This episode started out with promise but unlike the original with William Shatner, it failed to bring it all together with the generous time given. I still don't understand the addition of profanity as if it's suppose to make shows more edgy. I don't understand the start of his fate with the seat switch. If he hadn't switched would the other passenger have found it? And then there's the matter of the recorder revealing that all passengers were alive and rescued but him. No one could explain his disappearance and yet the highjacker wasn't mentioned at all! And also if no one died, why kill him? I would think they wouldn't blame him as they didn't hear him give the highjacker the door code. Long story short, too many holes left wide open whereas the original came together and ended perfectly.
69 Reviews
"They never tell you what's really going on."
classicsoncall2 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The original Rod Serling version of 'The Twilight Zone' had an iconic episode titled "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet". The TZ movie that came out in 1983 had a segment similarly named, but in the story itself, the pilot's announcement stated that the plane was flying at 35,000 feet. The title here appears to split the difference somewhat by calling it "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet". I just found that bit of trivia to be somewhat interesting.
No gremlins this time. Passenger Justin Sanderson (Adam Scott) is on a Northern Goldstar Flight from Washington, D. C. to Tel Aviv on an investigative assignment, and it's established early via a phone call to his wife that this might not have been the best idea since he's needed psychiatric help in the past. Convinced he'll be okay, Sanderson boards the plane, but very soon begins second guessing himself when he starts listening to a podcast concerning the mysterious disappearance of a flight like the one he's on that's never been explained. The details of that flight mimic everything happening on board this trip, right down to its flight number 1015, the name of the captain aboard, and the identity of select passengers. A suspicious passenger by the name of Justin Sanderson is also mentioned, which puts this story's character over the edge. In his paranoia, Sanderson attracts the attention of fellow flyers as well as an air marshal and the captain (Nicholas Lea), who attempts to calm him down.
It's all in vain, as a man he met pre-flight was a former pilot with a grudge to settle, who enters the pilot's cabin and hijacks the plane to its doom. I thought the story would have been much more effective if the ending left question marks rather than showing that everyone aboard the plane survived the crash and came gunning for Sanderson. What I did like though was the appearance of that little gremlin doll that resembled the creature on the wing of the plane in the original story. That little nod to Rod Serling was very much appreciated by this fan of the earlier series.
No gremlins this time. Passenger Justin Sanderson (Adam Scott) is on a Northern Goldstar Flight from Washington, D. C. to Tel Aviv on an investigative assignment, and it's established early via a phone call to his wife that this might not have been the best idea since he's needed psychiatric help in the past. Convinced he'll be okay, Sanderson boards the plane, but very soon begins second guessing himself when he starts listening to a podcast concerning the mysterious disappearance of a flight like the one he's on that's never been explained. The details of that flight mimic everything happening on board this trip, right down to its flight number 1015, the name of the captain aboard, and the identity of select passengers. A suspicious passenger by the name of Justin Sanderson is also mentioned, which puts this story's character over the edge. In his paranoia, Sanderson attracts the attention of fellow flyers as well as an air marshal and the captain (Nicholas Lea), who attempts to calm him down.
It's all in vain, as a man he met pre-flight was a former pilot with a grudge to settle, who enters the pilot's cabin and hijacks the plane to its doom. I thought the story would have been much more effective if the ending left question marks rather than showing that everyone aboard the plane survived the crash and came gunning for Sanderson. What I did like though was the appearance of that little gremlin doll that resembled the creature on the wing of the plane in the original story. That little nod to Rod Serling was very much appreciated by this fan of the earlier series.
TZ lessons should be more accessible, less subtext
actaction8 January 2023
I think the reason the original series was so popular was it was very accessible and, while it did have some subtext for stuff too controversial to say at the time, it also had enough on the surface (especially with the BIG idea of each episode, often relating to the twist) that you could be happy with without diving deeper.
