Stephen King TV Shows, Ranked

Based on the Danish television series The Kingdom

Iconoclastic Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier had just five films under his belt—and had yet to issue his Dogme 95 manifesto—when, inspired by David Lynch's Twin Peaks, he created the spooky, humorous, and utterly bizarre paranormal medical drama The Kingdom for Danish television network DR in 1994. A decade later, fan of the show Stephen King created an American version of the series for ABC after pursuing the rights to The Kingdom for five years. King's version starred Andrew McCarthy, Bruce Davison, Meagan Fay, Diane Ladd, and Ed Begley Jr. (who had previously starred in the medical drama St. Elsewhere), and though it was originally conceived as a miniseries, King and ABC agreed to turn it into an ongoing series. But when ratings dwindled from an impressive 14 million viewers for the pilot to under 3 million for later episodes, the network opted not to bring the show back.

While King's series was canceled after a single 13-episode season, Von Trier's originally ran for two seasons—and a third season (billed as The Kingdom Exodus) is now filming in anticipation of a 2022 premiere.

"Kingdom does have a few frightening moments, but they don't compensate for the lackluster performances, the absence of character development, humor or pacing, or the wild fluctuations in tone." —Robert Bianco, USA Today

Written directly for television

ABC's final Stephen King miniseries was also its worst. Directed by Craig R. Baxley and scripted by King himself, this three-night haunted house tale set in Seattle starred Nancy Travis, Julian Sands, Matt Keeslar, and Melanie Lynskey. (Also starring was David Dukes, who died suddenly in real life just one day before he was to film his death scene in the miniseries.) King borrowed elements from Shirley Jackson's novel The Haunting of Hill House (and its 1963 film adaptation as The Haunting), and was also inspired by California's Winchester Mystery House, but his original plans to make Rose Red as a feature film fizzled out when Jan de Bont remade The Haunting into a 1999 theatrical release, causing King to bring the project to ABC instead.

Many reviewers found the series overlong. But the tepid critical response didn't prevent Rose Red from drawing over 18 million viewers when it first aired.

"With its sluggish six hours stretched over three nights, the ABC miniseries is a case of way too little story occupying way too much prime-time space." —Mark Dawidziak, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Based on the novel Firestarter (1980)

Serving as a sequel to both King's 1980 novel about a pyrokinetic child and Mark L. Lester's subsequent film adaptation, this two-night Sci-Fi Channel miniseries (sometimes titled Firestarter 2) finds Marguerite Moreau portraying an adult version of the firestarting Charlie McGee, played in the film by a very young Drew Barrymore (in her first project following E.T.). That original film wasn't particularly well-reviewed, and neither was this sequel despite a decent cast that also included Dennis Hopper and Malcolm McDowell. But the results were certainly superior to those for director Robert Iscove's subsequent project.

"Viewers who invest two nights in this overdone sequel to the 1980 Stephen King movie undoubtedly will feel burned." —Laura Fries, Variety

Based on the novel Bag of Bones (1998)

One of a dozen or so non-reality shows to air on cable's A&E over the past decade, this two-part miniseries came from director Mick Garris, who previously adapted King's Sleepwalkers for the big screen. That movie was panned by reviewers, and so, mostly, was Bag of Bones, which found Pierce Brosnan as a novelist and widower who visits his vacation house in an attempt to rid himself of nightmares about his late wife (Annabeth Gish). That turns out to be a bad idea, both for him and for viewers, as critics deemed the result lacking in scares and excitement.

"It starts slow, moves slowly, and goes nowhere." —Robert Bianco, USA Today

Based on the novel Lisey's Story (2006)

One of the newest Stephen King series, Lisey's Story finds King adapting his own 2006 novel into an eight-episode Apple miniseries produced by J.J. Abrams and directed by Pablo Larraí­n (Jackie). Julianne Moore heads the cast as Lisey, a woman who begins to discover some rather interesting things about her late husband (a famous author, played in flashbacks by Clive Owen) two years after his death. Joan Allen, Ron Cephas Jones, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sung Kang, and Dane DeHaan also star. Critics feel that the concept works better on the page than on screen (where the story plays both convoluted and overwrought), though they do admire the performances on display in the series.

"There's much here that works well: What is meant to be scary is scary, what is meant to touch the heart will. And Moore, always good at playing women trying to project calm, is in fine form. But viewers may wonder what it all adds up to, why this unblinking look at one woman's hard time also had so much extra, often outlandish stuff that didn't quite pay off." —Daniel D'Addario, Variety

Based on the novel The Tommyknockers (1987)

The success of the It miniseries in 1990—the first King TV adaptation in over a decade—encouraged ABC to adapt additional King books throughout the '90s. Up first was this two-night take on King's 1987 sci-fi novel starring Jimmy Smits and Marg Helgenberger. The novel, which follows a Maine writer who discovers a bit of an alien spaceship in her backyard, is widely considered one of King's worst, and the miniseries wasn't much better despite several changes made to the story.

