“There is Nothing Wrong With Your Television Speakers”

From 1963-1965, American viewers were not in control of their television sets. The new show that controlled their televisions was called The Outer Limits, created by Joseph Stefano and Leslie Stevens, and was broadcast on the ABC network. The series, lasting only a season and a half with a total of 48 episodes, changed the face of science fiction and fantasy television. While a successor to anthology shows such as Thriller (NBC, 1960-1962) and Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond (ABC, 1959-1961), and contemporaries with The Twilight Zone (CBS, 1959-1964), The Outer Limits painted a much different, yet bleak, picture of the future. With a sine wave on screen accompanied by an acousmatic Control Voice, the show promised that it would control the horizontal, the vertical, and all that the viewer would see and hear. A distinct characteristic of the show in the first season is that any damage done to the universe had to be corrected by the episode's conclusion, even if only by the Control Voice narration by Vic Perrin. The Control Voice forces our attention onto the screen, highlighting its unusual function and using its distinctly unusual purpose to demand intense attention while simultaneously increasing the audience's level of paranoia. This opening sequence, Jeffrey Sconce demonstrates, is invasive and unmatched by any other show before or since.

We become passive, yet adventuring spectators, that by virtue of watching and taking part in the show's sojourns into uncharted territories. The Control Voice's closing narration often emphasizes that the episode's message is not as obvious as it seems throughout the episode. Each of the episodes culminates with someone or something gaining a new insight, along with thoughtful commentary. J.P. Telotte believes that “The Outer Limits demonstrated that science fiction was hardly a monolithic story type, certainly not just the space opera, and that, far from being a niche form, it could effectively address and broad spectrum of the television audience.” Among its entertainment value, this Cold War era show essentially frightened viewers not of would happen, but what could happen given the trajectory of science and the tendencies of the human race.