Rod Serling, to me, is a genius. Sure some of the episodes are predictable, and perhaps even trite at times, but I don't think that makes them any less enjoyable. Besides, some of them make good sermon illustrations.
A precursor to the X-Files and similar shows, Serling tapped into an integral and interesting part of the human psyche. It really was a "dimension, not just of sight and sound, but of mind." Part of what made the show successful, in my opinion, is that it allowed people to be scared and weirded-out, but in a good way. After all, at the time in US history, look at what was going on: WWII was over, the crash of something at Roswell, Communism (both as a real and perceived threat), the beginning of the escalation of the Vietnam conflict, the advent of Rock 'n' Roll, the rise of the military-industrial complex, the beginnings of the Civil Rights, and the early Beat poetry and movement. All important incidents in American society. With all that going on, Americans needed a diversion. Lucille Ball and other talented folks provided this necessary diversion through comedy. Rod Serling did it by being a bit more cerebral.
It's fun to be scared sometimes. That's one reason that our celebrations of Halloween are as fun, enjoyable, and profitable as they are. But there's enough to be scared of in our daily existences, that we sometimes need people like Rod Serling to remind us of appropriate expressions of fear, and to be scared of the right things.
That's reality. Not the Twilight Zone.
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