The brainchild of Rod Serling, Night Gallery's pilot film of the same name aired on N.B.C. Television in November of 1969. Serling considered Night Gallery to be a logical or natural extension of his more well-known series, The Twilight Zone, which ended in 1964. While The Twilight Zone dealt with similar types of stories, it focused more on science fiction, while Night Gallery had more horror stories. Set in a dimly lit museum, the pilot film featured Serling playing the curator, who introduced three macabre tales, and showing the audience paintings that featured in the stories.