Rod Serling Lost Millions
Since syndication of TV shows was fairly new during the 60’s, Serling did not think much about the concept. He had no idea that The Twilight Zone would go on to play reruns for years to come on UHF stations and eventually cable TV and the Syfy channel. Thus, Serling ended up selling The Twilight Zone in a lump sum to CBS. His wife Carol Serling revealed, “One reason that my husband sold out, was that the show often went over budget and CBS said they would never recoup the costs. Needles to say, they have, many, many times.” So yes, Rod Serling and his family lost millions, even though Carol retained the rights to all of his written works and screenplays. Also, Rod Serling abhorred that during The Twilight Zone reruns they excised full scenes for commercials.
Rod Serling Lost Millions
Tackling The Untouched In A Parallel Universe
At the time, television shows rarely approached sensitive topics in order to make everything wholesome and bring in sponsors. Serling felt particularly frustrated by this restrictive nature. However, The Twilight Zone broke barriers by bringing up sexuality in season four’s “The Parallel.” Remember how astronaut Robert Gaines, played by Steve Forrest, thinks he is back on Earth, but rather, he’s in a parallel universe. Anyway, there’s a moment he tried to get intimate with his wife. Within The Twilight Zone Companion, producer Bert Granet said, “Censorship was so strict at the time…we tried something that was a shade too subtle…the sexual habits were different…unless you’re looking for it I don’t think you’ll find it.” Although the embrace was brief and a bit awkward, it was truly bold for its time.
Tackling The Untouched In A Parallel Dimension
