The Twilight Zone<\/em> thrived in large part because of recirculation, and spent decades in syndication winning over new generations of fans with each new viewing. But not every episode in its five-year run appeared after first airing. A small handful were pulled from circulation for various reasons, and remained unavailable for many years. In most cases, that involved IP rights. For instance, Season 5, Episode 22, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” was produced by a French company, and The Twilight Zone <\/em>lacked permission to air it after its initial run.<\/p>\n For one episode, however, the ban came down to more than just copyright. Season 5, Episode 31, “The Encounter,” remained off the air for over 50 years owing to its highly questionable racial content. It’s a surprise considering the show’s largely progressive politics and willingness to tackle controversial issues in a forward-thinking manner. In this case, good intentions led to an ill-advised misstep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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