1959 was a pretty pivotal year in television history. It marked a sea change in programming attitudes, emphasizing more mature themes rather than shows that catered to kids. Sure, there was still plenty of child-friendly fare on the air, but ’59 saw a shift with two significant debuts.
Bonanza premiered on September 12, 1959, and planted its flag squarely in the adult-oriented cowboy drama arena. Gunsmoke proved that audiences were ready for more grownup Western shows, and Bonanza capitalized.
It could be broadly comedic or deadly serious, all the while remaining seriously compelling. The show addressed real-world issues like substance abuse and domestic violence while directly dealing with themes like bigotry towards minorities.
Just five weeks later, in October of ’59, The Twilight Zone debuted. The show pushed television forward in new and unexpected ways, making audiences feel things that TV hadn’t ever made them feel before. While it’s true that other anthological shows existed before, none had so boldly freaked out the viewing masses.
There must have been a kinship between the creators of the two shows, as Bonanza paid tribute to The Twilight Zone in a 1963 episode titled “Twilight Town.” While the name alone might not be enough to prove that Bonanza was intentionally referencing the Rod Serling Show, the story really cements it as a winking homage.
Bonanza rarely featured elements of fantasy, but this episode marked a wonderful departure. In this episode, Little Joe is left for dead when he passes out in a spooky, old abandoned ghost town. He eventually finds out the town isn’t quite as abandoned as he thought. Sure, there weren’t any living people, but the town was absolutely bursting with ghosts.
It’s the type of ghost story where the ghosts are haunted too, doomed to relive the same harm that befell them while they were alive. Will Little Joe come to their rescue, freeing the town of their past? Or is he doomed to join the mournful spirits for an eternity in… “The Twilight Town?!”
As if the story alone weren’t a clear enough tribute to The Twilight Zone, there’s also the repeated bit of dialogue, “Where is everybody?” Serling fans will of course recall that this is a reference to a TZ episode of the same name!