5 - Sensuous Cindy

    S1:E16

    A man buys a "virtual girlfriend" online simply to satisfy his carnal needs, but ends up becoming somebody else's sex slave.

    Director:John T. Kretchmer
    Writer:James Crocker

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  6. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 23 - Last Lap
    5.0/10(4 votes)

    #6 - Last Lap

    S1:E23

    A terminally ill young man and his best friend take a final ride in their souped-up racer that results in unexpected consequences for both.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 10 - Azoth the Avenger is a Friend of Mine
    5.2/10(4 votes)

    #7 - Azoth the Avenger is a Friend of Mine

    S1:E10

    A bullied boy, Craig, deciphers a coded message that allows him to summon his comic book hero, Azoth the Avenger. This long-haired Conan-like barbarian beats up the bullies that plague Craig, but is defenseless against his abusive father. Azoth returns to whence he came but inspires Craig to take a stand against his father - intoning the same spell as before and sending his father...somewhere, leaving him and his mother in peace.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writer:Hans Beimler

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  8. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 27 - Rewind
    5.2/10(6 votes)

    #8 - Rewind

    S1:E27

    Jonah, a gambler, never can beat "the house" no matter how hard he tries. But then he gets an interesting device that enables him to go back in time up to 5 minutes, and that means he has big chances for his gambling.

    Director:Kevin Bray
    Writer:James Crocker

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  9. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 21 - Found and Lost
    5.4/10(5 votes)

    #9 - Found and Lost

    S1:E21

    A successful businessman is given a second chance - to go back and be with his first love

    Director:Vern Gillum
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 35 - Cold Fusion
    5.5/10(4 votes)

    #10 - Cold Fusion

    S1:E35

    When the base staff at an Alaskan research base lose contact with the outside world, the military send a team in to investigate the disappearance.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 43 - Burned
    5.5/10(4 votes)

    #11 - Burned

    S1:E43

    A crooked real estate mogul pays the price for having a building burned down to collect the insurance money.

    Director:John T. Kretchmer
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 39 - Developing
    5.8/10(4 votes)

    #12 - Developing

    S1:E39

    A widow finds photos of their dream house improving with each picture she takes.

    Director:Allison Liddi-Brown
    Writer:Moira Kirland

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  13. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 28 - Tagged
    6.0/10(4 votes)

    #13 - Tagged

    S1:E28

    Marcus Fisher, a talented artist and street tagger, shoots a man painting over his spot at the insistence of his gang and the wall painting starts portraying the crime and filling in that he is the one who did the shooting.

    Director:James Head
    Writer:Michael Angeli

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  14. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 33 - How Much Do You Love Your Kid?
    6.0/10(4 votes)

    #14 - How Much Do You Love Your Kid?

    S1:E33

    A woman's son is kidnapped and she becomes involved in a licensed reality TV show broadcasting her attempts to recover him.

    Director:Allison Liddi-Brown
    Writer:Michael Angeli

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  15. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 38 - Eye of the Beholder
    6.0/10(5 votes)

    #15 - Eye of the Beholder

    S1:E38

    Meet Mrs. Janet Tyler. She was born abnormally ugly and has undergone many plastic surgeries to change her appearance. None of them worked. Now after one last attempt the bandages are coming off. But will the latest surgery succeed where the others failed?

    Director:David Ellis
    Writer:Rod Serling

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  16. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 1 - Evergreen
    6.2/10(6 votes)

    #16 - Evergreen

    S1:E1

    When rebellious teenager Jenna and her family move into an exclusive gated community that her parents hope will help them better control the troubled teen, Jenna soon discovers the dark truth behind how her new neighbors deal with discipline problems.

    Director:Allan Kroeker
    Writer:Jill E. Blotevogel

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  17. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 17 - Hunted
    6.2/10(4 votes)

    #17 - Hunted

    S1:E17

    A cop pursues the last known criminal in Earth's future society. But as it turns out, the criminal is fighting on the same side of the cop, to rid the world of androids.

    Director:Patrick R. Norris
    Writer:Christopher Mack

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  18. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 20 - Future Trade
    6.2/10(4 votes)

    #18 - Future Trade

    S1:E20

    A man with a dead-end job and a dysfunctional family is lured into trading his future for that of a seemingly privileged man with his trophy wife.

    Director:Bob Balaban
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 24 - The Path
    6.2/10(4 votes)

    #19 - The Path

    S1:E24

    Ally, a young writer for a tabloid, meets a man who claims he sees others the path they are destined to follow. His predictions for her prove uncannily accurate and she soon becomes dependent on his predictions to guide her life. When he gets hit by a car and killed she finds herself without hope.

    Director:Jerry Levine
    Writer:James Crocker

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  20. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 25 - Fair Warning
    6.2/10(4 votes)

    #20 - Fair Warning

    S1:E25

    Tina, a flower shop clerk, finds herself threatened by a seemingly-deranged man named George who mysteriously disappears after asking him to stop from killing her. When she finds him he has a perfect alibi and claims he doesn't know her. George keeps visiting her and no one ever sees him except Tina. Tina begins to question her sanity.

    Director:John T. Kretchmer
    Writers:Bradley Thompson, David Weddle

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  21. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 26 - Another Life
    6.2/10(4 votes)

    #21 - Another Life

    S1:E26

    Marvin Gardens, a rich and famous upcoming rap singer, begins to have visions of himself being interrogated by policemen in a shadowy room, and the visions begin to drive him crazy.

    Director:Risa Bramon Garcia
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 37 - The Collection
    6.2/10(4 votes)

    #22 - The Collection

    S1:E37

    A babysitter must deal with a girl who has a collection of dolls that come to life.

    Director:John T. Kretchmer
    Writers:Kay Reindl, Erin Maher

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  23. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 19 - Sanctuary
    6.4/10(5 votes)

    #23 - Sanctuary

    S1:E19

    Stranded in a modern day Garden of Eden, a man and woman cannot resist the temptation of technology.

    Director:Patrick R. Norris
    Writer:James Crocker

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  24. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 22 - Gabe's Story
    6.4/10(5 votes)

    #24 - Gabe's Story

    S1:E22

    A man suffering from consistent bad luck is given a surprising chance to change his destiny.

    Director:Allan Kroeker
    Writer:Dusty Kay

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  25. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 11 - The Lineman
    6.5/10(4 votes)

    #25 - The Lineman

    S1:E11

    Tyler inherits the power to hear people's thoughts after a freak lightening storm. Eventually, he begins to abuse his new gift, using it as a means of acquiring vast wealth and personal gain. But then Tyler learns that his new power comes with a price. Believing Shannon wants a rich man, Tyler uses his ability to play the stock market, but is surprised at the consequences, especially when he tries to touch others' minds when they grow distant from him.

    Director:Jonathan Frakes
    Writer:Pen Densham

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Harsh Mistress" is the worst rated episode of "The Twilight Zone". It scored 3.8/10 based on 6 votes. Directed by Brad Turner and written by Bradley Thompson, David Weddle, it aired on 10/30/2002. This episode scored 0.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "To Protect and Serve".