Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone is an enduring sci-fi anthology beloved across generations. However, with 156 episodes, it’s no surprise that a few got lost in the shuffle. While “Time Enough at Last,” “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” and “Eye of the Beholder” are deserving of their places in the hall of fame, many of the show’s best stories remain under-watched and under-appreciated by the general public. These are the strangely beautiful episodes that don’t typically show up on best-of rankings, but hold a special place in the hearts of Zoners. Perhaps it’s because they’re head-scratchers that require a second viewing, or maybe they were just overshadowed by other heavy-hitters.
Either way, they are still considered by hardcore fans to be Twilight Zone at its best, even if no one brings them up at parties.
1) “What You Need”
On Christmas Day, 1959, The Twilight Zone aired a little tale titled “What You Need.” Based on Lewis Padgett’s short story, the episode features a crook named Fred Renard who spends his nights brooding in a bar until he crosses paths with Pedott, a frail old street peddler selling strange trinkets. Pedott somehow knows exactly what each customer will need in the near future. Renard, sensing a racket to exploit, tries to take control of Pedott’s gift. But the more he forces fate, the closer he gets to an unfortunate end.
While other Twilight Zone holiday episodes, like the much-discussed “Night of the Meek,” wrap their stories in sentimentality, “What You Need” is more cynical. A cautionary tale in the vein of A Christmas Story, only Renard never learns his lesson. The absence of a redemption arc or happy ending certainly made it a bold choice for the holidays and may be why it’s still underappreciated today. In a fair world, this episode would stand right beside the show’s other definitive holiday parables. Instead, it lies in relative obscurity, and Renard still “carries on his shoulder a chip the size of the national debt.”
2) “Perchance to Dream”
It’s hard to believe this episode predates both A Nightmare on Elm Street and Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster hit Inception, but The Twilight Zone’s “Perchance to Dream” explored the terrifying idea of dying in your dreams first. In the episode, a man named Edward Hall checks into a psychiatrist’s office in a panic. He hasn’t slept in days, terrified that if he falls asleep, he’ll die. His dreams have taken on a sinister air, with a seductress named Maya luring him toward a fatal end. As his real-world body weakens, his dream world grows more vivid and dangerous.
Charles Beaumont’s first script for the series is a feat of suspense and surrealism. Throwing noir aesthetics in with psychological horror, the episode feels like a fever dream. It also happens to be one of the most visually stylish episodes of the entire series, and yet, one that often fails to get the praise it deserves. Fans typically remember the twist endings of The Twilight Zone, but “Perchance to Dream” offers a satisfying slow-burn as well as a shocking conclusion.
3) “Come Wander With Me”
In one of the final episodes ever aired, a slick folk singer named Floyd Burney, also dubbed “the Rock ‘n’ Roll Cowboy,” ventures into the backwoods to find a new song and stumbles into a ghost story. He records a haunting melody sung by a mysterious woman named Mary Rachel, only to discover the song is about his own death. The closer he gets to fame, the faster fate closes in.
“Come Wander With Me” is one of the love-it-or-hate-it episodes that tends to get left out of the conversation. Defenders of “Come Wander With Me” say the episode critiques the 1960s folk revival and the exploitation of rural tradition by city-slicker musicians chasing commercial fame. As Floyd’s punishment, he’s forever caught in the narrative of the song he tried to steal. Directed by Richard Donner (Superman, The Omen), the mysterious circular storytelling makes it feel almost like an art-house film, and the recurring ballad may haunt you long after the episode ends.
4) “One for the Angels”
Another overlooked Christmas episode, “One for the Angels,” is considered by some to be the most emotional Twilight Zone episode ever. Lew Bookman is a beloved sidewalk pitchman who sells toys to kids. But when Mr. Death shows up and informs Lew that time is up, he begs for mercy, claiming he still hasn’t made the greatest sales pitch of his life, aka “one for the angels.” Death agrees, only for Lew to announce his retirement, believing he’s tricked fate. Death, ever the bureaucrat, informs Lew that someone else (a sweet little girl named Maggie) must die in his place.
Ed Wynn brings warmth, humor, and heartbreaking sincerity to Lew, a character who begins the episode feeling like a failure and ends it making the ultimate sacrifice. The portrayal of Death (by Jaws actor Murray Hamilton) is equally striking; he’s stoic and unfazed, until Lew delivers the sales pitch of a lifetime that even Death can’t resist. The pacing may feel a little slow compared to other episodes, but the payoff is worth it. According to Zoners, this is one of the episodes most likely to make you cry.
5) “Printer’s Devil”
Douglas Winter is a small-town newspaper editor on the brink of bankruptcy. As staff desert him and debts mount, he contemplates ending his life, until a mysterious stranger named Mr. Smith (icon Burgess Meredith) appears, offering to save The Dansburg Courier with his supernatural typing skills. Business booms, but as bizarre scoops pour in and misfortunes strike his competition, Doug begins to suspect that Mr. Smith is more than just a gifted linotype operator. When a soul-selling contract enters the picture, he must outwit the devil with nothing but a typewriter.
Meredith is a joy to watch as the cigar-smoking, dapper devil Smith. It’s perhaps one of his most underrated Twilight Zone performances, and easily one of the series’ best “deal with the devil” fables. It’s full of quoteables like: “You must be a creditor.” “No… not yet, anyway,” and the story cleverly teases its Faustian themes while keeping up an exciting pace. “Printer’s Devil” might be less famous than other Meredith episodes, but it’s every bit as essential, according to fans.
