Random Worst Episodes Of 'The Twilight Zone' (20 items)

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  (#4) I Dream of Genie

  • March 21, 1963

  IMDb Score: 6.4

  Synopsis: After buying an old oil lamp as a gift for a friend, a shy office work discovers the lamp holds a wise-cracking genie with the power to grant a single wish. The genie proceeds to put him into all kinds of scenarios that will allow him to eventually "conquer" his workplace crush. 

  Why it falls short: Season four of The Twilight Zone really suffered when the episodes took on an hour-long format. It provided a lot of filler, and "I Dream of Genie" is a prime example of that. The problem is that today, this episode is pretty much exactly like the film Bedazzled, and you're better off watching that movie instead if you want the same basic gimmick.
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  (#6) The Mighty Casey

  • June 17, 1960

  IMDb Score: 6.2

  Synopsis: A baseball team manager allows a robot named Casey to pitch for his team. The robot has the power to throw balls incredibly fast that they just can't be hit. Casey's inventor ends up giving him an artificial heart so that it can become more human. 

  Why it falls short: This episode is simply too schmaltzy. To add insult to injury, the tone varies significantly from one moment to the next. At one moment, it's a wacky comedy about a robot baseball pitcher, and the next, it's a rumination on what it truly means to be human. 
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  (#16) Song of the Younger World

  • Jul 17 1987

  IMDb Score: 5.5

  Synopsis: Tanner, a young student who's had the unfortunate luck of landed up in reform school, falls in love with the warden's daughter. In a modern-ish tale of forbidden love, the couple tries to escape, but they soon learn leaving is much easier said than done.

  Why it falls short: A classic love story with a supernatural twist, Song of the Younger World suffers from a lack of a coherent plot (part of that issue stems from the fact that it's only a 30-minute episode). There's nothing special here, and the way it was presented feels lazy.
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  (#18) Strangers in Possum Meadows

  • Jan 14 1989

  IMDb: 6.1

  Synopsis: A young child comes into contact with a seemingly normal older gentleman who turns out to be an alien surveying the Earth for specimens to return to his home planet.

  Why it falls short: A decent story that's somewhat marred by the fact that it's continually throwing the same life lesson in your face, "Strangers in Possum Meadows" wasn't one of the worst episodes, but it also wasn't one of the better ones. All in all, it's a forgetful story that emphasizes the importance of why children should never talking to strangers.
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  (#15) What's in the Box

  • March 13, 1964

  IMDb Score: 7.3

  Synopsis: An old married couple fights a lot. After their TV is repaired, they begin seeing programming showing them in the future. And it shows the husband killing his wife. 

  Why it falls short: "What's in the Box" has a tried-and-true formula. A man sees into the future, and through his attempts to avoid that fate, he ends up making it come true. Unfortunately, here the formula falls short as you know what's going to happen from the very beginning. There's no compelling twist, no ah-ha moment; just a mundane episode with predictable plot points.
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  (#13) Sounds and Silences

  • April 3, 1964

  IMDb Score: 5.9

  Synopsis: Roswell G. Flemington has a peculiar obsession with loud noises. After his wife eventually leaves him, starts to hear all sorts of little random noises. After seeking psychiatric help, but after trying to calm the noise, Flemington inadvertently turns the world silent.

  Why it falls short: Karmic irony is The Twilight Zone's strong suit. The problem is that it becomes all too easy to see where this episode is going once you see the set-up. The man first hears everything, and then he can't hear anything at all. It's just too simplistic for what the series was capable of. 

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