Ragesh Dipu
One of the most enigmatic things about a path-breaking movie or a TV Series is the fact that it becomes a reference point. Whenever we discuss or search for a particular movie in a genre, we tend to refer to the name of the movie or TV Show we admire the most. The legacy of Rod Serling’s iconic TV Series, ‘The Twilight Zone’ stretched across three reboots a couple of movies. The reboots include Oscar winner Jordan Peele’s, known for ‘Get Out,’ upcoming take on ‘The Twilight Zone’ for CBS All Access. The thought-provoking anthology show created by Rod Sterling completed five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964.
The Show consists of standalone episodes of independent stories in which characters find themselves in labyrinths of unnatural events or circumstances. The process is called entering ‘the Twilight Zone’; the Zone can be a place that exists at any moment of time, of space or of mind. Each episode featured the remarkable manner in which the people solved the puzzle they are trapped in to save themselves.
While the right decision takes them back to life, sometimes with a reward, a wrong decision often pushes them to the insanity of death, or get trapped in the labyrinth for an eternity. The creator and writer, Rod Serling, once described ‘The Twilight Zone‘ as a series of imaginative tales that are not bound by time or space or the established laws of nature.’ So, here’s the list of best shows similar to ‘Twilight Zone’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these series like ‘Twilight Zone’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
9. Wynonna Earp (2016 – Present)
‘Wynonna Earp’ is a tale of revenge with the great-granddaughter of the legendary demon protector Wyatt Earp, ‘Wynonna Earp’ at the center. Earp reluctantly takes over her great-grandma’s role of demon protector. She has inherited her gun-slinging grandma’s powers to kill ‘Revenant,’ old enemies and criminals returned from the dead. Earp has always resisted her supernatural powers. But a slew of demons, ghosts, and other evil creatures make her take things into her own hands. With her 27th birthday approaching, Earp has to save her family members from Revenants hunting them down.
She has her inherited supernatural powers and a dysfunctional crew of her sister Waverly, Waverly’s girlfriend Nicole, centuries old Doc Holliday, and Black Badge Agent Dolls. Together, they must bring every bloodthirsty paranormal roaming out to justice. All the three seasons of ‘Wynonna Earp’ are available for streaming on Netflix now. The show caught headlines when fans of ‘Wynonna Earp‘ organized rallies to protest as the production of the fourth season drags behind the schedule. They have also launched campaign #FightforWynonna on social media platforms.
8. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018 – Present)
‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘ is a coming-of-age tale of the teen witch, ‘Sabrina.’ Based on the Archie comic, the series follows the events unfold after Sabrina commits a seance to summon her dead mother, Diane. Sabrina is a soul torn between her dual identities, part witch and part human. As she prepares to celebrate her 16th birthday, she had to make a choice and the decision changes her life forever. The teen story not just makes use of witchcraft, but also horror and occult to keep its grip on the viewers.
While battling with her dual nature, Sabrina stands against the evil forces waiting to harm her and the family she belongs. When she realizes that the world of her family and friends are slipping under the shadow of malevolent forces, Sabrina has no other choice except fight. Created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ features Kiernan Shipka, Ross Lynch and Lucy Davis in the lead roles. The first season is available for streaming on Netflix, while the second season is undergoing production.
7. The 100 (2016 – Present)
‘The 100’ is based on the books of Kass Morgan and is set in a dystopian future of the Earth. After a hundred more years, the Earth is abandoned by humans due to a high radioactive proliferation in soil, water and air. Those who manage to survive in the human race take refuge on an ark orbiting around the earth. But the ark is a short term refuge and the survivors have to find a habitat at any cost. To make things worse, the ark commune is ruled by an autocratic regime.
When the ruling machine of the ark commune decides to send a group of 100 juvenile outlaws back to earth, it doesn’t seem like an expedition but a death trap. Their purpose of the visit is to explore the earth’s surface to check the possibilities of returning to the blue planet. The series is created by Jason Rothenberg with Eliza Taylor, Bob Morley and Marie Avgeropoulos play the lead roles.
When the ‘Expendables,’ as they are called by the oppressive regime, reach the surface of the earth, they see a lost world hiding under lush greenery and bluish water. But, they realize that the earth is not just a beautiful planet with lots of forests and water but some deadly people who are left behind at the time of mass migration to the ark. Evidence of human life surviving on earth is everywhere. But the Expendables aren’t sure that they will be welcomed with a smile. All the five seasons of ‘The 100’ are available for streaming on Netflix now.
6. Stranger Things (2016 – Present)
Netflix’s flag-bearer sci-fi series, ‘Stranger Things‘ is centered on the disappearance of a young boy under mysterious circumstances. The series chronicles unnatural events happening in a small town after the disappearance of the boy. He was on his way back home after a night of playing Dungeons and Dragons with his 3 friends. He leaves behind a mysterious little girl with a shaved head in his place.
Created by Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, the series delves deep into the mysteries buried deep in the small town. The search for the missing boy leads the small town people into the deadly secrets about the mysterious little girl they found in the boy’s place. Soon, the small town witnesses an avalanche of rumors and some gruesome murders.
‘Stranger Things’ features some stunning performances from Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, and Dacre Montgomery. The huge popularity of the show pushed Netflix to go for a third season which is lined up for a July 4, 2019 release. All the two episodes of ‘Stranger Things’ are available for streaming on Netflix now.
