Every Twilight Zone Christmas Episode, Ranked

Few TV shows have had a more lasting cultural impact than "The Twilight Zone." The CBS sci-fi series featured some of the most iconic storylines in TV history, and was also a training ground for major movie stars before they were famous. When TV lovers think of "The Twilight Zone," they probably think of William Shatner screaming in terror at a gremlin on the wing of a plane. Or they remember once-friendly neighbors behaving like hateful monsters in a less-than-subtle allegory on bigotry. They think about the book-loving Burgess Meredith surviving the apocalypse with destroyed spectacles, a little boy with telepathy holding a small town hostage, and so much more. But what viewers probably don't think about is Christmas.

"The Twilight Zone" took place in "the fifth dimension" in a realm of "light and shadow" and "science and superstition," but still managed to make merry and celebrate the yuletide season. After all, there's no better way of making spirits bright than with a trip to the "pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge," right? 

Christmas in "The Twilight Zone" may sound strange, but it almost always worked. Sure, some Christmas episodes were only so-so, but many are among the best in the series' history. What were they? Hop aboard your sleigh for a holiday journey through every Christmas episode from Rod Serling's seminal series, plus its reboots. Next stop, "The Twilight Zone."

Following the success of his horror hits "Get Out" and "Us," Jordan Peele brought "The Twilight Zone" back for its third reboot. Despite solid reviews, the third time was not the charm. "The Twilight Zone" debuted in 2019 on Paramount+ precursor CBS All Access and lasted two seasons and 20 episodes, ending its less-than-spectacular run in 2020. Peele's "The Twilight Zone" reboot didn't connect like the original series, or even like his own Comedy Central sketch comedy show "Key & Peele," but it did produce a Christmas episode: "A Traveler."

Set in the harrowing winter landscape of Iglaak, Alaska, "A Traveler" stars Marika Sila as Police Sgt. Yuka Mongoyak, who has arrested her brother Jack (Patrick Gallagher) for public drunkenness. However, the station's tradition is for Capt. Lane Pendleton (Greg Kinnear) to pardon one inmate at the Christmas party, and Jack is the most likely recipient. That is, until the mysterious appearance of another inmate, who goes by the name "A. Traveler" (Steven Yeun). But Sgt. Yuka suspects A. Traveler may have ulterior motives. 

The fourth episode of the first season embodies both the strengths and weaknesses of Peele's reboot. The world-class production value cultivates a sense of dread, while the performances (especially from Yeun) are top-notch. Plus, there's the delightful fan service of showing the gremlin from "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" as a Christmas decoration. But like many of the reboot's episodes, the story feels more convoluted and confusing than creepy, and is liable to leave viewers scratching their heads. 

Unlike the original series, the "Twilight Zone" from the '80s featured multiple vignettes per episode. Thus, the 1985 "Twilight Zone" Christmas special featured three stories: "Night of the Meek," "But Can She Type?," and "The Star." While "But Can She Type?" is less overtly Christmas-themed than the other two, it still takes place during the holiday season, so it makes our list. 

Pam Dawber stars as Karen Billings, an overworked, underpaid, and greatly under-appreciated secretary. Billings works for an incompetent doofus (Charles Levin) who constantly forces her to clean up his mistakes at the last minute, an all-too-familiar scenario for millions of viewers watching in the '80s (and heck, today). Just before Christmas, she's on her way to a party when her boss demands multiple copies of a proposal, pronto. But when Billings uses a different copier than usual, she is transported to a parallel universe where employees are treated the way CEOs are in ours. 

Despite featuring a little holiday magic, "But Can She Type?" is less a Christmas story than a story that takes place during Christmas (though it does have a moral: "Don't be a jerk to employees.") Billings' plight at putting up with a corrupt and incapable corporate manager is sadly even more relatable today than it was in 1985, making "But Can She Type?" somewhat cathartic viewing. Even so, the story of a supernatural copier is a wee bit cheesy, and mildly undermines the otherwise razor-sharp satire the segment was going for.

Before you throw your laptop or smartphone at this low ranking, this is not the original "Night of the Meek" from 1960, but a remake from the "Twilight Zone" reboot in the 1980s. This was the first of three revivals of "The Twilight Zone" (1985, 2002, 2019), and was arguably the most successful. The series ran for three seasons and 65 episodes from 1985 to 1989, with its first two seasons on CBS and its final season airing in syndication. The "Night of the Meek" remake was the first of three segments in the 1985 "Twilight Zone" Christmas special. It was the 13th episode of the first season, and aired on December 20, 1985, just three days shy of the 25th anniversary of the original episode's first airing. 

