Jordan Peele took the Super Bowl to The Twilight Zone

Jordan Peele just walked us right up to the threshold of his CBS All Access revival of The Twilight Zone in a new one minute promo spot. We’ve got the details.

The Twilight Zone promo aired during Super Bowl LIII on Sunday night. It’s no coincidence at all considering the big game aired on CBS this year. It started with venerable CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz welcoming us to the broadcast with his familiar, “Hello friends!” Things quickly faded out and an error message reading “CBS is off the air.”

Jordan Peele starts to walk onto the empty Mercedes Benz Field in Atlanta, Georgia. The stands are empty. The lights are being shut off. A beautiful, extra large pop tragically falls to the ground. And then Jordan Peele starts to talk. You can watch the whole thing on his Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtcPdL3DYwr/

There are three key points that inform the revival of The Twilight Zone in the monologue. “Witness an empty space filled with thousands of screaming people.” This one is pretty pointed. Sure, there may be thousands of people in that stadium to watch the big game. But are they sharing the same experience? Or are they all experiencing their own realities through their devices and perceptions? We are increasingly detached from each other.

“Answers are new questions.” The whole monologue sounds like an exploration of cyberspace is on the way. But here, I think it’s important to remember the classic Burgess Meredith episode “Time Enough at Last.” It didn’t take a nuclear holocaust to give one man the time he needed to read everything. It just took Internet. Everyone with Wi-Fi access can now obtain knowledge. But they have to know what to ask, how to process the information, and what to ask next. Can you say existential crisis?

“When the truth is not the truth, what dimension are you even in?” Peele says the last part directly into the camera. Yup. That’s a political statement. I’m happy he’s not shying away from anything political, especially since he’s establishing track record of being able to tell great stories that have political themes (Get Out). Also, with media bringing scoop culture to new highs and news becoming more entertainment oriented, how are we supposed to believe any of what we see or read?

The Twilight Zone-Time Enough at Last-Courtesy of CBS Productions

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I’m excited. The Twilight Zone premieres on April 1 on CBS All Access. That’s 60 years to the day that the original series premiered. The comments section on Peele’s Instagram have ranged from enthusiastic to asking why he’s copying Black Mirror. (Like. Really, bro?) So, basically, it’s like any other comments section out there.

This is a big step for CBS All Access. It’s basically their second big launch on the service and both are revivals of classic shows. I trust Jordan Peele. However this performs, maybe CBS’ next move should be to try and create some original content. They are completely free to license it and revive it 25 years from now.

One of the things that has me the most excited for The Twilight Zone besides Peele’s involvement is the cast that he’s helped to assemble. It includes Sanaa Lathan, Kumail Nanjiani, Adam Scott, Steven Yeun, DeWanda Wise, Jessica Williams, Ike Barinholtz, Taissa Farmiga and Greg Kinnear.

Are you interested in the Twilight Zone revival? Will you consider getting CBS All Access for it? Let’s discuss in the comments!