5. Sense8 (2015 – 2018)
When 8 strangers living in different parts of the world suddenly find themselves connected to each other, it is a difficult situation. ‘Sense8’ explores predicament of 8 people who are not related or connected prior to the miracle. Their mysterious mental and emotional network exclusively work for them to check other person’s thoughts, dreams and memories. They are called the ‘Sense8s.‘ Since each of them is hailing from a different culture and background, the connection makes them terrified and excited simultaneously.
Then, they find out that a moment of a tragic death plants the miracle inside their heads. All of them remember an epiphany they shared at the time of the murder. Determined to solve the mystery behind the connection, they start to trace back the events that led to their transformation. But a mysterious man named Jonas appears from nowhere to offer them help in their efforts to find out the mystery. Things take an ugly turn when another stranger, this time dangerous, named Whispers, attempts to hunt them down. The Sense8s realize they are at the center of a dangerous scheme because they possess the superpower to access a person’s mind, thoughts and dreams by simply staring into their eyes.
Created by J. Michael Straczynski, Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski, ‘Sense 8’ has Miguel Ángel Silvestre and Max Riemelt in the lead roles. Each episode has the Sense8s interacting with one another and those exchanges are presented from the point of view of a member. Eventually, they start to identify the invisible things that make them different and similar. The two seasons of ‘Sense8‘ are available for streaming on Netflix now.
4. Into the Badlands (2015 – Present)
‘Into the Badlands‘ features an Earth which is devastated by the war of all wars. The remaining human population and land are divided and ruled over by mighty feudal barons. Regent Sunny, a warrior of unmatched combat skills rescues a mysterious boy named M.K. from the Nomads. M.K. bears a dark secret about his past on his body. But when Sunny takes M.K. to train as an assistant under him at Baron Quinn’s Fort, M.K. makes a scene with another trainee blood spills.
Upon learning about the boy’s possessed behavior, an opposing baron, The Widow, decides to capture M.K. Meanwhile, Sunny finds M.K.’s pendant has the same image of Azra, the city beyond the Badlands, as the one on his compass. Sunny and the boy embark on a dangerous journey across the Badlands towards Azra, where the mystery about the boy lies hidden.
Moreover, with his girlfriend, Veil is pregnant with his child, which is against the norms, Sunny had to find a way out. The journey to find out the boy’s past becomes a journey to Sunny’s own past, his troubled childhood in Azra. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, ‘Into the Badlands’ features Daniel Wu and Emily Beecham in the lead. All the three seasons of the series are available for streaming on Netflix now.
3. Ascension (2014)
‘Ascension’ is a six-part Syfy miniseries loosely based on President John F. Kennedy administration’s advanced space programs during the early ’60s. The series fictionalizes the U.S. space program as a secret mission to colonize another planet. The U.S. government sends hundreds of men, women and children as a part of the covert space mission. The space journey will take a century to complete as the astronauts aboard the star ship Ascension.
When Ascension covers nearly 50 years of the journey, a mysterious murder of a young woman triggers a rebellion among the ship’s population. When realize they have reached a point of no return, they start to question the real aim of the mission, which, according to the U.S. government, is to populate the new world. The show is created by Adrian Cruz and Philip Levens and has Tricia Helfer, Gil Bellows and Brian Van Holt in key roles. Netflix is streaming all the episodes of season 1 now.
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2. Black Mirror (2011 – Present)
‘Black Mirror’ is one of the most controversial TV Shows of our time for its highly polarizing nature. Touted as a modern retelling of the cult classic series, ‘The Twilight Zone,’ ‘Black Mirror‘ enters its fourth season. Hailed by critics as a nightmare reality show, the series deals with stories that criticize the ways of life in our modern world.
The plot follows the aftermath of modern technologies and their impacts on human civilization. The anthology series presents a different reality in every episode with the characters struggling with various modern technologies that boomeranged to the makers. Like its meta-reference, ‘The Twilight Zone,’ ‘Black Mirror’ delivers the same harrowing experience by blending sci-fi, horror, supernatural and thriller traits into a single pot, with a technological twist at the end of every episode. The narrative ponders on how the black mirrors like a plasma screen, a monitor or a smartphone screen curtail the scope of our existence. The show is a British-American co-production created by Charlie Brooker with Daniel Lapaine, Hannah John-Kamen and Michaela Coel in the lead roles.
1. The Umbrella Academy (2019 – Present)
‘The Umbrella Academy’ centers on Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Vanya, and Number Five, the remaining members of a band of people with supernatural abilities. The plot sets in motion when forty-three babies are born to a random, stranger mother without any signs of pregnancy till the day before. Seven out of the forty-three are adopted by Sir Reginald Hargreeves, a billionaire industrialist.
He has a scheme to create ‘The Umbrella Academy‘ and prepares his protegees to become saviors of the world with supernatural powers. But, the plan goes awry as the band members fail to cope up with each other’s eccentric behavior and the team disbanded. When they learn the news of Hargreeves’ death under mysterious circumstances, the six remaining members reunite to work together to solve the mystery surrounding their father’s death. But it’s not easy for them to overcome the chaos arising from their divergent personalities and abilities. Created by Jeremy Slater, ‘The Umbrella Academy’ features Ellen Page, Tom Hopper and David Castañeda in key roles. Netflix has made available all the episodes of season 1.
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