The Outer Limits: Season One

Outside of its devoted cult following, this 1963 anthology series is probably best known for its haunting introduction: "There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling the transmission..." Created by Leslie Stevens, The Outer Limits does not hold up as well as The Twilight Zone, dated as it is by the cheesy monster costumes, now-antiquated special effects, and some ham-handed moralizing. But baby boomer TV buffs will thrill to revisiting the stories that spooked them as children, and enjoy early screen appearances by Cliff Robertson (the series pilot "The Galaxy Being"), Robert Culp ("The Architects of Fear"); Martin Landau ("The Man Who Was Never Born"); Martin Sheen ("Nightmare"); Carroll O'Connor ("Controlled Experiment"); Bruce Dern ("The Zanti Misfits"); and Robert Duvall ("The Chameleon"). A relic of television history sure to be popular with passionate sci-fi fans, this nicely packaged set looks surprisingly good for its age (especially so, given the fact that it squeezes 1,642 minutes onto four discs!). Recommended. (K. Lee Benson) [Blu-ray Review—Apr. 3, 2018—Kino Lorber, 7 discs, 1,632 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $99.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1963-64’s The Outer Limits: Season One features a fine black-and-white transfer with DTS-HD 2.0 audio. Extras include a handful of audio commentaries by authors and film historians David J. Schow, Tim Lucas, Dr. Reba Wissner, Craig Beam, Gary Gerani, Michael Hyatt, and Steve Mitchell, and a 40-page booklet essay by Schow. Bottom line: a landmark series makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]