Here there is a lot that is purposely not answered and purposely inserted red herrings. Some not answered questions: Was Joe real? Did Joe crash because he as a bad pilot? Why did the plane crash? Why did the podcast change from every passenger dying to only one... did the events actually change the outcome? Why did the universe give him the code?
Then the red herrings: the Russian mob plot went nowhere, the subtle attempts to put racism in as motivations for him to talk to certain passengers, & why would two people listening to a game cause the plane to go down?
The script writer obviously had a lot to say and questions to ask but didn't feel the need to explain the answer. When you do that you shut out a lot of the audience who come for clear plot twists and thought out explanations. In the original show the gremlin was never explained, but the fact that it was a gremlin was simple and straight forward.
Here there is a lot that is purposely not answered and purposely inserted red herrings. Some not answered questions: Was Joe real? Did Joe crash because he as a bad pilot? Why did the plane crash? Why did the podcast change from every passenger dying to only one... did the events actually change the outcome? Why did the universe give him the code?
Then the red herrings: the Russian mob plot went nowhere, the subtle attempts to put racism in as motivations for him to talk to certain passengers, & why would two people listening to a game cause the plane to go down?
The script writer obviously had a lot to say and questions to ask but didn't feel the need to explain the answer. When you do that you shut out a lot of the audience who come for clear plot twists and thought out explanations. In the original show the gremlin was never explained, but the fact that it was a gremlin was simple and straight forward.
This one was better?
garabedian1232 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This one was better and shorter than the Comedian. Butttt...The openings are so weak. We are supposed to find that magical item and then question reality. Here The intro just seems to start at a random time with no meaning. This episode was enjoyable until the ending. The episode seems to end but then there is this weird part afterwards that makes no sense. All of the crash victims survive? Really? But they are so angry they decide to kill the main character? Uhh..okay...that got dark real quick and for no good reason.
And what about the other guy? Can no one else see him?
And what about the other guy? Can no one else see him?
Captivating episode with contemporary references
shelsie1 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
First off, great episode and best of the two April Fool's Day offerings released for the new Twilight Zone. I thought it was captivating and really got me engaged from the beginning with the numbers connections right from the start. I fly a lot and the airport looked very realistic, as did the plane, packed full of people. I liked the fact that he was listening to a podcast; this is truly spot on for life as we lead it in the second decade of the second millennium (most of the podcasts I listen to are TZ related). The passengers were very realistic, and great twist in character identities.
I won't give all the plot points away and spoil it all, but I just want to ask if anyone saw all the potential connections I did to MH370? And a bit of a homage to Lost (TV series 2004 - 2010) as well. Eerie, thought-provoking and relevant, I thought. Just like the Twilight Zone should be.
I won't give all the plot points away and spoil it all, but I just want to ask if anyone saw all the potential connections I did to MH370? And a bit of a homage to Lost (TV series 2004 - 2010) as well. Eerie, thought-provoking and relevant, I thought. Just like the Twilight Zone should be.
I like this episode but the last scene was not good
eberkerbatur12 November 2019
I liked the series in general terms I've watched 2 episodes so far, but the quality is very clear In this part I think it started very nicely and the same continued well
proved to be different with a few details when you say it will be like a thriller on a classic plane the episode is very successful only towards the last scenes I think they could not continue the story well especially if the last scene was unnecessary
Fresh and Modern
gkbros1 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is a modern remastered version of the old Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with its own feel to it. It's still got that eery/creepy feel to it as our main character Justin is listening to a podcast of the plane's fate but tries to change it before it disappears as the podcast said it will. Can Justin change his and the passengers fate or can he just let it happen? That thought gave this episode such suspense with a moral ending which anyone can interpret differently.
I thought that the moral was that everything happens for a reason so don't try to change it.
Like I said anyone can interpret this episode's ending differently but that's my thought.
Overall awesome episode and I can't wait for the next!
