Which composer wrote the original season-one theme for The Twilight Zone?

Bernard Herrmann wrote the original season-one theme for The Twilight Zone.

Herrmann’s orchestral title music accompanied the series during its first season, which aired from 1959 to 1960. He also composed scores for several individual episodes, including the premiere, “Where Is Everybody?”, as well as “Walking Distance,” “The Lonely,” and “Eye of the Beholder.”

The best-known Twilight Zone sound is often mistakenly credited to Herrmann because his music opened the original season and because he was one of the show’s most prominent composers. However, the familiar guitar-driven theme introduced in season two was written by Marius Constant. Other composers who contributed episode scores included Jerry Goldsmith, Fred Steiner, Nathan Van Cleave, Leonard Rosenman, and Franz Waxman.

Herrmann’s theme was later replaced in regular broadcasts, and some rerun versions of first-season episodes were temporarily given the newer opening. Modern home-video releases restored the original season-one openings for most episodes, helping distinguish Herrmann’s music from Constant’s more famous successor.