"A witless and suspense-free adaptation of one of King's sloppiest, most negligible and overwritten tomes." —Matt Roush, USA Today

Based on the short story "Jerusalem's Lot" (1978)

Adrien Brody and Emily Hampshire head the cast for an adaptation of a King story set in the town that also served as the setting for Salem's Lot, though earlier in time--specifically, the middle of the 19th century. Brody plays a widower raising three children following the death of his wife at sea who now must confront a longstanding family curse, while Hampshire works as the family governess as a ruse for researching the family for a story she is writing. Critics think that turning a short story into a long series is the wrong approach. But the series isn't quite as long as planned: A second season was originally greenlit by Epix, but that renewal was rescinded when the network itself was canceled.

"Chapelwaite is more purely horror and yet somehow duller, especially in a plodding first half. If the first five episodes of Chapelwaite had been condensed to two hours and the last five episodes had been trimmed to another two, I would still say that the miniseries was a slow burn, while acknowledging that there's schlocky fun to be had in the home stretch." --Dan Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter

Based on the novella The Colorado Kid (2005)

The second-longest-running Stephen King series—airing five seasons and 78 episodes despite lackluster reviews—Syfy's Haven is set in a small Maine town whose residents are afflicted by supernatural curses. Emily Rose plays Audrey Parker, a one-time FBI agent who is drawn to the town and joins the local police department, while Eric Balfour, Lucas Bryant, and Nicholas Campbell also star. Though the show was only very loosely based on King's book—Haven was more of a light police procedural with some sci-fi and supernatural elements, not unlike The X-Files—the series is full of references to the author's oeuvre.

"Haven succeeds at laying on the whimsy, and the dialogue is cute. But it's impossible to follow the investigation, and each discovery raises more questions--not about the supernatural, but about the holes in the script." —Paige Wiser, Chicago Sun-Times

Based on the novella The Mist (1980)

Previously adapted for the big screen in 2007 by Frank Darabont, Stephen King's early horror novella about an impenetrable fog that brings supernatural creatures to a small town in Maine was adapted again for TV a decade later. It wasn't intended to be a miniseries, but viewership of the poorly reviewed series—which deviated significantly from the source material and featured all new characters—was miniscule, and Spike canceled the show after 10 episodes. (Spike itself was canceled shortly thereafter, becoming the Paramount Network that is rumored to still exist today.)

"In tone and aesthetic, it feels like a rehash of CBS's Under the Dome, another King adaptation that attempted to stretch its source material too far." —Kelly Lawler, USA Today

Based on the novel The Stand (1978)

Perhaps the author's greatest creation, King's epic, post-apocalyptic 1978 novel The Stand has been adapted twice for television, though neither miniseries came close to matching the acclaim for the novel. King didn't write the screenplay for this second attempt like he did for the first, though he did draft an all-new ending for the CBS All Access (now Paramount+) series, which also had the extra burden/benefit of airing its pandemic story in the middle of a real-life pandemic. Alexander Skarsgí¥rd, Whoopi Goldberg, James Marsden, Amber Heard, Heather Graham, Greg Kinnear, Odessa Young, and Nat Wolff head the cast. The nine-episode series drew mixed reviews as critics were mostly frustrated by an uneven result that only occasionally lived up to its potential.

"The character development in this adaptation, the first episode of which arrives this week via CBS' streaming service, is a hell of a mixed bag, and that's true of the miniseries as a whole. It's a sometimes dazzling, often frustrating, and undeniably assured effort that swings hard and occasionally connects. When it does, it's riveting television; when it doesn't, well, it's not boring." —Allison Shoemaker, RogerEbert.com

Based on "The Langoliers" from the anthology Four Past Midnight (1990)

The fourth and perhaps least ambitious of ABC's Stephen King adaptations in the 1990s, this two-part miniseries was based on the novella of the same name in King's four-story collection released five years prior. Written and directed by horror veteran Tom Holland (Fright Night, Child's Play), The Langoliers traces the strange events on a commercial red-eye flight from L.A. to Boston, during which every passenger who didn't fall asleep vanished mid-flight. Things only get stranger after the plane manages to land (in Maine, naturally)—and only partially because of the unintentionally hilarious special effects. But Dean Stockwell, Patricia Wettig, and David Morse are among the cast members whose committed performances help elevate the miniseries slightly above MST3K material. Bronson Pinchot also stars.

