Everything you need to know about SYFY’s 2022 New Year's ‘Twilight Zone’ marathon

It's that time of year again — time to cross over into The Twilight Zone ... and stay there for a bit. A few days, actually. SYFY's annual New Year's marathon of The Twilight Zone episodes is returning, and the extravaganza stretches over four freaky calendar days, beginning on Saturday and running through Tuesday morning.

As a bonus this year, in addition to featuring episodes from the five-season Rod Serling-created anthology series that ran from 1959 to 1964, the marathon will also include episodes from the Jordan Peele-developed revival of The Twilight Zone that premiered in 2019 and came back for a second season in 2020. 

The action kicks off on New Year's Eve at 5 a.m. with Season 1's "A Nice Place To Visit," about a thief who's shot by cops and eventually makes some startling discoveries about what he thought would make him happy, and the afterlife.

At 6:30 p.m. that same day, you can catch one of the most iconic episodes of The Twilight Zone, "To Serve Man," from the third season. Revered for its surprise ending, it centers on 9-foot tall aliens that land on Earth during a global crisis and claim to be able to help end famine and prevent war. A book is left behind by one of the aliens, and a U.S. government cryptographer named Michael Chambers (Lloyd Bochner) gets involved to try to decode it. 

Patty, who's also on the cryptography staff, figures out that the title of the book is "To Serve Man," which sure makes it seem like these aliens are helpful and friendly. Earthlings are eventually enticed into taking trips to the aliens' home planet, promised to be a paradise. But when it comes time for Michael to board their spaceship, Patty arrives just in time to warn him that the rest of the book is ... a cookbook, which brings an entirely different meaning to "To Serve Man." But it's, of course, too late as the aliens are already in control and the ship takes off with Michael on it. 

Keep your eye out for other iconic episodes during the marathon, including “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," airing Saturday at 9 a.m.;  “Eye of the Beholder," airing Saturday at 2:30 p.m; and “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” airing Saturday at 9:30 p.m.  As for the modern installments, fans can catch the Jordan Peele-produced episodes "Meet In The Middle," "The Wunderkind," and "The Who Of You" on the evening of Jan 1.

If you're somehow awake at this time, the final episode in the marathon, "I Sing The Body Electric," airs at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Check out the complete lineup of episodes on SYFY's schedule.

Gear up for The Twilight Zone marathon with other SYFY shows like Resident Alien and Chucky, currently streaming on Peacock.