Titus Welliver's 2003 Remake of The Twilight Zone's Classic Episode Explained

While Titus Welliver has become well-versed in sci-fi, action, and thriller roles throughout his career, he hasn’t often dived into the horror genre. Despite that, he happened to lead a remake of one of TV’s most acclaimed sci-fi horror episodes of all time while appearing in The Twilight Zone’s 2002–2003 revival series.

The 2000s series was the second attempt at reviving Rod Serling’s classic sci-fi hit following the 1985 iteration of The Twilight Zone. The 2002–2003 Twilight Zone consisted of 43 total episodes, many of which featured established and up-and-coming stars like pre-Deadwood Titus Welliver. Additionally, some of these entries were remakes of the original Twilight Zone’s best episodes, including Welliver’s 2003 installment.

Titus Welliver Starred In The 2003 Remake Of The Twilight Zone’s Classic “The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street” Episode

Before his breakout roles in the mid and late-2000s, Titus Welliver had a memorable stint in The Twilight Zone revival’s remake of the classic episode “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.” However, the remake drops “due” from the title. The story still ranks among the most influential and essential episodes of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone and originally debuted in 1960, but maintains a timeless significance.

The original “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” episode follows an idyllic street in a small town, which undergoes life-altering and self-inflicted changes after a mysterious roar and flash of light. Once the neighborhood discusses their associated power loss and technological effects, a child notes similarities to a story about aliens that he once read.

Eventually, suspicions lead the neighborhood to turn on one another, culminating in senseless murder, riots, and chaos. The themes of the episode focus on the loss of humanity in the face of paranoia and crises, and just how quickly people themselves can become the monsters they’re supposedly trying to protect themselves from. While the 2003 remake generally follows this story, there are still some notable changes.

Titus Welliver stars in the episode as Dylan, the instigator parent who fuels much of the suspicion and accusations towards others in the neighborhood. The episode culminates in Dylan and another parent throwing torches into an innocent new family’s house after the neighborhood bands together against them, with the remake’s overall themes being more heavily geared towards mass paranoia and fears of terrorism rather than aliens.

Episode Title	Series	IMDb Rating
“The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”	The Twilight Zone (1959–1964)	8.9/10
“The Monsters Are on Maple Street”	The Twilight Zone (2002–2003)	6.8/10

While reviews for the remake on IMDb are more mixed than the original series’ iteration, Titus Welliver’s “The Monsters Are on Maple Street” is still one of the 2002–2003 remake’s strongest outings. The themes of The Twilight Zone horror episode were still relevant over 40 years later, just as they are another 22 years later today.

Titus Welliver’s The Twilight Zone Role Was Almost Instantly Followed By His TV Breakout

Titus Welliver as Silas Adams in Deadwood

While he wasn’t a well-known name during his appearance in The Twilight Zone’s 2003 episode, Titus Welliver rose to prominence very soon after. In 2004, Welliver debuted as the iconic Silas Adams in Deadwood, starred in Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone in 2007, and launched his acclaimed roles in Lost, Sons of Anarchy, and The Good Wife in 2009.

Of course, it would be another decade before Welliver’s tenure as Harry Bosch would begin in 2014. Still, Titus Welliver beginning his rise in Hollywood shortly after a popular The Twilight Zone episode follows a notable trend from the original series. Before becoming huge names, actors like Robert Redford, William Shatner, Robert Duvall, and Burt Reynolds similarly starred in an episode of The Twilight Zone.