April 1st, is usually a day for fooling people but CBS All Access the subscription only platform didn’t pull an April Fool’s Joke instead they debuted Jordan Peele’s new take on “The Twilight Zone” and now you can enjoy the first episode for free.
At this point for myself when I see Jordan Peele attached to a project it catches my attention. When I heard he was rebooting the classic series “The Twilight Zone” I was weary like anyone who hears a classic is being rebooted. But Peele like he has continued to do comes along with a fresh-surprise-twist filled reboot so far.
The first episode entitled “The Comedian” stars Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) as a stand-up comedian who makes a sort of deal with a mysterious figured played by Tracy Morgan to become a successful comedian.
If you still aren’t sold on the idea well CBS All Access has put the first episode on youtube for free. It’s an hour long and rated TV-MA for language…so maybe don’t watch this at work!
I did sign up for CBS All Access yesterday in order to check out this new series and I have to say my initial reaction is nothing but positive.
“The Comedian” I felt was a clever story with some beautiful visuals and camera tricks (especially in those final moments) that fits perfectly in the world of what made the original series so great. It really is a fantastic way to kick off this reboot and sets a tone of where this series can go.
The second episode released yesterday was a new take on the William Shatner classic “Nightmare at 20000 Feet” but this time we see Adam Scott (Parks and Rec) in the lead role. It’s very courageous for them to remake one the original series’ most famous episodes so early in its run but that’s also why it doesn’t feel like a remake. They swap out some of the elements of that original episode and put a fresh twist on it. I was fully invested in this stylish tense episode that is lead by a great performance by Scott’s everyman qualities. Granted the twist in this episode and final moments might fall a little short in an otherwise solid episode that again proves what this show is capable of.
-Nick
