"The Outer Limits" (1995) TV series 1995-2002

Directors:

Michael Robison
Brad Turner

Writers:

Jonathan Glassner (12 episodes)
Michael Giampa (written by)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

26 March 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Horror | Sci-Fi | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

There is nothing wrong with your television. Do not attempt to adjust the picture.

Plot Keywords:

Futurism | Reboot Of Series | Female Nudity | Biohazard | Voice Interface

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 14 wins & 34 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Dec. 1	3:00 AM	SYFY	A Stitch in Time	#2.1
Tue. Dec. 8	3:00 AM	SYFY	Resurrection	#2.2

Cast

Kevin Conway

...

The Control Voice / ... (145 episodes, 1995-2002)

Also Known As:

The New Outer Limits (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

USA:45 min (154 episodes)

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:MA (some episodes) | Netherlands:16 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Alliance Atlantis Communications

Trivia:

One story with mostly the same original cast was shown in two parts over consecutive seasons: "The Outer Limits: Double Helix (#3.12)" (1997) and "The Outer Limits: The Origin of Species (#4.23)" (1998).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (2000)

Excellent series with some crap thrown in

There are many things i love about the new outer limits. Since the series is done in a disconnected episodic manner (like the old series), each story is fresh and unpredictable. There are no characters that need to survive from episode to episode, and that leaves the writers with a lot of freedom. In a way, the unpredictability of the storylines becomes almost predictable in that i'm always expecting an atypical ending and am surprised when it isn't.

The stories are a varied mix; some can fill us with hope by showing us the beauty of what humans can be, others illuminate the dark depths of our souls leaving us to shake our heads in quiet despair for our shared future. They can appear to be dark and grim throughout, but end with a rainbow, or turn happiness on its ass and leave you feeling empathically violated. Unfortunately, sometimes the episodes are none of the above and are standard-fare tv crap. Luckily, the crap is in the minority.

The content of the episodes usually explore ethics, philosophy, "what if?" situations, our fears, our virtues - basically what makes humanity tick. A reasonable percentage of episodes leave me remembering the issue it exposed years later.

I think the type of episode that annoys me that most in this series (and was probably the brainchild of an executive looking to save on the budget) is their version of the "clipshow". In these episodes, they take clips of previous episodes and weave them together in a new storyline...usually CHANGING the premises and story upon which the original clips were based. This type of episode is like finding the rotten core when eating a tasty apple. I'm glad we usually only see one at the end of each season.

Some notable episodes (by no means exhaustive) are: "Afterlife", "Summit", "Stream of Consciousness", "Glyphic", "Lithia", "The Light Brigade", "In Our Own Image", and "Second Thoughts". There's some bad episodes out there, too. If you see one, don't be discouraged.