Syfy’s 2022-2023 New Year’s Twilight Zone Marathon Schedule
Sure, it’s loaded with commercials. Yes, the episodes are edited, sometimes rather ham-handedly. And no one can deny they look better either streaming or on disc.
But for all of its obvious drawbacks, Syfy’s New Year’s Twilight Zone marathon is an annual fixture for a lot of fans — and tradition must be honored! (Besides, there still are some pros to watching TZ this way, as I list in this post.)
So without further ado, here’s the full schedule for you to bookmark and share, with a short list of pros and cons at the end. If you can’t get Syfy, or you’d rather watch some or all of it via streaming or disc on your own, you can use this to follow along as I live-tweet this soirée. So let’s see what we’ll be watching as we say goodbye to 2022 and hello to 2023:
December 31, 2022
5:00am – A Nice Place to Visit
5:30am – The Chaser
6:00am – The Bard
7:00am – The Long Morrow
7:30am – Mr. Garrity and the Graves
8:00am – The Trade-Ins
8:30am – Hocus-Pocus and Frisby
9:00am – Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
9:30am – A Kind of Stopwatch
10:00am – I Am the Night – Color Me Black
10:30am – The Changing of the Guard
11:00am – The Odyssey of Flight 33
11:30am – The Shelter
12:00pm – Passage on the Lady Anne
1:00pm – The Masks
1:30pm – The Mighty Casey
2:00pm – King Nine Will Not Return
2:30pm – Eye of the Beholder
3:00pm – Dust
3:30pm – The Fugitive
4:00pm – A Penny for Your Thoughts
4:30pm – The New Exhibit
5:30pm – Showdown With Rance McGrew
6:00pm – Kick the Can
6:30pm – To Serve Man
7:00pm – Back There
7:30pm – Number 12 Looks Just Like You
8:00pm – The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross
8:30pm – Stopover In a Quiet Town
9:00pm – Elegy
9:30pm – The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
10:00pm – Still Valley
10:30pm – The Jungle
11:00pm – A Man in the Bottle
11:30pm – Nick of Time
January 1, 2023
12:00am – Long Distance Call
12:30am – The Mind and the Matter
1:00am – Prove 7, Over and Out
1:30am – Five Characters in Search of an Exit
2:00am – Nothing in the Dark
2:30am – Little Girl Lost
3:00am – The Incredible World of Horace Ford
4:00am – An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
4:30am – What’s in the Box
5:00am – Sounds and Silences
5:30am – The Encounter
6:00am – Walking Distance
6:30am – Static
7:00am – The Obsolete Man
7:30am – Cavender is Coming
8:00am – Mute
9:00am – Escape Clause
9:30am – The Lonely
10:00am – Long Live Walter Jameson
10:30am – Mr. Bevis
11:00am – The After Hours
11:30am – A World of His Own
12:00pm – From Agnes With Love
12:30pm – Queen of the Nile
1:00pm – Come Wander With Me
1:30pm – The Fear
2:00pm – Death Ship
3:00pm – The Little People
3:30pm – The Dummy
4:00pm – The Last Night of a Jockey
4:30pm – The Old Man in the Cave
5:00pm – Night Call
5:30pm – You Drive
6:00pm – Black Leather Jackets
6:30pm – A Piano in the House
7:00pm – Person or Persons Unknown
7:30pm – The Gift
8:00pm – Meet in the Middle (2019 series)
9:00pm – The Wunderkind (2019 series)
9:57pm – The Who of You (2019 series)
11:00pm – Living Doll
11:30pm – Uncle Simon
January 2, 2023
12:00am – The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms
12:30am – The Howling Man
1:00am – Twenty-Two
1:30am – The Mirror
2:00am – The Hunt
2:30am – No Time Like the Past
3:30am – The Bewitchin’ Pool
4:00am – Mr. Dingle, the Strong
4:30am – The Midnight Sun
5:00am – Ring-a-Ding Girl
5:30am – Spur of the Moment
6:00am – The Four of Us Are Dying
6:30am – Third From the Sun
7:00am – I Shot An Arrow Into the Air
7:30am – The Thirty-Fathom Grave
8:30am – The Lateness of the Hour
9:00am – A Most Unusual Camera
9:30am – Night of the Meek
10:00am – Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
10:30am – The Fever
11:00am – The Last Flight
11:30 am – The Purple Testament
12:00pm – Printer’s Devil
1:00pm – Once Upon a Time
1:30pm – One More Pallbearer
2:00pm – Dead Man’s Shoes
2:30pm – The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank
3:00pm – Where is Everybody?
