Technology and the Twilight Zone with Arlen Schumer

Arlen Schumer reveals how the series’ eerily prescient tales continue to challenge and inspire us.

Step into The Twilight Zone and discover why this legendary anthology series remains so powerfully relevant today. From 1959 to 1964, Rod Serling’s groundbreaking program used science fiction, fantasy, and horror not merely to entertain, but to probe humanity’s deepest hopes, anxieties, and ethical dilemmas. Among its most compelling themes was the role of modern technology— its dazzling promise and its darker, more unsettling consequences. These stories reflected the postwar boom in science, innovation, and space exploration, yet they also warned of technology’s potential to erode empathy, distort identity, and threaten the human spirit. Author and designer Arlen Schumer—creator of Visions from The Twilight Zone and the new book The Five Themes of The Twilight Zone—examines more than a dozen classic episodes that brilliantly anticipated the technological struggles of our own century. Through vivid visuals, thoughtful commentary, and engaging analysis, Schumer reveals how the series’ eerily prescient tales continue to challenge and inspire us, reminding audiences that progress and peril often travel hand in hand. Join us for an illuminating journey into The Twilight Zone.