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This is a list of episodes of The Ray Bradbury Theater. The series broadcast 65 episodes over 6 seasons in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | |||
| 1 | 6 | May 21, 1985 (1985-05-21) | February 22, 1986 (1986-02-22) | HBO | |
| 2 | 12 | January 23, 1988 (1988-01-23) | May 28, 1988 (1988-05-28) | USA Network | |
| 3 | 12 | July 7, 1989 (1989-07-07) | November 17, 1989 (1989-11-17) | ||
| 4 | 12 | July 20, 1990 (1990-07-20) | November 30, 1990 (1990-11-30) | ||
| 5 | 8 | January 3, 1992 (1992-01-03) | February 21, 1992 (1992-02-21) | ||
| 6 | 15 | July 10, 1992 (1992-07-10) | October 30, 1992 (1992-10-30) | ||
Episodes
Season 1 (1985–86)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Marionettes, Inc." | Paul Lynch | Ray Bradbury | May 21, 1985 (1985-05-21) | |
| An overworked suburbanite husband (James Coco) uses a robot duplicate to allow himself to have fun while his overbearing wife is left none the wiser. Featuring Leslie Nielsen. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Playground" | William Fruet | Ray Bradbury | June 4, 1985 (1985-06-04) | |
| A father (William Shatner) haunted by the constant bullying he suffered in his childhood takes his son to a local playground, only to find that the ghosts of his past now reside in the playground. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Crowd" | Ralph L. Thomas | Ray Bradbury | July 2, 1985 (1985-07-02) | |
| A car crash survivor (Nick Mancuso) investigates a mysterious and sinister crowd that congregates at the sites of severe automobile accidents. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Town Where No One Got Off" | Don McBrearty | Ray Bradbury | February 22, 1986 (1986-02-22) | |
| A city slicker (Jeff Goldblum) impulsively stops at a rural town, and finds himself stalked by a sinister old man (Ed McNamara). | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Screaming Woman" | Bruce Pittman | Ray Bradbury | February 22, 1986 (1986-02-22) | |
| A little girl (Drew Barrymore) hears a woman scream while playing in the middle of the forest. When no adults believe her, the girl decides to take matters into her own hands and investigates. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Banshee" | Douglas Jackson | Ray Bradbury | February 22, 1986 (1986-02-22) | |
| An egotistical director (Peter O'Toole) challenges a skeptical young writer (Charles Martin Smith) to investigate the nearby woods to find out if the banshee said to haunt the woods exists. | ||||||
Season 2 (1988)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl" | Gilbert M. Shilton | Ray Bradbury | January 23, 1988 (1988-01-23) | |
| A guest (Michael Ironside) murders his host (Robert Vaughn) and then becomes obsessed with cleaning any evidence that can implicate him in the crime. | ||||||
| 8 | 2 | "Skeleton" | Steve DiMarco | Ray Bradbury | February 6, 1988 (1988-02-06) | |
| A hypochondriac (Eugene Levy) contacts a “bone specialist” to get rid of his skeleton. | ||||||
| 9 | 3 | "The Emissary" | Sturla Gunnarsson | Ray Bradbury | February 13, 1988 (1988-02-13) | |
| An invalid boy's dog brings him people and things that it feels he needs, including a kindhearted schoolteacher (Helen Shaver). After the schoolteacher dies, the dog decides it must perform one last task for its master. | ||||||
| 10 | 4 | "Gotcha!" | Brad Turner | Ray Bradbury | February 20, 1988 (1988-02-20) | |
| A lonely man (Saul Rubinek) falls in love with a woman (Kate Lynch). When he asks her if the relationship will last, she decides to check by playing a game she calls “Gotcha!”. | ||||||
| 11 | 5 | "The Man Upstairs" | Alain Bonnot | Ray Bradbury | March 5, 1988 (1988-03-05) | |
| A young boy suspects his grandmother's strange new lodger (Féodor Atkine) is actually a vampire. | ||||||
| 12 | 6 | "The Small Assassin" | Tom Cotter | Ray Bradbury | April 9, 1988 (1988-04-09) | |
| A paranoid new mother (Susan Wooldridge) suspects that her baby is trying to kill her. | ||||||
| 13 | 7 | "Punishment Without Crime" | Bruce McDonald | Ray Bradbury | April 16, 1988 (1988-04-16) | |
| A man (Donald Pleasence) is arrested for killing a robot facsimile of his adulterous wife. | ||||||