3:30pm – The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine
4:00pm – Jess-Belle
5:00pm – A Stop at Willoughby
5:30pm – Time Enough at Last
6:00pm – Perchance to Dream
6:30pm – Judgment Night
7:00pm – And When the Sky Was Opened
7:30pm – What You Need
8:00pm – A Short Drink From a Certain Fountain
8:30pm – Caesar and Me
9:00pm – The Brain Center at Whipple’s
9:30pm – A Hundred Yards Over the Rim
10:00pm – The Grave
10:30pm – Deaths-Head Revisited
11:00pm – Mirror Image
11:30pm – A World of Difference
PROS: First, this is a fairly long marathon: 118 episodes. That’s well shy of the year they broadcast all of Twilight Zone‘s 156 episodes in order, but it sure beats the times they’ve given about 80 or 90 episodes.
Second, we get seven episodes from TZ’s oft-neglected 4th season, when the series went to an hour. Yes, the series was best suited to the half-hour slot, but Season 4 has its moments.
Third, there are no more of the odd start times we got last year (which resulted in even more cuts). Every episode starts on the hour or half hour, so you don’t have to worry about tuning in at 2:40 or 7:55 to catch a favorite episode.
CONS: First, we have the usual odd schedule choices here and there. I mean, “Walking Distance” at 6 in the morning, and “Black Leather Jackets” at 6 in the evening? “The Midnight Sun” at 4:30am, while “Caesar and Me” takes a primetime 8:00pm slot? And so on.
Second, what’s with the 2019 reboot episodes sandwiched into the January 1 evening lineup? Have a full reboot-a-thon some other time if you like, but don’t mix ‘n’ match eras right in the middle of our New Year’s party.
Third, well, this is a prediction con. You just know we’re going to have some awful edits, like cutting the transformation scene at the end of “The Howling Man” and other key moments. So let me say in advance: A pox upon them!
No matter how or when you tune in, my friends, I hope you’ll keep an eye on my Twitter and Facebook pages, both during the marathon and throughout 2023. Hope it’s a happy one for all of you.
And to quote the last line of Rod Serling’s concluding narration for “Night of the Meek” — cut after its initial broadcast: “…and a Merry Christmas to each and all.”
***
Curious to see how this year’s line-up compares to past marathons? Click here.
For a daily dose of Serling, you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest. You can also get email notifications of future posts by entering your address under “Follow S&S Via Email” on the upper left-hand side of this post.
Hope to see you in some corner of the fifth dimension soon!
Posted on 12/22/2022, in Twilight Zone and tagged Rod Serling, SyFy, TV marathons, Twilight Zone. Bookmark the permalink. 40 Comments.
Shadow & Substance 
This is a good long run, Paul, but I had the same thoughts about “Walking Distance” and “The Obsolete Man” making me tune in so early.
That’s a nice run from 6:00pm to Midnight, on the Eve, and I won’t mind going to bed as “Long Distance Call” comes on.
My favorite run might be from noon to 6:00 pm on the 2nd. That makes me feel very good about being retired.
I hope this brings back some interesting traffic on Twitter – that platform needs all the help it can get. Merry Christmas, Paul!
Yeah, it’s pretty generous, I have to admit. I’m surprised that Syfy is running a longer marathon than Decades — it’s usually the other way around.
There’s some great episodes in the mix, but since they’re showing all but 31 of the original run, it’s hard not to find lots to enjoy. Glad your retired state makes it easy to overindulge!
And yes, I’m looking forward to some good traffic. Means a lot when people tell me I’m one of the only reasons they stick around. Merry Christmas, Dan!
I doubt SyFy factors the Twitter conversations into the schedule, but it’s good to have some new topics emerge each year.
Thank you so much Paul, you made my day!
In recent years, I’ve been getting more and more anxious this time of year thinking, “Will they have the marathon? Is this the year they’ll cancel it and say ‘no more’? Surely the younger generation has no interest in this ‘old’ black & white TV show from the ‘Boomer-era!’” And I’ve almost convinced myself SyFy would rather show another Harry Potter marathon or start a new tradition with Chucky or a different show. But I can rest easy – Mr. Serling will return!
