Few fans of The Twilight Zone would downplay the contributions of writer and executive producer Rod Serling. In addition to writing countless classic episodes of the anthology series, Serling also assumed hosting duties when his first choice for the role (actor Richard Egan) proved unavailable. It's difficult to imagine a version of The Twilight Zone without Serling's inimitable input, and every subsequent take on the franchise has failed to catch that same lightning in the bottle.