| 14 | 8 | "On the Orient, North" | Frank Cassenti | Ray Bradbury | April 29, 1988 (1988-04-29) | |
| A nurse (Magali Noël) decides to assist a ghastly passenger (Ian Bannen) to reach his destiny before some unusual illness ends him. | ||||||
| 15 | 9 | "The Coffin" | Tom Cotter | Ray Bradbury | May 7, 1988 (1988-05-07) | |
| A dying millionaire (Daniel O'Herlihy) builds a glass coffin, much to the amusement of his greedy brother (Denholm Elliott). After the millionaire dies, his brother is told that if he can find the millionaire's savings, which are hidden inside his mansion, he'll gets everything. But finding it may come at a price. | ||||||
| 16 | 10 | "Tyrannosaurus Rex" | Gilles Béhat | Ray Bradbury | May 14, 1988 (1988-05-14) | |
| A cruel producer bullies a stop-motion animator he hired. The animator decides to get revenge by crafting a tyrannosaurus rex in the producer's image. | ||||||
| 17 | 11 | "There Was an Old Woman" | Bruce McDonald | Ray Bradbury | May 21, 1988 (1988-05-21) | |
| An old woman (Mary Morris) who spent her entire life defying death attempts to claim her body from the mortuary after she finally bites the dust. Featuring Ronald Lacey. | ||||||
| 18 | 12 | "And So Died Riabouchinska" | Denys Granier-Deferre | Ray Bradbury | May 28, 1988 (1988-05-28) | |
| A ventriloquist (Alan Bates) is implicated in a murder. | ||||||
Season 3 (1989)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | "The Dwarf" | Costa Botes | Ray Bradbury | July 7, 1989 (1989-07-07) | |
| A carnival owner plays a cruel prank on an unsuspecting little person who frequents the hall of mirrors. | ||||||
| 20 | 2 | "A Miracle of Rare Device" | Roger Tompkins | Ray Bradbury | July 14, 1989 (1989-07-14) | |
| Two drifters (Pat Harrington Jr., Wayne Robson) make a startling discovery in the desert and seek to profit from it. | ||||||
| 21 | 3 | "The Lake" | Pat Robins | Ray Bradbury | July 21, 1989 (1989-07-21) | |
| Years after his childhood sweetheart died, a young man returns to the lake where she disappeared. | ||||||
| 22 | 4 | "The Wind" | Graham McLean | Ray Bradbury | July 28, 1989 (1989-07-28) | |
| A weather expert (Michael Sarrazin) is tormented by a strange wind. | ||||||
| 23 | 5 | "The Pedestrian" | Alun Bollinger | Ray Bradbury | August 4, 1989 (1989-08-04) | |
| A man (David Ogden Stiers) who takes night time walks is seen as engaging in deviant behavior, as he seeks his friend to accompany him. | ||||||
| 24 | 6 | "A Sound of Thunder" | Costa Botes | Ray Bradbury | August 11, 1989 (1989-08-11) | |
| An adaptation of Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder; time travelers (Kiel Martin, John Bach) makes a simple mistake: never ever get off the beaten path. | ||||||
| 25 | 7 | "The Wonderful Death of Dudley Stone" | David Copeland | Ray Bradbury | August 18, 1989 (1989-08-18) | |
| Author Dudley Stone (John Saxon) is approached by a rival who announces his intention to kill him... a fate that doesn't quite bother Stone one bit. | ||||||
| 26 | 8 | "The Haunting of the New" | Roger Tompkins | Ray Bradbury | September 15, 1989 (1989-09-15) | |
| A wealthy socialite (Susanna York), known for extravagant parties of old, rebuilds her stately mansion after a fire and discovers that her new home does not agree with her past. | ||||||
| 27 | 9 | "To the Chicago Abyss" | Randy Bradshaw | Ray Bradbury | September 22, 1989 (1989-09-22) | |
| A man (Harold Gould) is pursued and considered an enemy of the state for simply reminding people of "the good ol' days." | ||||||
| 28 | 10 | "Hail and Farewell" | Allan Kroeker | Ray Bradbury | September 30, 1989 (1989-09-30) | |
| A young man (Josh Saviano), unable to age, makes a profession out of his situation, for his sake and others. | ||||||
| 29 | 11 | "The Veldt" | Brad Turner | Ray Bradbury | November 10, 1989 (1989-11-10) | |
| Two children, spoiled rotten by their virtual reality playroom, rebel against their parents. | ||||||
| 30 | 12 | "Boys! Raise Giant Mushrooms in Your Cellar!" | David Brandes | Ray Bradbury | November 17, 1989 (1989-11-17) | |
| Alien mushrooms control a group of children to do their evil bidding. | ||||||
Season 4 (1990)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1 | "Mars Is Heaven" | John Laing | Ray Bradbury | July 20, 1990 (1990-07-20) | |