6) “The Late Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank”
Jeff Myrtlebank sits up in his coffin during his own funeral, much to the horror of his rural community. Though he insists he’s fine, his return from the dead raises eyebrows and suspicions. As crops thrive and tempers flare, whispers begin to spread that Jeff may not have come back alone. Is he still the same man they buried, or has something darker taken his place?
This episode isn’t universally loved, with some fans writing it off as one of The Twilight Zone’s goofier titles, but others praise its gothic comedy and champion it as a series best. “The Late Jeff Myrtlebank” even inspired filmmaker Ryan Coogler and his hit vampire flick Sinners, according to an interview with SciFiNow. James Best of Dukes of Hazzard fame plays Myrtlebank with just enough warmth and mystery to keep us intrigued and unsettled. One moment, he’s boyish and charming; the next, you’re almost certain something sinister crawled out of that coffin. The story refrains from over-explaining, leaving some viewers frustrated and others pondering the small-town paranoia for weeks after watching.
7) “Shadow Play”
Adam Grant insists he’s about to die, and that everyone around him is just a figment of his recurring nightmare. He claims that every time he’s executed, the dream resets, trapping him in an endless loop where no one else realizes they aren’t real. He thinks the court, the witnesses, even the skeptical district attorney, are all caught in his mental purgatory. As the people around him begin to question their own reality, “Shadow Play” turns a courtroom drama into a mind-bending psychological thriller.
What sets this one apart is how effectively it uses the idea of endless repetition to create existential dread. It’s a nightmare with no reset button, where roles rotate but the sentence never changes. The racial subtext in “Shadow Play” (beginning with two Black men in prison, ending with one as the presiding judge) gets at themes about subconscious social stigmas. Fans have also pointed out a kind of twisted rebirth happening, one that evokes Nietzsche’s eternal return: a world repeating itself endlessly until someone breaks free or gives in. Charles Beaumont’s script is one of the series’ most cerebral, and for those who love the show’s weirder corners, it’s worthy of a rewatch.
8) “Jess-Belle”
Written by The Waltons creator Earl Hamner Jr., “Jess-Belle” is one of the most polarizing episodes of The Twilight Zone. Set in an Appalachian town, it tells the story of a woman who turns to a backwoods witch to win back her lover, at a terrible cost. Each night, she transforms into a leopard, cursed by the dark magic she invoked. The effects are a little dated, the dialogue is a little cheesy, and the story unfolds like a Southern gothic ballad, complete with a poem instead of the usual closing monologue. For some, this detour into rural melodrama feels overlong, hokey, or unintentionally campy.
But for others, “Jess-Belle” is a true cult favorite that, while totally absurd, is endlessly captivating. Jeanette Nolan’s performance as Granny Hart is often noted as the standout, but Anne Francis in the title role, playing a woman whose yearning consumes her, is beloved by fans as well. It stands apart from the sci-fi episodes, embracing a folkloric atmosphere. Whether you love its weirdness or find it a misfire, “Jess-Belle” earns its place on this list as The Twilight Zone for fans of witchcraft, big cats, and a bit of nonsense.
9) “I Am the Night—Color Me Black”
Serling wrote this affecting Season 5 episode late in The Twilight Zone‘s run, channeling years of frustration over episodes he’d been forced to soften or censor by the network. Inspired in part by national grief after the assassination of President Kennedy and the ongoing turmoil of the civil rights era, Serling returned to a theme he’d long wanted to explore: how hatred spreads. The story follows a town where the sun refuses to rise on the day of a man’s execution, an unexplained phenomenon that soon covers the globe.
Despite its historical context, “I Am the Night—Color Me Black” is often overlooked, possibly because it aired near the end of the series and carries a heavy tone. Still, many fans of the show believe it stands as one of The Twilight Zone‘s most poignant hours, featuring a moral reckoning that sadly holds up as well today as it did in 1964. Its imagery is unforgettable, and Serling’s closing narration delivers a gut-punch. Few Twilight Zone episodes confront the roots of human cruelty so directly, or so poetically.
10) “The Changing of the Guard”
In this Season 3 episode, Professor Ellis Fowler, an aging teacher at a boys’ prep school, is forced into retirement after decades of service. Convinced that he’s wasted his life, he falls into despair—until the ghosts of former students appear to remind him of the lives he changed. Through their stories, he comes to understand that his life mattered more than he ever realized.
If you teared up during Dead Poets Society, this one will wreck you. In fact, some fans are convinced Dead Poets was inspired by this episode, and it’s not hard to see why. Donald Pleasence brings a heartfelt vulnerability to the role, and the message about legacy, purpose, and unseen impact is particularly relatable for educators or anyone who’s ever done a thankless job. The episode builds to a final reveal that recontextualizes a lifetime, and by the end, it’s hard not to get choked up right alongside him. Lists may often overlook it, but longtime fans consider “Changing of the Guard,” written by Serling himself, to be The Twilight Zone’s most uplifting episode.
The Twilight Zone is currently streaming on Paramount+.
Which overlooked episode is in your top ten? Let us know in the comments!
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