Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone has long been a favorite of science fiction fans, featuring a new twisted tale each episode. While some of the episodes featured all-star guests, ingenious writing, or unending twists, other episodes fell a little short of expectations. Whether it was due to lackluster stories, corniness, disappointing endings, or other reasons, these six worst Twilight Zone episodes may not be on your rewatch list.
6. “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” – S5 E17
Starting our list of the worst Twilight Zone episodes is “Number 12 Looks Just Like You.” Set in the future, everyone who reaches 19 years of age goes through the Transformation, a surgical procedure to change the physical appearance to one of many attractive designs. However, 18-year-old Marilyn doesn’t want to go through with the procedure. The episode ultimately failed due to the actor’s overzealous performances and artificial tone.
5. “Cavender is Coming” – S3 E36
Fifth on our list of the worst Twilight Zone episodes is “Cavender Is Coming.” Similar to the episode “Mr. Bevis,” this time the leading role is female. The story follows a guardian angel sent to Earth to help a schlub; however, she enjoys her life just the way it is. The fact that this episode tried so hard to be funny (it even contained a laugh track), it ended up falling way short of expectations, which was a possible spin-off show.
4. “Black Leather Jackets” – S5 E18
Next on our list of the worst Twilight Zone episodes is “Black Leather Jackets.” Three aliens arrive on Earth, disguising themselves as humans and getting plans from their superiors to exterminate the human race. When they start to put the plan in motion, one of the aliens falls in love, though his change of heart falls on deaf ears. This episode struggles with plot holes, dull performances, and ends up being a filler episode. The biggest issue with viewers was how the aliens would exterminate the humans: poison the whole water supply.
3. “I Dream of Genie” – S4 E12
Rounding out the top three worst Twilight Zone episodes is “I Dream of Genie.” A loser buys a genie’s lamp, but there’s a clear difference with this lamp. It has only one wish instead of three. The man spends the whole episode daydreaming about what he will wish for, even though whatever he chooses will still make him a loser. In the end, he chooses to be a genie as his wish. The episode struggled with the hour-long time-slot, and was cringey the entire time, with the main comedic relief being the protagonist’s dog changing between daydreams.
2. “The Bewitchin’ Pool” – S5 E36
Second on our list of the worst Twilight Zone episodes is “The Bewichin’ Pool.” The episode centers on two kids who have terrible parents. One day, they discover another world underneath their swimming pool where a woman named Aunt T takes in abused and neglected children. The strange storytelling through flashbacks confused viewers, and for an episode that acts as one of the last instances of the entire series, it falls short of many expectations.
1. “Caesar and Me” – s5 E28
Last but not least on our list of the worst Twilight Zone episodes is “Caesar and Me.” In this episode, a struggling Irish ventriloquist, Jonathan West, is at the mercy of his talking dummy, Little Caesar. The pair commits a series of crimes to make ends meet. The biggest bummer for viewers is the wasted potential on Jackie Cooper, who plays West. Cooper is a great actor, though his episode falls short in many ways, including using the same dummy from the previous episode.