"What really destroys 'The Langoliers,' though, is when the langoliers finally appear, looking and acting like a pack of crazed, oversize Pac-Men. Their evil intention is to literally chew the scenery, but Pinchot has already beaten them to it and the special effects are more laughable than terrifying, as if the dinosaurs in 'Jurassic Park,' after all that buildup, had looked like big Barneys. Until that point, 'The Langoliers' is fun but that's not quite enough." —David Bianculli, New York Daily News

Based on the novel The Stand (1978)

This first attempt at filming The Stand, which aired as a four-part, eight-hour miniseries on ABC in May 1994, was slightly better than the more recent adaptation, and it even collected six Emmy nominations. King himself wrote the teleplay for director Mick Garris (who had previously adapted King's Sleepwalkers to the big screen), and the massive ensemble cast included Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, Laura San Giacomo, Ray Walston, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, ALF's Max Wright, Parker Lewis Can't Lose star Corin Nemec, Max Headroom's Matt Frewer, directors John Landis and Sam Raimi, and even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"The Stand is an impressive piece of work. It has a convincing, realistic look, relentless pacing, strong performances and a sense of grandeur as well as humor and irony." —David Zurawik, Baltimore Sun

Based on the novel The Shining (1977)

Considering the inevitable comparisons to Stanley Kubrick's iconic 1980 feature film adaptation, this three-part ABC miniseries isn't nearly the disaster it could have been. Unlike movie critics, King famously disliked Kubrick's film and saw the miniseries as a chance at a do-over, penning the screenplay himself for director Mick Garris, who previously helmed ABC's successful The Stand miniseries. Steven Weber took on the role of writer Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson in the 1980 film), while Rebecca De Mornay played his wife. Unlike the movie, ABC's miniseries was actually filmed at Colorado's Stanley Hotel, which was the inspiration for the fictional Overlook Hotel in King's novel.

"If The Shining has a weakness in comparison to its predecessor, it's that it lacks some of the trademark visions of horror — the elevator-driven blood, the ax-wielding Nicholson. But it makes up for that with a consistent, carefully textured story that rarely gives you the chance to properly breathe." —Ray Richmond, Variety

Written directly for television

Stephen King had little interest in pursuing television projects until two shows changed his mind. One was the successful 1990 adaptation of his own It, and another was David Lynch's unexpected hit Twin Peaks. The latter encouraged King to write his first project directly for television. A sci-fi series centering on a 70-year-old janitor who begins aging in reverse (like Benjamin Button) and is pursued by the government after an accident at the laboratory where he works, Golden Years was even structured like Twin Peaks, with a short miniseries (in this case, seven episodes) ending in a cliffhanger that would be resolved with a full-length first season. Unfortunately for King, CBS opted not to order the series—or even commission a movie to wrap up the story.

Golden Years did, however, serve as the first regular TV starring role for both Felicity Huffman and Stephen Root. And, yes, the theme song was exactly what you might be thinking.

"The writer's achievement here is to have provided us with the video equivalent of a good summer read — Golden Years is entertaining and substantial at the same time." —Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly

Based on the movie Creepshow (1982)

Recently renewed for a third season, this original anthology series on the horror streaming service Shudder is a continuation of George A. Romero's 1982 film of the same name. That film, which was also episodic in nature, was both written by Stephen King (it was his first produced screenplay) and partially inspired by several King short stories (as well as '50s-era horror comics like Tales From the Crypt). The series, too, has featured episodes based on King's work, including the series debut, "Grey Matter," and a special animated episode, "Survivor Type."

"Shudder's Creepshow bottles the original's pulpy spirit, using the atmosphere and variety provided by shorter segments for an irresistibly macabre package." —Steven Scaife, Slant

Based on the novel Salem's Lot (1975)

Vampire novel Salem's Lot is of two King books adapted twice for television, along with The Stand. This two-part 2004 TNT miniseries didn't receive the level of critical acclaim that the 1979 version earned, but it certainly wasn't bad. Directed by Mikael Salomon (an Emmy-winning director of Band of Brothers and an Oscar-nominated cinematographer for The Abyss), this version of Salem transported the story to the (then-) present day and featured a strong cast led by Rob Lowe, Samantha Mathis, Donald Sutherland, Andre Braugher, James Cromwell, and Rutger Hauer. A few critics actually liked this straightforward take better than the first adaptation, but most preferred the original.

