The original The Twilight Zone premiered in 1959, with its first episode airing on October 2 of that year. The CBS anthology was created and presented by Rod Serling and went on to become one of television's defining science-fiction and fantasy programs.
The series combined supernatural stories, speculative science fiction, horror, and social commentary. Because individual episodes were self-contained, viewers could encounter a different cast and premise each week, connected by Serling's opening and closing narrations. The first season continued into 1960, but the series itself began in the calendar year 1959.
That season-versus-premiere distinction explains a frequent source of confusion: a season labeled 1959–1960 does not mean the show premiered in 1960. The program's original run lasted five seasons, ending in 1964 after 156 episodes. Later revivals and the 1983 film expanded the franchise, but they do not change the premiere date of the original CBS series.