The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising plot twist and usually ended with some sort of message. The series was also notable for featuring both established stars (e.g., Joan Blondell, Ann Blyth, Burgess Meredith, Ed Wynn) and younger actors who would later become famous (e.g., Robert Duvall, Mariette Hartley, Ron Howard, Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, William Shatner). Rod Serling served as executive producer and head writer; he wrote or co-wrote 92 of the show's 156 episodes. He was also the show's host, delivering on- or off-screen monologues at the beginning and end of each episode.