Enjoyable & worth watching
steveb693 April 2019
OK, I'll admit, i inwardly groaned when I read the title of this one, what with the similarly titled classic episode nightmare at 20,000 feet. Which if you have never seen, go download, classic episode.
But other than a similar title and being set upon an airplane it's a pretty different tale with a very different outlook. A journalist finds a mp3 player upon which holds on it a podcast discussing the tragic fate of flight 1015. Which just happens to be this flight. Jordan Peel
The narration by Jordan Peele (who I am totally unfamiliar with) feels good, I particularly liked the way his his narration cut across the airplanes onboard tvs.
The tale itself is fairly straight with our journelist trying to piece together what is being said on the podcast with the reality of his situation. Becoming irratating to his fellow passangers but finding out more and more that what is on the podcast is true & events are leading towards a flight that disapears from the radar.
Unlike the original nightmare at 20,000 feet this tale has a different and pleasing ending. I'm enjoying this pace at 1 hr episodes, which gives the show time to allow the characters to breath.
Without giving the ending away the twilight zone again proves what a cruel mistress she can be to seemingly undeserving people.
Really enjoying this show so far, looking forward to more.
But other than a similar title and being set upon an airplane it's a pretty different tale with a very different outlook. A journalist finds a mp3 player upon which holds on it a podcast discussing the tragic fate of flight 1015. Which just happens to be this flight. Jordan Peel
The narration by Jordan Peele (who I am totally unfamiliar with) feels good, I particularly liked the way his his narration cut across the airplanes onboard tvs.
The tale itself is fairly straight with our journelist trying to piece together what is being said on the podcast with the reality of his situation. Becoming irratating to his fellow passangers but finding out more and more that what is on the podcast is true & events are leading towards a flight that disapears from the radar.
Unlike the original nightmare at 20,000 feet this tale has a different and pleasing ending. I'm enjoying this pace at 1 hr episodes, which gives the show time to allow the characters to breath.
Without giving the ending away the twilight zone again proves what a cruel mistress she can be to seemingly undeserving people.
Really enjoying this show so far, looking forward to more.
Nice try, bad ending.
beneverett-921799 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I thought it started okay and I enjoyed references to the old episode but the main character "Adam Scott" has creepy accurate facts on a podcast that somehow he doesn't try to show anyone but the guy next to give and the airmarshal who just blows off like it's nothing. The code into the cockpit is the same number as the flight which is like making your password "password", unsafe. Adam's character then in secret gives him the super easy code barely knowing the guy. Once it crash's some how every single person survived, wasn't injured ended up getting rescued but also somehow they automatically knows it's his fault, they all become murderers and according to the podcast, no one says anything about the whole flight killing him and he's just "missing". There are plenty of people who wouldn't have known it was his fault, and either way he was trying to prevent it and save everyone, he deserves to be murdered for that? That Jordan Peele comes in making no sense saying Adam needed to be "questioning himself".Why would he question himself when he has a transcript of the future and all he tries to do is save everyone , the only person he should have questioned but didn't was the wierd guy watching him the whole time, agreeing to something insane who wanted to get control of the plane and ends up being the one to crash it.
Great
davidrypinski-459211 April 2019
A great episode with some great callbacks to the original show. It's a fresh new take in the "nightmare at 20,000" ft storyline. It has a great ending and again is very inline with the original show and brining into modern times.
Alright episode ode
michaelpapelman21 June 2020
Absolutely not.
archmage-674176 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The ending was an absolute travesty in TV writing. Those passengers were NOT the damn victims. They all should have died, and our hero should have been the only survivor. Better yet one moron puts on the headphones to see that hes not freakin lying. Every passenger was an idiot. Not to mention it started really weak. The guy next to him going "NoOoOo. I WoN't WeAr ThOsE! U's GoTs Da LiCe!!!" When he literally the cleanest looking person aboard the entier flight. This rewrite was horrible, painful to watch, poorly written, poorly directed and they went with litterally the most unsatisfying ending possible. Horrible writers getting paid a small fortune to slide unmitigated crap through network television. SMH!
