Series Description

Amazing Stories was a 30 minute anthology sci-fi series on NBC that was nearly identical to the better-known series, "The Twilight Zone". A different sci-fi tale was told each week with some having a horror element to their plotlines and many famous guest-stars appeared on the show.

Amazing Stories Trivia

Steven Spielberg created and produced "Amazing Stories". He even wrote the scripts for episode #5, "The Mission" and episode #25, "The Wedding Ring". Many people in the movie industry were shocked that he would lower himself to working in television! Today, attitudes have changed a bit with many top producers, directors, and stars dabbling in both mediums. Mr. Spielberg has also produced the series "SeaQuest DSV", "Taken Miniseries" and "Terra Nova".

The series title, "Amazing Stories" came from the name of the predominant sci-fi magazine of the 1940s and 1950s that Steven Spielberg read as a child!

Amazing Stories had some pretty good competition for an audience when it first came on the air. "MacGyver" was on ABC in the same time slot and "Murder She Wrote" was on CBS!

Amazing Stories was a critical success. It garnered 12 Emmy nominations and won five of them! It wasn't a success with audiences though. It was "pure" science fiction and didn't depend on special effects, killing, or horror. Many of the scripts were great but a large enough percentage of the audience wanted those other things mentioned so Amazing Stories only survived its initial two year contract!

Amazing Stories managed to attract its share of big celebrities and those who would later become famous as guest stars. Some of them included Kevin Costner, Kiefer Sutherland ("24 TV Show"), Sid Caesar ("Your Show of Shows"), Loni Anderson ("WKRP in Cincinnati"), Lou Ferrigno ("The Incredible Hulk"), Charlie Sheen ("Two and a Half Men"), Rhea Perlman ("Cheers"), Tim Russ ("Star Trek: Voyager"), Patrick Swayze, Annie Potts ("Designing Women"), and way too many more to mention here!