The Twilight Zone Reboot: 10 Classic Episodes It Should Remake

The Story:

In the original version of the memetic "would you push the button if...?" dilemma, an impoverished couple living in a tenement are approached by a stranger who gives them a box with a button on it and tells them that if they press the button they will receive $200,000 but somebody that they don't know will die.

Why Remake It?

The 1980s versions of The Twilight Zone (both the 1983 movie and the 1985 TV series) never really made the impact of the original series.

That doesn't mean, though, that none of it is worth revisiting, nor that the 1980s series left no pop cultural footprint. In fact, the central "would you push the button?" question of this episode has only become more discussed over time. Not only was it readapted as feature film The Box, but it has also enjoyed a healthy afterlife as the structure of a meme posing all kinds of push it or not questions.

However, despite the obvious appeal of its central hook, none of the previous versions have played out in an entirely satisfying way. The weird performances and off-book end twist in the original episode had writer Richard Matheson taking his name off it, while The Box just descends into pretentious nonsense long before its final scenes.

It still feels, therefore, like there's a definitive take on the Button, Button story yet to be made. A new writer can start with the initial button dilemma and take it any way that they want.