Who composed the familiar Twilight Zone theme used from season two onward?

Marius Constant composed the familiar Twilight Zone theme used from season two onward.

Constant was a French composer whose short electronic and orchestral cues were commissioned by CBS as library music. The television opening assembled portions of two cues, “Étrange 3” (“Strange No. 3”) and “Milieu 2” (“Middle No. 2”), into the brief theme audiences came to associate with the series.

The theme debuted with season two in 1960, replacing Bernard Herrmann’s orchestral opening from season one. Its eerie repeated notes, unusual rhythm, and prominent electric-guitar sound became far more recognizable than the original music. Jazz guitarist and session musician Howard Roberts performed the guitar part, using a Fender Telecaster.

A common mix-up is to credit Bernard Herrmann with the famous theme simply because he wrote the first-season music and scored many important episodes. Herrmann’s music is correct for season one; Constant’s is the canonical answer for the signature theme heard from season two through the end of the original series. Constant’s theme has also been reused and imitated across later Twilight Zone productions and popular culture.