“
The MIDNIGHT Sun
”!!!
“Call a SPADE, a SPADE; and a TRANNY, a TRANNY, or an IT!!!”.
"THAT'S SOME BAD
SHIT
,
HARRY
!".

The After Hours, without a doubt.

The first on I watched, and it. really caught my interest was "Eye of the Beholder." I watched and was like, "What exactly is underneath those bandages?" Kept me hooked all the way through to the ending, and I just continued watching the Sci-Fy 4th of July marathon all the way through. Huge fan ever since.

Definitely start with the first episode "Where is Everybody?" It's compelling, creepy, and has a great twist.

Without a doubt, have them watch -To Serve Man- Then -Time enough at last-

Obsolete Man because it deals with a man's faith in God that makes him able to beat the enemy.

"The After Hours".
"The Hitch-Hiker".
"Night Call".
"Nightmare as a Child".
"Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?".

Agreed. We watched it in my English class back in 7th grade, and it got me interested in the series.

I'll go with 'The Monsters are Due on Maple Street'. Its a solid episode - not one of the weirder ones, it gives a good representation of what the show is about, and finally the underlying theme is just as relevant now as it was then.

Lots of good ones already mentioned.
Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up
The Hunt
Walking Distance
Mirror Image
A Nice Place to Visit
It's a Good Life
To Serve Man

I agree with your reasoning, but I wouldn't choose that one just because I think it starts to drag a little in the middle.

I agree.
Where Is Everybody?
may well have been my first, or close enough. One question: what's the age of the person you're trying turn onto the
Zone
? Teenagers have different tastes from young adults, middle aged folks from younger ones, pre-teens have (yes) minds of their own (the
TZ
was
very
popular with kids under thirteen).
Okay, for a Millenial, probably the ones that have a more primal resonance than a topical one:
The Hitch-Hiker, Elegy
and
Nightmare At 20,000 Feet
for sheer supernatural and sci-fi horror and fun. For a lighter touch:
Hocus-Pocus And Frisby, Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?
, maybe
A Game Of Pool
.

Agree with your list. All 3 have good ensemble acting. Two more that would really get someone's attention: And When the Sky was Opened, and Long Live Walter Jamison. Or maybe it's just because those are favorites of mine.
Dini

It's A Good Life
The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street
Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up

TIME ENOUGH AT LAST
It was the 1st one I ever saw and that got me hooked.
Spenser with an "S", like the poet.

Why not use an episode that was designed just for that very purpose?: "Where is Everybody?" the first episode of the series. It's a great episode (in my opinion at least) and it is sort of weird the way Twilight Zones are, but has a nice "here's what was really going on" explanation at the end for people who need such things.

The Obsolete Man
Walking Distance

These episodes are very iconic Zones:
Third from the Sun
(very first one i ever saw)
Eye of the Beholder
Nightmare as a Child
Nice Place to Visit
The Midnight Sun
Time Enough at last
(natch)
The Hunt

Never say never

Well, it would depend on age I think, at least in part. If the person is older and generally speaking not "into" shows like this, for example I'd suggest "The Hunt."
Other possibilities - good candidates regardless of age, might include:
"A Game Of Pool"
"Back There"
"King Nine Will Not Return"
"One For The Angels"
I'm sure there are others, but these few immediately come to mind as appropriate to a maiden voyage into the Twilight Zone.