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The Twilight Zone poster

Shows that feel likeThe Twilight Zone (1959–1964)

An anthology series containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.

If you loved The Twilight Zone, the closest series we have are Carnivàle (2003), The OA (2016) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). All three share The Twilight Zone's cerebral and dreamlike feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Lanterns (2026).

11 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video
Stream it:Paramount+ ↗

If The Twilight Zone hit the spot, these will too

Carnivàle poster
Carnivàle
2003–2005 · 2 seasons · HBO
★ 8.4sci-fi & fantasy · mystery · dramaMax

The same preoccupation in both: surrealism

The difference: 44 years apart, and the 2000s show

Carnivàle is an American television series set in the United States during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. In tracing the lives of two disparate groups of people, its overarching story depicts the battle between good and evil and the struggle between free will and destiny; the storyline mixes Christian theology with gnosticism and Masonic lore, particularly that of the Knights Templar.

The OA poster
The OA
2016–2019 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.8sci-fi & fantasy · mystery · dramaNetflix

One thread runs through both: surrealism

Seven years after vanishing from her home, a young woman returns with mysterious new abilities and recruits five strangers for a secret mission.

Star Trek: The Next Generation poster
Star Trek: The Next Generation
1987–1994 · 7 seasons · Syndication
★ 8.7sci-fi & fantasy · action & adventure · dramaParamount+

The same two preoccupations: space, and alien

The difference: Leans harder into action & adventure than The Twilight Zone does

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

Manifest poster
Manifest
2018–2023 · 4 seasons · NBC
★ 7sci-fi & fantasy · mystery · dramaNetflix

Common ground: time travel

After landing from a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers of Montego Air Flight 828 discover five years have passed in what seemed like a few hours. As their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible.

Lanterns poster
Lanterns
2026– · 1 season · HBO
★ 7.8drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyMax

The same mix in both: ideas, then dream logic

Two intergalactic cops, new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, are drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

Devs poster
Devs
2020 · 1 season · Hulu
★ 7.6sci-fi & fantasy · drama · mysteryHulu

Twisty where it counts, contemplative underneath

Young computer engineer Lily Chan investigates the secretive development division of her employer, a cutting-edge tech company based in San Francisco, which she believes is behind the murder of her boyfriend.

Wayward Pines poster
Wayward Pines
2015–2016 · 2 seasons · FOX
★ 7.3drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

Cerebral sci-fi & fantasy in both cases

Imagine the perfect American town... beautiful homes, manicured lawns, children playing safely in the streets. Now imagine never being able to leave. You have no communication with the outside world. You think you're going insane. You must be in Wayward Pines.

Sleepy Hollow poster
Sleepy Hollow
2013–2017 · 4 seasons · FOX
★ 7.3drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

Mystery with a pulse of dream logic, in both cases

Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers.

Ragnarok poster
Ragnarok
2020–2023 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.3sci-fi & fantasy · drama · mysteryNetflix

Drama built on twists, twice over

A small Norwegian town experiencing warm winters and violent downpours seems to be headed for another Ragnarök -- unless someone intervenes in time.

Terra Nova poster
Terra Nova
2011 · 1 season · FOX
★ 6.7sci-fi & fantasy · mystery · action & adventure

Both are built on the same subject: time travel

The difference: Easier on the stillness than The Twilight Zone

In the year 2149, the world is dying. The planet is overdeveloped and overcrowded, with the majority of plant and animal life extinct. The future of mankind is in jeopardy, and its only hope for survival is in the distant past. An ordinary family goes on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a part of a massive expedition to save the human race.

Locke & Key poster
Locke & Key
2020–2022 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.3sci-fi & fantasy · drama · mysteryNetflix

Both lean on stillness more than on sci-fi & fantasy

After their dad's murder, three siblings move with their mom to his ancestral estate, where they discover magical keys that unlock powers — and secrets.

Columbo poster
Columbo
1971–2003 · 10 seasons · ABC
★ 8.3crime · drama · mysteryPrime VideoPeacock

Twisty mystery, and it commits to that

The difference: Takes it somewhere less cerebral than The Twilight Zone does

Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.

In the mood for more cerebral?

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The best-reviewed series that share The Twilight Zone’s defining feeling.