New ‘Twilight Zone’ Includes Clever Tribute to Original Host Rod Serling

Jordan Peele steps into the shoes of creator and host Rod Serling in the new iteration of The Twilight Zone on CBS All Access. Peele pays tribute to Serling with part of his outfit, as he explained to Entertainment Tonight on the black carpet of the series premiere event. “Well you know, I have to come with the class,” Peele says. “Like Rod was always distinguished, he was always put together, and so I can’t come looking like a fool or some kind of slob to the back carpet here. I got to come correct. I do have a watch that is of a similar make, brand to Serling’s. That’s my little tribute right there. I wear that in the show well.”

The Easters eggs don’t stop with Peele’s watch. “And yeah, the Easter eggs, we have a ton of them in the series,” Peele says. “We’re in this era now where we have the internet and we have people that just will gleefully pore over this stuff. We did it with Us. And we did it with this. So yeah, if you are a fan of the original Twilight Zone we’ve got little gifts for you”

Peele has said before that he wasn’t certain he’d step into the role of host of The Twilight Zone. He explained his trepidations and why he decided to do it after all.

“It felt scary because as a performer I’ve been — the audience has seen me be an absolute goofball,” Peele says. “They’ve seen me be like puppy dog Ice-T and all this and how does that translate to one of the most iconic, prestigious roles of hosting The Twilight Zone. At the end of the day, if you can host The Twilight Zone, why do you not host The Twilight Zone? Do it.”

Per CBS All Access, “The original The Twilight Zone premiered on Oct. 2, 1959 on CBS. The series took viewers to another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. As the godfather of sci-fi series, the show explored humanity’s hopes, despairs, prides and prejudices in metaphoric ways conventional dramas could not.

“In 2019 viewers will enter another dimension with Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s modern re-imagining of the classic. CBS All Access’ The Twilight Zone anthology series will bring the original show’s legacy of socially conscious storytelling to modern day audiences, exploring the human condition and holding a lens up to the culture of our times.”

Are you excited about the return of The Twilight Zone? Let us know in the comments. The first two episodes of the series debut on April 1st on CBS All Access.

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