An investigative journalist who is recovering from a nervous breakdown finds himself in danger on flight 1015, which appears to be headed towards destruction.

I’m in two minds about Marco Ramirez (The Defenders, Daredevil) and Jordan Peele’s variation on the classic 1963 Richard Matheson episode, which famously featured William Shatner and a gremlin and was remade with John Lithgow as the traveller in the 1983 movie. And while a straight remake might have shown a lack in imagination, this version is so far removed from the source that it might as well be something entirely original.

Adam Scott (Step Brothers) is fine as the jittery reporter, meeting a fan in the airport newsagent – the character is called Joe Beaumont in a nod towards original series writer Charles Beaumont. And the references keep coming, with the pilot called Captain Donner (Richard Donner directed the 1963 version), a toy gremlin washes up on the shore, an electrical item is manufactured by Whipple’s (there’s an episode called Brain Center at Whipple’s). One character even says ‘Be seeing you’! All these Easter eggs are great for the fan, but the story is just too contrived for me.

Clearly the message here is that you’re your own worst enemy and that if you try too hard you’ll create your own negative outcome. Or was the traveller always on a one-way trip to the Twilight Zone, his actions being immaterial as he fatalistically lurched towards the same inevitable outcome? Everything requires him to do certain things at certain times, straining coincidence to breaking point, and while this makes for a tense hour, it’s just all so convenient.

When the final twist comes, it’s pretty grim and I’m not sold on why this is his fate. The Twilight Zone typically had a clear-cut (often overly simplistic) sense of morality, so what happened here? Director Greg Yaitanes previously directed episodes of Castle Rock and Lost (very appropriate) and maintains the tension as we try to work out what’s going on and what can be avoided, but is the payoff worth it?

Verdict: Entertaining TV fantasy, but I miss the gremlin on the wing, and this really has nothing to do with Richard Matheson. More nihilistic than you’d expect, hopefully we’ll discover a sense of fun in future instalments. 7/10

Nick Joy