Flight 1015
Hannah_Bananah20 April 2019
Story: Despite the name, it's nothing like the old "Monster on the wing" story, however this really is quite a good episode for the first 20 minutes or so. We have a flight in a storm, with an anxious passenger (Adam Scott) listening to a podcast that he believes is retelling the story of his flight. This plays out as you'd expect, however my issue with the story is the very end scene where the characters seem to act out of character and it creates a very dark ending. Sure it might not be a predictable final act, but it feels largely unnecessary.
Direction: Again, adequate, you're never going to feel any rising intensity in this episode, even as the story gets closer to the end. Twilight Zone stories like this should make you feel a little uneasy, and aside from the odd ending, this one doesn't.
Acting: Adam Scott does an OK job here, although he doesn't act as panicked or desperate as someone could be if they really thought the podcast was about his flight. John Lithgow did a far better job in the Twilight Zone movie.
X-Factor: The ending seemed like an after thought. For me, the final act lingered with me, but only because it just didn't fit with how everyone was behaving throughout the episode.
Direction: Again, adequate, you're never going to feel any rising intensity in this episode, even as the story gets closer to the end. Twilight Zone stories like this should make you feel a little uneasy, and aside from the odd ending, this one doesn't.
Acting: Adam Scott does an OK job here, although he doesn't act as panicked or desperate as someone could be if they really thought the podcast was about his flight. John Lithgow did a far better job in the Twilight Zone movie.
X-Factor: The ending seemed like an after thought. For me, the final act lingered with me, but only because it just didn't fit with how everyone was behaving throughout the episode.
Suspenseful in part, terrible moral ("woke" turns out to just mean "kafkaesque")
karlconga11 October 2020
It's suspenseful story for most of the episode. I really liked the set and most of the cast. The story is a little predictable, as we have seen this kind of plot many times before, but it's a genre show.
The big issue I have with this episode is the terrible moral, Jordan Peele sums the plot up with in the end. Jordan accuses a certain character of bringing bad things upon themselves, for not "questioning him-/herself", so the person is guilty by default, no matter how hard and honestly they tried. It's a great example of how kafkaesque woke ideology actually is. In woke logic, it seems, the only way to redeem oneself, is to accept guilt, even though you have done nothing wrong.
The big issue I have with this episode is the terrible moral, Jordan Peele sums the plot up with in the end. Jordan accuses a certain character of bringing bad things upon themselves, for not "questioning him-/herself", so the person is guilty by default, no matter how hard and honestly they tried. It's a great example of how kafkaesque woke ideology actually is. In woke logic, it seems, the only way to redeem oneself, is to accept guilt, even though you have done nothing wrong.
Very very good, but......
rogerthorpejr8 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I had high hopes for anything peele does, but recreating the classic twilight zone series was something I was nervous about and still am.
After watching Nightmare at 30,000 feet, I was pleasantly surprised. However, at the end, they should have ended it with the plane going into the clouds and not the last bit on the island. Kinda ruined it.
After watching Nightmare at 30,000 feet, I was pleasantly surprised. However, at the end, they should have ended it with the plane going into the clouds and not the last bit on the island. Kinda ruined it.
Good Takeoff, Terrible Landing
DeanNYC18 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Nightmare at 30,000 Feet is a reimagining of one of the most remembered episodes of the 1959 Rod Serling iteration of The Twilight Zone, Nightnare at 20,000 Feet, which centered on a pre-Star Trek William Shatner and what he saw, or thought he saw, on the wing of his plane, mid flight.
Here, Adam Scott is Justin Sanderson, an investigative journalist boarding a flight from Washington DC to Tel Aviv, Israel. We are told that he had a mental breakdown during a previous assignment in Yemen. But Justin seems completely rational and unaffected, getting through Airport security and chatting with his girlfriend before boarding Northern Goldstar Flight 1015 on October 15th, a Red Eye excursion that was delayed departure until 10:15, presumably because of the heavy weather, thunderstorms rolling through.