| An astronaut (Hal Linden) and his team land on Mars and discover they're not so far from home at all. | ||||||
| 32 | 2 | "The Murderer" | Roger Tompkins | Ray Bradbury | July 27, 1990 (1990-07-27) | |
| A psychologist visits a prisoner who lost his mind because of everyday noises. | ||||||
| 33 | 3 | "Touched with Fire" | Roger Tompkins | Ray Bradbury | August 3, 1990 (1990-08-03) | |
| A retired insurance man (Barry Morse) and his colleague are convinvced an old woman (Eileen Brennan) is about to be murdered and seek to prevent it. | ||||||
| 34 | 4 | "The Black Ferris" | Roger Tompkins | Ray Bradbury | August 10, 1990 (1990-08-10) | |
| Two young boys become convinced the carnival that just came to town is evil. | ||||||
| 35 | 5 | "Usher II" | Lee Tamahori | Ray Bradbury | August 17, 1990 (1990-08-17) | |
| An adaptation of Bradbury's story from The Martian Chronicles; a librarian (Patrick Macnee) vows revenge and builds a murderous replica of Poe's House of Usher. | ||||||
| 36 | 6 | "Touch of Petulance" | John Laing | Ray Bradbury | October 12, 1990 (1990-10-12) | |
| A man (Eddie Albert) travels back from the future to dissuade his younger self from killing his wife. | ||||||
| 37 | 7 | "And the Moon Be Still as Bright" | Randy Bradshaw | Ray Bradbury | October 19, 1990 (1990-10-19) | |
| During an expedition to Mars, an archaeologist (David Carradine) turns against his crew in defense of an extinct Martian race. | ||||||
| 38 | 8 | "The Toynbee Convector" | John Laing | Ray Bradbury | October 26, 1990 (1990-10-26) | |
| The reclusive Stiles (James Whitmore), world famous for being the first time traveler, is interviewed on the day his past self came to the future, and plans to confess all to an eager reporter (Michael Hurst). | ||||||
| 39 | 9 | "Exorcism" | Brad Turner | Ray Bradbury | November 2, 1990 (1990-11-02) | |
| A woman (Jayne Eastwood) plans to expose her nemesis (Sally Kellerman) as a witch to the public and most importantly to heir inner circle of friends. | ||||||
| 40 | 10 | "The Day It Rained Forever" | Randy Bradshaw | Ray Bradbury | November 9, 1990 (1990-11-09) | |
| Three old men in a dusty old town wait for the day when it will rain. They have waited for a long time. Featuring Vincent Gardenia. | ||||||
| 41 | 11 | "The Long Years" | Paul Lynch | Ray Bradbury | November 16, 1990 (1990-11-16) | |
| Astronauts come to the aid of a family stranded on Mars 20 years ago. Featuring Robert Culp. | ||||||
| 42 | 12 | "Here There Be Tygers" | John Laing | Ray Bradbury | November 30, 1990 (1990-11-30) | |
| A group of explorers land on a distant planet and discover a virtual paradise. Featuring Timothy Bottoms. | ||||||
Season 5 (1992)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 1 | "The Earthmen" | Graeme Campbell | Ray Bradbury | January 3, 1992 (1992-01-03) | |
| Two expedition teams went to Mars were never heard from again. A third discovers why. | ||||||
| 44 | 2 | "Zero Hour" | Don McBrearty | Ray Bradbury | January 10, 1992 (1992-01-10) | |
| Children are enlisted by invaders with a game that will help conquer the Earth. Featuring Katharine Isabelle and Sally Kirkland. | ||||||
| 45 | 3 | "The Jar" | Randy Bradshaw | Ray Bradbury | January 17, 1992 (1992-01-17) | |
| A farmer purchases a strange creature in a jar from a carnival sideshow, but becomes a danger when he finds out it's a fake. | ||||||
| 46 | 4 | "Colonel Stonesteel and the Desperate Empties" | Randy Bradshaw | Ray Bradbury | January 24, 1992 (1992-01-24) | |
| A young boy (Shawn Ashmore) and his friend Colonel Stonesteel (Harold Gould) combat the end of summer doldrums by engaging in an elaborate hoax involving an ancient mummy that whips the whole town up in a frenzy. | ||||||
| 47 | 5 | "The Concrete Mixer" | Eleanor Lindo | Ray Bradbury | January 31, 1992 (1992-01-31) | |
| Invaders from Mars land in an idyllic American town... and are welcomed with open arms, while also learning the true nature of the American way of life. Featuring Ben Cross. | ||||||
| 48 | 6 | "The Utterly Perfect Murder" | Stuart Margolin | Ray Bradbury | February 7, 1992 (1992-02-07) | |
| A child prodigy (Richard Kiley) was tormented by bullies in his youth. 50 years later, he finally returns to get his revenge. | ||||||
