Part Five: The Third Season 1961-1962 Summary and Analysis

By the beginning of the third season, Rod Serling found that he was suffering from fatigue. In April 1961 Serling stated, "I've never felt quite so drained of ideas as I do at this moment." Having written 47 out of 68 of the show's scripts, Serling was beginning to discover at the ideas did not come as fast as they had before the show began. After a while, Serling noted that one begins to borrow from oneself.

In addition to fatigue from the writing duties, Serling was called upon to play another role. The American Tobacco Company became the new sponsor of the series, replacing General Foods. The American Tobacco Company would alternate sponsorship duties with Colgate-Palmolive. At the end of each show, Serling gave a plug to the sponsoring company, advertising its products...