Justin is kind enough to help a little family who needed an extra seat by giving up his Business Class booking for a place in the main cabin. And it was in the seatback of his replacement location that Justin finds an MP3 player, cued up to a podcast called Enigmatique - an episode titled "The Tragic Mystery of Flight 1015."
Justin begins to listen to the host describe the events as he is living them. The question is can Justin prevent the plane from the fate as described in the podcast?
The premise is brilliant, but the execution is all wrong. Justin continually presents himself as helpful, rational, even apologetic. Why the flight crew are treating him like a troublemaker doesn't make sense. Perhaps if he was a partisan commentator whose politics irritated the flight attendants, that might have helped explain it. As it is, they seem overtly angered by Justin for no obvious reason and they react with disdain at every single thing he does.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the ending was ridiculous, and not in a "TZ" way! Besides the overt reference to the television series "Lost," if you survived a plane crash and you were all in one piece, fully ambulatory and perfectly fine, would going after the person who you thought was responsible be first on your priority list? Especially since he didn't actually crash the plane!
That ending ruined what was, up to that point, a pretty good psychological drama.
I give Nightmare at 30,000 Feet a 6 out of 10.
Here, Adam Scott is Justin Sanderson, an investigative journalist boarding a flight from Washington DC to Tel Aviv, Israel. We are told that he had a mental breakdown during a previous assignment in Yemen. But Justin seems completely rational and unaffected, getting through Airport security and chatting with his girlfriend before boarding Northern Goldstar Flight 1015 on October 15th, a Red Eye excursion that was delayed departure until 10:15, presumably because of the heavy weather, thunderstorms rolling through.
Justin is kind enough to help a little family who needed an extra seat by giving up his Business Class booking for a place in the main cabin. And it was in the seatback of his replacement location that Justin finds an MP3 player, cued up to a podcast called Enigmatique - an episode titled "The Tragic Mystery of Flight 1015."
Justin begins to listen to the host describe the events as he is living them. The question is can Justin prevent the plane from the fate as described in the podcast?
The premise is brilliant, but the execution is all wrong. Justin continually presents himself as helpful, rational, even apologetic. Why the flight crew are treating him like a troublemaker doesn't make sense. Perhaps if he was a partisan commentator whose politics irritated the flight attendants, that might have helped explain it. As it is, they seem overtly angered by Justin for no obvious reason and they react with disdain at every single thing he does.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the ending was ridiculous, and not in a "TZ" way! Besides the overt reference to the television series "Lost," if you survived a plane crash and you were all in one piece, fully ambulatory and perfectly fine, would going after the person who you thought was responsible be first on your priority list? Especially since he didn't actually crash the plane!
That ending ruined what was, up to that point, a pretty good psychological drama.
I give Nightmare at 30,000 Feet a 6 out of 10.
Surprisingly Good
animositisomina354 April 2019
Maybe it's because of all of the negative reviews and the fact that this story has been done so many times before but I really was surprised by how good this episode was.
I hope more of the episodes are like this as opposed to the pilot episode which seemed to drag on a bit too long.
I hope more of the episodes are like this as opposed to the pilot episode which seemed to drag on a bit too long.
The worst retelling of the story, including the one from Simpsons
felipefromchile28 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Why call call it Nightmare at 30,000 ft if you are gonna change the story so much? You could have call it anything else. I was expecting a gremlin, that's what made the story so memorable. I never liked the retelling from the 80s movie, but now in comparison I might have found a new appreciation for it. Even the Simpsons had a gremlin in that homage/parody to the Twilight Zone. That last scene from this episode, when it finally appeared, felt like the show was mocking us. "You want a gremlin?, well here it is"
Just finish the podcast!
bananasonata18 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I don't understand, why not just finish the podcast. Stop wasting time! Justin is unbelievable stupid. He decided to trust some self claimed pilot that just had alcohol to handle a plane with 117 lives? I hate this episode. This is so dumb.
