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Twilight Zone: Parents' Late-Night Slot Gripes
25 Oct
Summary
- Parents complained about the series' late 10 p.m. airtime.
- Frightening images from ads caused nightmares in a child.
- Rod Serling apologized and forwarded complaints to CBS.
The classic anthology series "The Twilight Zone" unexpectedly garnered complaints from parents, primarily due to its late 10 p.m. broadcast time on CBS. Producer Buck Houghton mentioned that the network, and indeed the producers, were surprised by its appeal to children.
Further controversy arose in 1961 when a mother wrote to creator Rod Serling about her son experiencing nightmares after seeing frightening images from show commercials during a children's program. She detailed the child's fear of being alone in his room at night.
Serling personally responded to the distressed mother, expressing his regret and explaining his lack of control over network promotional activities. He confirmed forwarding her letter to CBS, hoping they would cease the specific advertisement.
Today, "The Twilight Zone's" original run from 1959 to 1964 is available for streaming on platforms like Paramount+, Fandango, and Pluto TV.
