Submitted for your approval: An AWC from a nondescript date 55 years ago. On October 2, 1959, Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public of Anytown, USA, fired up the cathode ray tubes inside their electronic picture box and were greeted with a most unusual communiqué… a bizarre transmission from a set of coordinates that existed beyond any cartographer's knowledge, a new destination by turns intriguing and repulsive, known only as "The Twilight Zone."

By the late 1950's, writer-producer Rod Serling was chafing at the limits network television imposed on him. Sponsors got veto power over his scripts, while any controversial topic, like racism, could arouse the censors. Serling wanted a way to tell his own stories within the confines of a TV industry that had no cable alternative, and he found it with an ingenious approach: An anthology series that could use sci-fi tropes like aliens, robots, and time travel on the surface, while actually addressing topics that TV wouldn't touch openly.

Serling was present in every aspect, acting as executive producer, writing or co-writing 92 of 156 episodes, and hosting and narrating. Serling wasn't necessarily an egomaniac. He originally wanted Richard Egan, a contemporary actor with a resonant voice, to host the episodes, and reportedly said in frustration "It's Richard Egan or I'll do the thing myself."

"The Twilight Zone" lasted for five seasons on CBS, playing to critical acclaim but middling ratings. Since ending its run in 1964, the show has inspired two revival series, a movie, and a Disney theme park attraction. Syfy has made marathons a twice-annual tradition, on New Year's and the Fourth of July. Serling foresaw none of this in 1964, and sold all of his rights to the property to CBS, hoping to use the sale to get out from under some of the debt his studio had taken on to produce the show, which was notorious for going over budget. He died aged 50 in 1975 following a string of heart attacks, prematurely ending a life of constant activity that left a legacy he never fully witnessed. So ends a tale of industry and a reminder that hard work has its rewards, but they're sometimes deferred until long after the account can be withdrawn…a paradox common to this world, and the Twilight Zone.

(image source: http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/040/e/6/he_is_the_twilight_zone_by_healer-d5ubjox.jpg)