Richard Mulligan plays Henry Corwin, a down-and-out drunkard with little joy in his life, despite wearing a worn-out Santa Claus suit. Things look bleak after he gets fired for arriving late and drunk to his job as a department store Santa, until he discovers a magical bag that produces any gift he can imagine. It's always risky remaking a masterpiece, and "Night of the Meek" suffers less from its own shortcomings than from failing to live up to the original (which really can describe the entire '80s revival). While still a great story, the "Night of the Meek" remake felt uninspired and failed to justify why it needed to be remade in the first place.

"The Star" was the final segment from the 1985 "Twilight Zone" Christmas special, and certainly the best. What else would you expect from a segment based on a short story by Arthur C. Clarke (author of "2001: A Space Odyssey")? 

Unlike the Earth-bound "But Can She Type?" and "Night of the Meek," "The Star" takes place on an interstellar journey. There, an astrophysicist (Donald Moffat) and priest (Fritz Weaver) debate the existence of God, when their ship gets a strange signal that has been emitting for eons. The ship follows the signal to an asteroid, which strangely serves as sort of a hard drive that houses the entire history of a long-dead civilization. This isn't just any civilization, but one that achieved far more than humanity, while its people also lived much longer lifespans. 

Upon further research, the team discovers the inhabitants of this civilization were wiped out by a supernova, and its light was visible from Earth, where it was identified as the Star of Bethlehem. This is thought-provoking stuff, bound to inspire debate and discussion, which the best "Twilight Zone" episodes (and Clarke stories) do. Alas, the 10-minute episode feels super crammed, and at the same time quite talky, as they're clearly using exposition dumps to tell the tale in its tight runtime. "The Star" is a strong story, but as a segment would have benefited from more time.

What did you do on Christmas Day in 1959? Okay, you might not have even been born yet, but if you were like millions of TV viewers at the time, you were watching the 12th episode of the first season of "The Twilight Zone." "What You Need" aired December 25, a Friday night. This wasn't just happenstance, as Rod Serling served up a compelling, Christmas-themed episode for his viewers, albeit one that handles the holiday in a more harrowing fashion.

Based on a short story of the same name by Lewis Padgett from "Astounding Science Fiction" magazine in 1945, "What You Need" stars Ernest Truex as Pedott, a mysterious merchant. But Pedott is no ordinary peddler, as he has the ability to sell people items just before they need them. Pedott crosses paths with Fred Renard (Steve Cochran), a greedy, mean-spirited man, who wants to exploit the former's powers for profit, but winds up getting more than he bargained for.

While "What You Need" only slyly references the Christmas season, it is more overt in its criticism of crass commercialism and corruption. This isn't a Hallmark holiday special, but a grim, gritty look at human nature at its worst. Yet its sublime blending of a fantasy scenario with a film noir worldview makes for a powerful story, and one of the most memorable "Twilight Zone" Christmas episodes.

"A Passage For Trumpet" was released in May 1960, but makes our list because it is based on the same short story as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, "It's A Wonderful Life." Both were based on "The Greatest Gift" by Philip Van Doren Stern. If you're one of the millions who watches "It's A Wonderful Life" as part of your annual holiday tradition, the story should be familiar.

Jack Klugman plays Joey Crown, a down-on-his-luck trumpet player who feels his life is worthless. While on a drinking binge, Crown steps in front of a speeding truck, but wakes up to discover he has survived... or so he thinks. Turns out nobody can see or hear him, except for a fellow trumpet player who explains he's in "a kind of limbo" where he learns what life is like without him. The mysterious man offers Crown a chance to return to his normal life, which Crown accepts, but not before asking the man his name. The man answers: "Call me Gabe... short for Gabriel."

Indeed, very similar to "It's A Wonderful Life." While a far cry from the 1946 classic, "A Passage For Trumpet" is still a powerful meditation on gratitude that's perfect for the Christmas season, or any season.

Christmas is a time of peace on Earth, goodwill toward all men, and of course, shopping. Lots of shopping. Okay, so that last part isn't really what the holiday season is supposed to be about, but you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise. This isn't new by any means, as "The Twilight Zone" was cleverly satirizing shopping sprees way back in 1960 in "The After Hours."

Anne Francis plays Marsha White, who is searching for the perfect last-minute gift for her mother. She is told by an elevator operator to go to the ninth floor, where she purchases a gold thimble. But when she returns the next day to exchange the thimble, she is told by a clerk that there is no ninth floor. Turns out Anne was actually being helped by store mannequins who had come to life, but when she tries to unravel the mystery, she makes a shocking discovery: She is a mannequin, too!

Though Christmas is not called out specifically in this episode, the story of an overwhelmed shopper finding herself in a surreal nightmare scenario is sure to be familiar to anyone who has ever hunted for gifts at the 11th hour. Written by Rod Serling himself, "The After Hours" is a creepy and unsettling exploration of materialism, featuring one of the most famous twist endings in "Twilight Zone" history. It's a must-watch for your "Twilight Zone" Christmas marathon; just maybe watch it after you go shopping.

