Why Amazing Stories producers aren't worried about Black Mirror, Twilight Zone comparisons

With the rebooted Amazing Stories headed to Apple TV+ on Friday, comparisons to The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror are inevitable. But that doesn’t seem to concern its creators.

Speaking with TVLine, Amazing Stories showrunners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis (Once Upon a Time) said that they don't think about those other shows, but instead ask, "What would Steven do?" Steven of course meaning Steven Spielberg, who created the original anthology in 1985.

“It’s funny, we never think of it in relation to other shows,” said Horowitz. “We always thought of it in relation to, ‘What is an Amazing Story?’ What is this storytelling feeling that Steven started years ago, and how do you take that and bring it to today? The basic idea is: What is it like when the ordinary meets the extraordinary?”

Added Kitsis: “They always start out in the real world, and then the extraordinary touches you — and how through that experience do you grow?”

While Black Mirror almost always stays firmly within the realm of stories about humanity’s relationship with technology, this version of Amazing Stories, like the one from the ‘80s, travels in “all different genres,” said Kitsis, noting that there’s a story about time travel, a superhero episode (featuring the late Robert Forster), and “definitely an alien one.”

“Each episode deals with a different genre and a different slice of life, and hopefully reflects the world we live in today,” Kitsis explained. 

Based on the trailer, it does look as though the new Amazing Stories is keeping in step with the tone and style of the original series, rather than the O. Henry-esque morality tales from The Twilight Zone, or dark satirical stories of how we misuse technology from Black Mirror. But, hey. We shall soon see. 

Amazing Stories airs on Apple TV+ on March 6.