I have thought about purchasing the entire series on DVD but have yet to do so. As you so wonderfully discussed in your post, there are so many positives in watching it via a TV marathon. But I would like to add one or two ingredients to your list that are most important to me – anticipation! Anticipation leading up to the start of the marathon and a sense of security and comfort once it begins 😊
I live in Maine now with my husband and daughter, but I grew up in NY and started watching the marathon on WPIX channel 11 as a teenager in the early 1980s. I even remember the 4th of July marathon in the 1990s on the same channel.
Much like the MST3K Turkey Day marathon for Thanksgiving, I cannot imagine New Year’s without The Twilight Zone!
So New Year’s will be a happy one in my household once again, and I hope it is a wonderful one for you, too, Paul!
Enjoy, and thank you!!
Sincerely,
Brett Devlin
Glad to have given you reason to smile, Devlin! I have the same trepidation every year, and the fact that they wait until almost the last minute to reveal the line-up doesn’t help. I used to get an early preview, but not this year. Oh, well. At least we’re getting our marathon!
I’m impressed by how long you’ve been tuning in, but then again, it’s pretty similar to my own experience. TZ is one of my earliest memories, and I couldn’t be more grateful!
So you’re welcome, Brett, and I hope you have a great new year … in the Zone. :)
I have the same trepidation every year! I’ve been watching The Twilight Zone marathon on Syfy for at least the past 20 years and I’m terrified every year they’re going to say no more! I miss the he 4th of July ones but at least they still have the New Year’s. Hope you’re enjoying it
Megan
In your article you said that last year’s NYM 25 minute episodes had more cuts than the regular SYFY episode airings. That’s not true. I recorded all the 25 minute episodes, and later watched them in tandem with the originals aired on one of the streaming services, and noted all the cuts. Later in the year I did the same with the regular 30 minute SYFY TZ episodes (recorded them and then compared them with the full airings). The cuts in the 25 minute airings and the 30 minute airings were identical. How they managed that (less commercial time? Doesn’t really seem likely!), but they did. BTW, I’ve done this before (recorded the SYFY episodes and compared them to the originals on the DVDs) and the cuts are not always the same! Also, the MeTV cuts are different from the SYFY cuts, and there’s less cut on MeTV. Beth Stookey, a diehard TZ fan–I teach a class in it in a Learning in Retirement program. Each week we watch two episodes and compare and discuss.
PS to my earlier email regarding the 25-minute NYM cuts vs. the regular SYFY 30-minute cuts. The syndicated airings (both SYFY and MeTV) run slightly faster than the originals. Not so much as anyone would ever notice just by watching, but slightly faster, so they can fit more into the same amount of time.
Yes, I’m familiar with that practice, and I was fairly certain they’d done that with the shorter run times. But I didn’t know for sure because I generally keep the marathon on as background. Why, you may ask, considering what an uber-fan I am? Because I can’t stand to see this beautiful show constantly interrupted and crudely edited. I watch it on disc and streaming throughout the year, so seeing what Syfy does to it is unnecessary. And let’s face it — speeding the show up is a new low. Poor Serling complained about how TZ reruns looked in his lifetime, and he died almost 50 years ago. I can just imagine what he’d say today.
Thanks for the list, Paul!
Merry Christmas!
You’re welcome, Deborah. Merry Christmas!
😃🎄 Thank you, Paul!! Happy New Year to you and yours!!
Hope this isn’t too weird, but I clicked on your profile because Paul replied to you by name and I was super jazzed to see another woman fan of TZ. I checked a couple of your pics and smiled that you’re in NV, because hubby and I live in Mesquite, NV. So, waving hi to you up north, and glad to see a fellow gal TZ fan :-)
Hi Monica,
It’s nice to meet you via, Paul!
We have some friends in town that are snowbirds who winter down in Mesquite, but it can get cold there too! 😃
TZ is on most mornings here so He-Man (my hubby) and I record them and watch them sans ad breaks.
I hope you and yours had a lovely Christmas! Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year too!! 👋😃
Hey Paul – Thanks for the list! I’ll post my recommendations on my blog and then look forward to Tweeting with you and other fans during the marathon. I think it’s cool you used the image I designed announcing last year’s marathon.
Wonderful, Craig — thanks! Looking forward to it. As for the image, I’m glad you said that. I saw it online, but I wasn’t sure where it originated. Happy to give you a credit line.
I’m so personally aggravated by the inclusion of the 2019 episodes being included that I started a change.org petition over it. Please read, sign, and share it!
https://chng.it/tWNDVGDvtD
TWENTY YEARS OLDER THAN THEY ACTUALLY ARE!! Dead.
Signed your petition. It’s the right thing to do.