While the holiday is never explicitly stated, "Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?" takes place in a wintry atmosphere, making it a fan favorite "Twilight Zone" Christmas episode. Written by Rod Serling, the story has echoes of "Who Goes There?," the 1939 novella by John W. Campbell Jr. that inspired "The Thing From Another World."

State Troopers Bill Padgett (John Archer) and Dan Perry (Morgan Jones) receive an unusual phone call about a crashed spaceship on a bleak and blustery winter night. The troopers investigate the scene and discover that an alien creature has camped out at a nearby roadside diner. Problem is, each of the seven diners appears to be human. Now the troopers have to decide which of the diners come from Earth, and which one is a creature from another planet.

"Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?" was the 28th episode of the second season, and came out in May 1961. Its story of an alien in disguise feels like a callback to "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street" from the year before, a "Twilight Zone" episode considered by many to be the best in the entire series. While not nearly as good as its similar forebear, "Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?" is highlighted by a scene-stealing performance from Western favorite Jack Elam, while its unnerving and isolating winter setting makes for perfect creepy Christmas viewing.

"Good artists copy, great artists steal" is a maxim that definitely applies to Rod Serling, who was gifted at adding his own "Twilight Zone" twist to well-known stories. Case in point, "The Changing of the Guard," which borrows liberally from the most famous of all Christmas stories, Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" (with a hint of "It's a Wonderful Life" thrown in).

Unlike Dickens' classic tale, the main character in Serling's story isn't a greedy, grumpy, borderline psychopathic curmudgeon named Ebenezer Scrooge, but a kindly elderly academic named Professor Ellis Fowler (Donald Pleasance). After 51 years of loyal service at an all-boys school, Fowler is forced into retirement by penny-pinching administrators. Broken and bitter, Fowler is convinced he has accomplished nothing in his life, and so prepares to end it. But sooner than you can say "Jacob Marley," Professor Ellis is visited by the ghosts of his late students, each of whom died as heroes, who arrive to show him what a difference he made in their lives.

If it sounds familiar, that's the point, as "The Changing of the Guard" clearly parallels "A Christmas Carol." While the latter is a condemnation of one man's avarice, this episode is a celebration of another man's goodness, making it a perfect counterpoint for Christmas viewing. Besides, if you're tired of seeing multiple versions of "A Christmas Carol" every year, "The Changing of the Guard" provides a thought-provoking, life-affirming alternative, anchored by a touching performance from Pleasance.

"A clown, hobo, ballet dancer, bagpiper, and army major get stuck in a room" isn't a joke setup, but the premise behind one of the most famous "Twilight Zone" episodes of all time: "Five Characters in Search of an Exit." Despite airing on December 22, 1961 — the 14th episode of the third season — "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" doesn't reveal itself as a Christmas story until the final reveal, among the greatest twists in "Twilight Zone" history.

Turns out these "five characters" are actually toys, who are part of a Christmas toy collection at a girls' orphanage, and are being kept in a barrel. While the ending is one of the most clever that writer Rod Serling ever conceived, it's everything that comes before the reveal that makes this one of the best "Twilight Zone" episodes, Christmas or otherwise.

In lesser hands, this concept would maybe make a five-minute "Saturday Night Live" sketch. But "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" finds Serling at his most literary, crafting a meditation on the nature of existence and reality itself. Put simply, Serling gave us a tantalizing Jean-Paul Sartre level of existentialism in a primetime broadcast TV show — and during a Christmas episode, no less! But don't let that description fool you into thinking it's a boring, talky philosophy discussion. "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" never fails to keep you hooked, even if you already know the ending.

"The Night of the Meek" is the most overtly Christmas-themed episode of "The Twilight Zone," and also the best. "The Night of the Meek" stars Art Carney a few years after his legendary run as Ed Norton on "The Honeymooners," and 14 years before his Oscar-winning role in "Harry and Tonto." The actor plays Henry Corwin, a sad-sack, drunken department store Santa Claus whose bleak existence is turned around when he discovers the real Santa's magical sack. What follows is one of the most uplifting and heart-warming episodes in the entire history of "The Twilight Zone."

Yet despite the premise, "The Night of the Meek" never succumbs to sugary sentiment or saccharine syrupiness. Writer Rod Serling infused his Christmas-set story with the grim and harsh realities of urban isolation, and the imprisonment wrought by addiction. "The Night of the Meek" aired on December 23, 1960, the 11th episode of the second season, and was one of only six episodes shot on videotape instead of film. While this cost-cutting experiment was short-lived, it gives "The Night of the Meek" a raw verisimilitude, as if we're watching a grainy home movie from the era, not a primetime broadcast TV show. But more than the technology, it is the honesty and authenticity of Carney's artful performance and Serling's soulful writing that make "The Night of the Meek" feel real. It is the greatest Christmas episode in the series' history, and one of the best "Twilight Zone" episodes, period.