| 49 | 7 | "Let's Play Poison" | Bruce Pittman | Ray Bradbury | February 14, 1992 (1992-02-14) | |
| A teacher (Richard Benjamin) vows revenge after witnessing a student's death due to bullying. | ||||||
| 50 | 8 | "The Martian" | Anne Wheeler | Ray Bradbury | February 21, 1992 (1992-02-21) | |
| A couple living on Mars encounter their dead son, with very mixed reactions. Featuring John Vernon. | ||||||
Season 6 (1992)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 1 | "The Lonely One" | Ian Mune | Ray Bradbury | July 10, 1992 (1992-07-10) | |
| A woman (Joanna Cassidy) ventures out amid a serial killer's rampage and finds herself walking home alone at midnight. | ||||||
| 52 | 2 | "The Happiness Machine" | John Laing | Ray Bradbury | July 17, 1992 (1992-07-17) | |
| An inventor (Elliott Gould) manages to create a machine that can make people happy. | ||||||
| 53 | 3 | "Tomorrow's Child" | Costa Botes | Ray Bradbury | August 14, 1992 (1992-08-14) | |
| A couple's child is born in another dimension, and they must deal with the complex reality of this unusual situation. Featuring Carol Kane. | ||||||
| 54 | 4 | "The Anthem Sprinters" | Wayne Tourell | Ray Bradbury | August 21, 1992 (1992-08-21) | |
| While visiting Dublin, an American writer (Len Cariou) is caught up in a local Irish tradition called "anthem sprinting." | ||||||
| 55 | 5 | "By the Numbers" | Wayne Tourell | Ray Bradbury | September 11, 1992 (1992-09-11) | |
| A man reminisces about his childhood and his drill sergeant father (Ray Sharkey). | ||||||
| 56 | 6 | "The Long Rain" | Lee Tamahori | Ray Bradbury | September 19, 1992 (1992-09-19) | |
| An army spaceship crash lands on a planet where it always rains, and they seek out the only known shelter that exists. Featuring Marc Singer. | ||||||
| 57 | 7 | "The Dead Man" | Costa Botes | Ray Bradbury | September 26, 1992 (1992-09-26) | |
| Odd Martin (Frank Whitten) becomes friends with Miss Weldon (Louise Fletcher), who seems to be fine with the fact that he's dead. | ||||||
| 58 | 8 | "Sun and Shadow" | Larry Parr | Ray Bradbury | October 3, 1992 (1992-10-03) | |
| A film crew descends on a Mexican town, but one of the locals (Gregory Sierra) has had enough with the interlopers who belittle their way of life. | ||||||
| 59 | 9 | "Silent Town" | Lee Tamahori | Ray Bradbury | October 10, 1992 (1992-10-10) | |
| A man (John Glover) is stranded on Mars during an evacuation, and desperately seeks out someone, anyone, else who may still remain. (Note: This story is similar to a sequence that Ray Bradbury featured in 'The Martian Chronicles') | ||||||
| 60 | 10 | "Downwind From Gettysburg" | Chris Bailey | Ray Bradbury | October 17, 1992 (1992-10-17) | |
| Walter Bynes (Howard Hesseman) has created a robotic duplicate of Abraham Lincoln. If one can believe it, the night of its public unveiling is marred by a killer named Booth (Robert Joy) who plans to assassinate the robot. | ||||||
| 61 | 11 | "Some Live Like Lazarus" | Peter Sharp | Ray Bradbury | October 24, 1992 (1992-10-24) | |
| A couple who've had to endure the groom-to-be's domineering mother for 40 years are uncertain how to proceed onward when she finally dies. | ||||||
| 62 | 12 | "The Handler" | Peter Sharp | Ray Bradbury | October 27, 1992 (1992-10-27) | |
| A mortician (Michael J. Pollard) has made a career of punishing his enemies in his morbid workplace. His time, however, is up. | ||||||
| 63 | 13 | "Fee Fie Foe Fum" | John Reid | Ray Bradbury | October 28, 1992 (1992-10-28) | |
| A prankster goes too far in tormenting his wife's grandmother (Jean Stapleton). Featuring Lucy Lawless. | ||||||
| 64 | 14 | "Great Wide World Over There" | Ian Mune | Ray Bradbury | October 29, 1992 (1992-10-29) | |
| Cora Gibbs (Tyne Daly) lives on an isolated farm, but thanks to her nephew (David Orth) finally has the chance to connect with the outside world. | ||||||
| 65 | 15 | "The Tombstone" | Warrick Attewell | Ray Bradbury | October 30, 1992 (1992-10-30) | |
| A woman (Shelley Duvall) thinks the hotel she and her husband are staying in is haunted. The tombstone in her room would surely give anyone cause for concern. | ||||||
- The title appears on-screen as "Sun and Shaddow"