Schedule Rewind 1959-60: Sci Fi TV Enters the Twilight Zone (and Grows Up)

Schedule Rewind: A look back at the Prime Time schedule from seasons past and network decisions impacting sci fi and fantasy shows.

By the 1959-60 season, television had been thriving for over a decade and had gone through its first Golden Age having produced some very notable dramas and comedies during the 1950s. Over that time, science fiction and fantasy had mostly been represented by “kiddie space operas” like Captain Video and his Video Rangers, Space Patrol, and Tom Corbett: Space Cadet as well as the occasional anthology. But by the Fall of 1959, there were not many sci fi options on the Prime Time schedule which was dominated by westerns, sitcoms, and procedurals. In fact, ABC had nothing to offer genre fans that year and only four total shows would air across the broadcast networks during the season. But two were very notable as they helped sci fi grow up beyond its kid-friendly image, and one still counts as an all-time classic across all genres.

CBS

Men Into Space (Wednesdays 8:30 PM EST)
The Invisible Man (Thursdays 7:30 PM EST)
The Twilight Zone (Fridays 10:00 PM EST)

On Friday, October 2, 1959, an episode titled “Where Is Everybody?” kicked off a humble new entry to the schedule known as The Twilight Zone at 10 PM EST on CBS. It was a fairly straightforward episode with a minimum of fantastic elements, but it was written by Rod Serling himself and had the classic twist ending, and represented what was to come from that show over the next five years. Serling had decided to create this series because he was tired of the censorship the networks put on the social commentary he injected into the dramas he had written for television. He figured that if he disguised that with sci fi and fantasy elements, he could tell the stories he wanted and that proved successful with this series. And while The Twilight Zone definitely appealed to kids, it attracted a broader audience as well due to its superior writing and the scares it would deliver on a regular basis. This show represented an important step in the genre moving away from the “for kids only” label, and it would be a solid performer for the network–despite its late Friday timeslot–for several more years.

Another important show premiering on the network that year was Men Into Space which has since been mostly forgotten. That one also eschewed the kiddie space opera approach as it presented a very realistic look at space exploration based on the science of the time. Boosted by the space race which had been kicked into orbit with the Russians launching Sputnik, this show was set in a near future when humans had made the initial foray into boldly trekking into outer space. There were no aliens or ray guns or mad scientists, just the stolid missions beyond the Earth’s atmosphere where astronauts would encounter the standard challenges of traveling in space. This did lead to some rather mundane episodes at times, but the show still captured the imaginations of those who believed in the promise of space travel, and it did so with mature and realistic stories. Unfortunately, it was scheduled against the Top 10 game show The Price is Right on NBC and it was relatively expensive to produce, so it was cancelled by the end of the season. It did not produce enough episodes to have a long life in syndication and it has been mostly forgotten since then, but it is an interesting relic from its time and an important step forward for sci fi TV.

Interestingly, CBS had the most sci fi entries airing that season despite the fact that it would go on to be one of the most genre-averse networks in later years. The other show on the schedule was the British series The Invisible Man which was in its second season. That follows a man who turns himself invisible and is trying to reverse his condition but solves crimes and fights spies in the meantime. It came from ITV and would wrap up after two seasons and 26 episodes. It has since fallen into the public domain, and you can find it streaming on several of the free services like The Roku Channel and Tubi TV.

NBC

The Man and the Challenge (Saturdays 8:30 PM EST)

NBC had one show of interest to sci fi fans, though it only barely counts as a genre entry. The Man and the Challenge follows scientist Dr. Glenn Barton who tests problems of human survival. It was based on the science of the time and counts as speculative fiction, though it rarely ventured into full sci fi territory. The more interesting episodes included several preparing astronauts for interplanetary travel, one in which Barton subjects himself to hypnosis, one that takes place in an underwater habitat, and one where Barton injects a firefighter with LSD to improve his performance. This was another show that took a more serious approach with the genre, but it aired against the Top 10 Western Wanted Dead or Alive on CBS and was cancelled after one season. It has since been mostly forgotten, but you can track down episodes on YouTube.

Syndication

World of Giants

There was one more show of interest to genre fans airing that year and it was available in syndication. World of Giants follows a spy who is shrunk to the height of six inches, and while trying to find a way to reverse his condition he continues working on covert missions, using his small size to get to places other spies cannot. It was actually a similar premise to The Invisible Man, and this show delivered action-oriented plots with little in the way of sci fi elements and also some pretty mundane bad guys. It ended up having only a short run of thirteen episodes and has since been mostly forgotten. However, it is another one that you can check out on YouTube.

While the 1959-60 season did not have many sci fi and fantasy shows to offer, it was still a pivotal year with the debut of The Twilight Zone and signs of the genre growing beyond its kids-only label. And the 1960s would ultimately lead to an explosion of sci fi TV shows and deliver what I consider the first Golden Age for the genre. You can get a glimpse of that at this link.

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Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.