The Hitch-hiker didn’t make the list this year, it’s become a favorite for me due to a recent NYM. I remember thinking it could be a Joyce Carol Oates story.
Every year there is a glaring omission and in my opinion this year’s is The Hitch-hiker. Last year it was Nick of Time.
What?! They omitted the Hitch-hiker and ADDED rando eps from 2019?! You’re slippin, Syfy.
And they’re showing a huge number of original episodes. Can’t believe they couldn’t shoehorn in such a classic!
OMG Sooooo Ecxited!!! Luv Luv Luv!!! What Channel Am I looking for Plz???
😄 Syfy!
I see you post the SyFy Channel Twilight Zone marathon every year and I greatly appreciate it, however, do you happen to have the Decades channel’s TZ marathon schedule or know if Decades ever publishes their Twilight Zone marathon schedule?
I don’t, no. I probably should. It’s just that Syfy’s reaches more people, so even though I appreciate the fact that Decades does it, I stick to the Syfy one.
Ahhh, I see, thank you for responding. Perhaps one day you could give us your take on the Decades Twilight Zone marathon, I no longer get the SyFy channel (cut the cord finally) and they do present TZ episodes with less cuts and a great deal of reverence for the classic tv series it is. Thanks again.
Thanks very much for this schedule. I don’t get the sprinkling of 2019 eps either. I get Jordan’s redux for what it is, and he did some goodies, but I’m a TZ purist. I love mac and cheese and skittles equally. I do not want skittle mac and cheese.
Good analogy! I feel the same. I don’t hate the 2019 reboot; I prefer to take it on its own terms and enjoy what I can of it (mostly in Season 2). But I don’t think this is the place for it, particularly in prime time. Oh, well — it’ll give us a natural break point.
I’m just going to pull out my blu-rays so I can watch them in chronological order. Got rid of the cable service years ago, so I don’t get SyFy anyway. Besides, my mp3 player crashed last week and took with it all the Twilight Zone commentaries I had on it, so I need to restore those at some point. At least the isolated scores remained – that’s a pain to restore.
Say, did you know that there are no extras whatsoever for Judgment Night? No commentaries, no interviews, no isolated score. Can’t imagine why. Truly a pity.
And I want the Night Gallery Version 2 book!! :-)
cancelled cable last summer, so i’m doing decades this year. would love to see their schedule in a similar format
I really should post their schedule as well. If my life wasn’t such a circus at the moment, I would!
The Decades schedule is on their website:
https://www.decades.com/schedule/
Same with SyFy.
I can’t wait my family watch it every year!
Hey Paul! Happy New Year to you! Still missing my Twitter TZM cult since my account got shut down, but check your blog every year for this. Halloween, Thanksgiving and the SyFy TZM are the few things I look forward to each year. HATING the lineup and addition of the reboot but hey, I’ll take TZ however I can get it.
Hope you’re well and enjoing The Zone
Megan
Airing that many of the best REAL TZ episodes pre-dawn while most everyone is asleep so they can prime-slot Jordan Peele’s REBOOTS is so irritatingly typical of most anyone born after (to be generous) 1984.
The older I get, the more convinced I become that post GenX adults truly do not get it. Isn’t it enough that these people destroyed MTV with Snookie and the Kardashians? Can they leave ANYTHING alone? Is NOTHING authentic or sacred?
There are also some real greats missing from the lineup this year. What about “It’s a Good Life”? In my mind, failing to air that one is akin to some form of TZ blasphemy.
I swear it: On December 31st 1999, at 11:59 PM, something died. I felt it. I remember where I was standing when I felt it go. It was good, and right and real. And it’s gone.
You’re not wrong. I may be a millennial but even I’ve been complaining about the state of things since 2004 and gave up by 09. Millennials seem to think they’re the goldilocks generation, but I find most of my generational cohorts almost as insufferable as Gen Zer’s. Realistically we’re witnessing the culmination of almost a century of cultural decline.
I was shocked that they included a few of the 2019 series episodes- it was a jarring change. However, if they insist on doing it again, I’d want to see some of the episodes from the 1980s series that included some excellent stories.
Happy New Year, Paul and all!
I recorded the episodes I wanted to watch, since I didn’t want to overload my robot box that does this magical recording. :-) I’ve been watching them since. Such an incredible show it was, though not all episodes are stellar but you can’t expect that of anything. People get burned, as he did too, if I rightly recall. But overall probably the BEST show ever to be on TV, along with M*A*S*H.
All I’m going to say about the 2019 “reboot” is NOT A FAN.
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