Not good!
Just-A-Girl-1424 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I really wanted to like this show but it's not really working. I did not like the first episode and I don't like the second one either (it was better than the first one but still not good).
I like the concept of this show, I like the mystery of the unknown. I don't mind that we don't get to learn how it is possible a podcast from the future appears on this flight but I do mind that no one seems to act logically. If you find a podcast like this, the first thing you do is listen to it from start to finish. Then, if you believe it's real you share it with others. You don't walk around acting like a lunatic, especially when you have proof. If it was a vision, you can't share or prove it but a podcast is something others can listen to. If he did share it with the Air Marshal and she heard it, why did she dismiss it? Someone talking about the plane disappearing is a clear threat, isn't it? As for the other pilot, who was he? Why did he crash the plane? What's his motivation? Also, if this podcast is really from the future, what are the chances no one noticed the pilot's voice is different and if all the passengers survived (no way btw but whatever), why was this podcast even made in the first place? There is no mystery surrounding this flight if it was discovered with everyone alive. Lastly, the decision to kill him is as ridiculous as everything else. People don't act like this. It's like they were all in sync, like zombies going to feast.
The bottom line is that the story just doesn't work. The acting is good and the concept is really great but the writing is not. I don't think I'm going to continue watching this. I gave it two shoots, I don't think it's going to get better.
Btw, I haven't seen the original. I'm reviewing it for what it is.
I like the concept of this show, I like the mystery of the unknown. I don't mind that we don't get to learn how it is possible a podcast from the future appears on this flight but I do mind that no one seems to act logically. If you find a podcast like this, the first thing you do is listen to it from start to finish. Then, if you believe it's real you share it with others. You don't walk around acting like a lunatic, especially when you have proof. If it was a vision, you can't share or prove it but a podcast is something others can listen to. If he did share it with the Air Marshal and she heard it, why did she dismiss it? Someone talking about the plane disappearing is a clear threat, isn't it? As for the other pilot, who was he? Why did he crash the plane? What's his motivation? Also, if this podcast is really from the future, what are the chances no one noticed the pilot's voice is different and if all the passengers survived (no way btw but whatever), why was this podcast even made in the first place? There is no mystery surrounding this flight if it was discovered with everyone alive. Lastly, the decision to kill him is as ridiculous as everything else. People don't act like this. It's like they were all in sync, like zombies going to feast.
The bottom line is that the story just doesn't work. The acting is good and the concept is really great but the writing is not. I don't think I'm going to continue watching this. I gave it two shoots, I don't think it's going to get better.
Btw, I haven't seen the original. I'm reviewing it for what it is.
Dreadful.
dgjjones-407389 August 2022
Rod Sterling would be turning in his grave! The original can not be improved on or matched. Characters you don't care about. What happened to the aircraft's black box recorder? How could all passengers survive? Why would the female air marshal join in the attack when she knows the truth of what went on?
Flight nightmare journey to hell and doom!
blanbrn3 March 2020
This episode two from 2019's "CBS All Access" "Twilight Zone" called "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet" is an update one that has been done again, and it differs quite somewhat from the William Shatner classic and 1983 movie version. This tale is more modern with themes of technology and wonder. It involves Adam Scott as Justin Sanderson an investigative international journalist who on a flight from Washington D.C. to overseas land has a strange experience. As upon listening to a podcast it's like it tells the future of his life and the current flight as from the start things seemed different and strange about flight 1015 as it left at 1015 and goes thru a storm and a flock of birds! A tease and tribute is even given to the old classic as after landing in a water type crash debris and a face of the winged "Gremlin" from the 1963 episode and 1983 movie is shown. As during the flight things change for Justin only when awakened he finds his life is doom a new life of hell is his answer as no more questions or investigative work is needed. Overall different take and twist on a classic still pretty good.
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