Bright and early this morning, I was awakened by the shouts of a newsie in the streets outside my home, yelling, “Extra! Extra! The Twilight Zone reboot canceled by Paramount+!” I can only assume this happened nationwide, so we’re probably all on the same page there. But in any case, that story is slightly more complicated than that shrill child made it seem. Jordan Peele‘s Monkeypaw and Simon Kinberg‘s Genre Films, the production companies behind the CBS All Access revival of the classic Rod Serling sci-fi show, issued a statement today clarifying that the show was not technically canceled – it actually ended on their own terms.

During the slew of announcements regarding Paramount+ content that were released last night, The Twilight Zone was nowhere to be found, and reports began making the rounds that the show had been canceled. It turns out there was slightly more to it than that: the series has indeed come to an end, but to hear Monkeypaw and Genre Films tell it, they basically accomplished what they set out to do in the first place and chose not to continue making the series anymore. Here’s a statement the companies sent to Deadline:

We greatly enjoyed our time working on The Twilight Zone — particularly when the real world around us often felt more and more like another dimension. We cherished the opportunity to collaborate with so many talented writers, actors and crewmembers. After 20 unique episodes, we have told the stories that we wanted to tell, and CBS All Access was gracious in their understanding of our decision. It was an honor and a privilege to bring audiences a modern re-imagining of Rod Serling’s iconic creation.

The fact that the show is over is a bummer for fans of anthology shows, and especially for those who thought this new iteration of The Twilight Zone had the potential to settle into a better groove as it went along. The show had a lot going for it, including Peele stepping in front of the camera as its host and a murder’s row of terrific actors who dropped by for a single episode over the course of its two existing seasons. The show was also a great way for directors to come in and tackle a story quickly and then move on to another project; people like J.D. Dillard, Ana Lily Amirpour, Peter Atencio, Osgood Perkins, and Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead were among those who helmed episodes in the second season.

Rest in peace, Twilight Zone. Until you’re inevitably rebooted again…

The post ‘The Twilight Zone’ Reboot Wasn’t Canceled, Producers Say – It Came to an End on Their Own Terms appeared first on /Film.