"You're travelling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination--next stop, the Twilight Zone!" With these words, Rod Serling introduced his best-known creation to millions of television viewers each week. Although The Twilight Zone ran for only five seasons--1959 to 1964--the science fiction-fantasy series renewed its hold over each succeeding generation through reruns. As a result, "Serling and his magic voice became a part of mass culture and modern folklore," Mark Olshaker explained in New Times.

Serling first gained prominence as a writer in 1955, when his play Patterns was broadcast on television to glowing reviews. Over the next twenty years he wrote numerous influential screenplays and won six coveted Emmy awards. The Twilight Zone--with its high-quality writing, startling twist endings, and stark commentary on social themes-- stood apart from...