The Twilight Zone was an American science fiction anthology television series created by Rod Serling, first broadcast in 1959, in which ordinary people encountered strange and often unsettling situations. Its distinctive theme music became closely linked with the idea of entering another dimension, and over time the sound moved far beyond the show itself. Creators now use the short clip as shorthand for weirdness, irony and unexpected twists in memes, reaction videos and short-form edits.