Wednesday, July 2, 2014

SyFy's 4th of July Twilight Zone marathon 2014





It's that time yet again. What better way to celebrate the anniversary of our independence than with several hours of commercial-ridden, beat-all-to-hell syndication prints? Here's the schedule:


08:00 AM Five Characters In Search of an Exit

08:30 AM Nick of Time

09:00 AM The Night Of The Meek

09:30 AM Kick the Can

10:00 AM Where Is Everybody?

10:30 AM It's a Good Life

11:00 AM Dead Man's Shoes

11:30 AM The Hitch-hiker

12:00 PM The Dummy

12:30 PM Third From the Sun

01:00 PM The Invaders

01:30 PM The Bewitchin' Pool

02:00 PM The Masks

02:30 PM The Howling Man

03:00 PM The Odyssey of Flight 33

03:30 PM Living Doll

04:00 PM The Obsolete Man

04:30 PM Eye of The Beholder

05:00 PM Time Enough At Last

05:30 PM A Stop at Willoughby

06:00 PM The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

06:30 PM To Serve Man

07:00 PM Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?

07:30 PM Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

08:00 PM 4-hour block of other stuff (gee, thanks, SyFy)

12:10 AM The Midnight Sun

12:40 AM Night Call

01:10 AM I Sing the Body Electric

01:40 AM A Penny for Your Thoughts

02:10 AM Number Twelve Looks Just Like You

02:40 AM Stopover in A Quiet Town

03:10 AM A Most Unusual Camera

03:40 AM Long Distance Call


That's a great lineup, with only two glaring missteps: "The Bewitchin' Pool" and "A Most Unusual Camera" (which is particularly egregious since two of the series' best offerings--- "Perchance to Dream" and "Shadow Play"--- are nowhere to be found).

Some fans look forward to these marathons, even if they already own the series on DVD or Blu-ray. I never watch them, but I do understand the communal aspect of the ritual. I just can't stomach the sub-standard picture and the lobotomy-grade hack-job done to make room for more commercials.