The first glimmer I ever had of the importance of "The Outer Limits" was in Stephen King's "Danse Macabre", where he stated unequivocally that it was the better anthology series of the '60s. At the time, I viewed it as sacrilege. Some nothing series without the immortal Rod Serling better than "Twilight Zone"? Ridiculous. One "Twilight Zone" marathon later, I began to see what King was talking about. As King himself pointed out, there were plenty of good shows, but they groaned under the weight of the bad ones. That's when I decided to investigate "The Outer Limits". I've not regretted it since.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that "The Outer Limits" produced more quality shows in two seasons than "Twilight Zone" did in three. Even with the drop in quality in the second season, it still did outdid Serling's baby on average. Why is this so? Some reasons come to mind:
1)Good writers. TZ had three acknowledged masters of the art of writing (Serling, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson), but "The Outer Limits" attracted several different writers that added to the variety: Harlan Ellison (of course), Robert Towne, and several others who, sadly, did not become better known from their work on the series (though, in some cases, as with "Specimen: Unknown" and "ZZZZZ", maybe that's not such a bad thing). Also, let us not forget series creator and first year producer Joseph Stephano, who made a name for himself by adapting Hitchcock's "Psycho" to the screen. His contributions ("Nightmare", "Fun and Games", "Form of Things Unknown") are a close second to Ellison's equally laudable episodes ("Demon with A Glass Hand", "The Soldier") for their claustrophobic feel, uncertainities, and richly drawn, highly tormented characters.
2)Excellent actors. The thing that consistently amazed me about the series was how many people who went on to hit it big wound up on screen. The list is staggering to my mind: Martin Landau ("The Man Who Was Never Born"), Robert Duvall ("The Chameleon", "The Inheritors"), Donald Pleasance ("The Man With The Power"), Carrol O'Connor ("Controlled Experiment"), David McCallum ("The Sixth Finger", "Form Of Things Unknown"), Leonard Nimoy ("I, Robot"), Robert Culp ("The Architects of Fear", "Demon With A Glass Hand") and on and on. Writing definitely made this show possible, but the star wattage is a nice bonus that enhances the experience.
3)A questioning tone. Too many people in this day and age ascribe the term "thought-provoking" to material that, while entertaining, is about as full of intellectual content as the Yellow Pages ("X-Files" comes to mind). Not so with this series; it did what any true science fiction story SHOULD do: reflect on the perils of man's place in the universe. Whether it's the horrible cost of idealism and love ("The Man Who Was Never Born"), the dangers of the tormented subconscious ("The Man With The Power"), the chilling lengths that man will go to to prepare for war ("Nightmare"), the equally terrible measures used to create peace ("The Architects of Fear"), the eventual end of the evolutionary ladder ("The Sixth Finger"), or the price of duty ("Demon With A Glass Hand"), the show's best moments always came from giving its viewers the often-unpleasant answers to these questions. Though the "bears" (as OL's monsters were called) drew the viewer in, the REAL monsters were often human beings who look no different than you or I...a far more frightening prospect.
James Van Hise once stated that no other science fiction series has ever come close to the aims and accomplishments of "The Outer Limits". No argument from this quarter; long after so many vapid sci-fi serieses have gone down the drain, "The Outer Limits" will still be standing as solidly as ever.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that "The Outer Limits" produced more quality shows in two seasons than "Twilight Zone" did in three. Even with the drop in quality in the second season, it still did outdid Serling's baby on average. Why is this so? Some reasons come to mind:
1)Good writers. TZ had three acknowledged masters of the art of writing (Serling, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson), but "The Outer Limits" attracted several different writers that added to the variety: Harlan Ellison (of course), Robert Towne, and several others who, sadly, did not become better known from their work on the series (though, in some cases, as with "Specimen: Unknown" and "ZZZZZ", maybe that's not such a bad thing). Also, let us not forget series creator and first year producer Joseph Stephano, who made a name for himself by adapting Hitchcock's "Psycho" to the screen. His contributions ("Nightmare", "Fun and Games", "Form of Things Unknown") are a close second to Ellison's equally laudable episodes ("Demon with A Glass Hand", "The Soldier") for their claustrophobic feel, uncertainities, and richly drawn, highly tormented characters.
2)Excellent actors. The thing that consistently amazed me about the series was how many people who went on to hit it big wound up on screen. The list is staggering to my mind: Martin Landau ("The Man Who Was Never Born"), Robert Duvall ("The Chameleon", "The Inheritors"), Donald Pleasance ("The Man With The Power"), Carrol O'Connor ("Controlled Experiment"), David McCallum ("The Sixth Finger", "Form Of Things Unknown"), Leonard Nimoy ("I, Robot"), Robert Culp ("The Architects of Fear", "Demon With A Glass Hand") and on and on. Writing definitely made this show possible, but the star wattage is a nice bonus that enhances the experience.
3)A questioning tone. Too many people in this day and age ascribe the term "thought-provoking" to material that, while entertaining, is about as full of intellectual content as the Yellow Pages ("X-Files" comes to mind). Not so with this series; it did what any true science fiction story SHOULD do: reflect on the perils of man's place in the universe. Whether it's the horrible cost of idealism and love ("The Man Who Was Never Born"), the dangers of the tormented subconscious ("The Man With The Power"), the chilling lengths that man will go to to prepare for war ("Nightmare"), the equally terrible measures used to create peace ("The Architects of Fear"), the eventual end of the evolutionary ladder ("The Sixth Finger"), or the price of duty ("Demon With A Glass Hand"), the show's best moments always came from giving its viewers the often-unpleasant answers to these questions. Though the "bears" (as OL's monsters were called) drew the viewer in, the REAL monsters were often human beings who look no different than you or I...a far more frightening prospect.
James Van Hise once stated that no other science fiction series has ever come close to the aims and accomplishments of "The Outer Limits". No argument from this quarter; long after so many vapid sci-fi serieses have gone down the drain, "The Outer Limits" will still be standing as solidly as ever.