"TNT's four-hour miniseries boasts fine performances, exceptional photography and all the other bells and whistles that mark a great show ... All is in place, except for the scary bits. There's nary a fright to be found." —Mike McDaniel, Houston Chronicle

Based on the novel The Dead Zone (1979)

Running for six seasons (and 80 episodes) on cable's USA Network after first being developed by UPN, The Dead Zone was created by the father-and-son duo of Michael and Shawn Piller, both veterans of multiple Star Trek series in the 1990s. Their show was a sci-fi drama centering on the character of Johnny Smith from King's 1979 novel. Played in the series by Anthony Michael Hall, the TV version of Smith (like the one in the novel and a 1983 feature film adaptation by David Cronenberg that starred Christopher Walken) is a small-town schoolteacher who awakens after a multi-year coma (caused by a car crash) as a changed man—one who now has psychic powers that enable him to see past and future events. Deep Space Nine's Nicole de Boer also stars as Smith's one-time fiancée and (in a switch from the book) the mother of his child, while Sean Patrick Flanery plays the villainous politician Greg Stillson.

"It's not science fiction, but it's about a hero's journey through the weird and the wondrous." —M.S. Mason, The Christian Science Monitor

Based on multiple novels and stories

Why adapt just one Stephen King story when you can adapt them all? That was basically the guiding principle for this Hulu original anthology series, which came from Manhattan's Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason and was set in the fictional Maine town of Castle Rock that served as the setting for many King works. Over two unrelated seasons, the J.J. Abrams-produced Castle Rock mixed original characters, locales, and stories with others borrowed from Misery, Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, Needful Things, and many more King tales. The cast (different for each season) also blended King adaptation regulars with actors new to his work, and included Bill Skarsgí¥rd, Jane Levy, Sissy Spacek, Lizzy Caplan, Andre Holland, Paul Sparks, and Tim Robbins.

"Its puzzle-box plot is the Stephen King Mad Libs version of a straightforward mystery that, even in its most engrossing moments, lacks the pulpy imagination of the author's finest work. There are jump scares, and one sequence involving a children's game is disturbing, but even at its most frightening, Castle Rock is never surprising." —Michael Haigis, Slant

Based on the novel Under the Dome (2009)

That score is a bit misleading, since it is derived mainly from the pilot. A major hit when it debuted on CBS in the summer of 2013 (when, yes, it was met by quite a few positive reviews), the Dean Norris- and Mike Vogel-led Under the Dome eventually "descended into complete mediocrity." Those aren't the words of a critic but of King himself as he looked back upon the series, which, like his novel, depicted a town that becomes mysteriously trapped underneath a giant, transparent, and indestructible dome. Critics, too, soured on the series as it returned for a second (and then third) season that stretched the story further than it was meant to go. Those later seasons also operated without its series creator (noted comic book writer Brian K. Vaughan), who departed after season one—though King himself wrote the season 2 opener.

"Another Stephen King adaptation that started with considerable promise but, as packaged for TV, lacked the necessary cohesion to go the distance." —Brian Lowry, Variety

Based on the novel The Outsider (2018)

One of King's most recent books, The Outsider jumped almost immediately to the small screen in this HBO adaptation from fellow novelist/screenwriter Richard Price (Clockers, The Wire). Ben Mendelsohn stars as a detective investigating the brutal murder of an 11-year-old boy found in the Georgia woods, and, because it's an HBO show, the rest of the cast is also pretty terrific: Jason Bateman, Cynthia Erivo, Bill Camp, Mare Winningham, Paddy Considine, and Julianne Nicholson also star. But while King himself claimed The Outsider to be one the best adaptations of his work, critics offered a slightly less enthusiastic endorsement, with some reviewers warning that the show's horror and crime drama elements didn't play well together. It's listed in some places as a miniseries though that was not the intention; planning for a second season was underway when HBO opted not to extend the series.

"The past few years have seen a flood of Stephen King adaptations, and The Outsider is different than all of them. It's fascinating to see his familiar themes (grief) and tropes (people controlled by a malevolent force) rendered in the somber tones of an HBO drama." —Liam Mathews, TV Guide

Based on the novel 11/22/63 (2011)

One of King's best-received (and least typical) novels of the past two decades, 11/22/63 found the author in sci-fi mode with a story about a high school teacher who uses a time portal to head back from the (then-) present day to the year 1958 (changed to 1960 in the series) in an attempt to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This J.J. Abrams-produced eight-part miniseries adaptation finds James Franco playing the teacher, while Chris Cooper and Sarah Gadon also star. Some critics were disappointed in the uneven result, but many more found it entertaining and stylish.

"It's totally far-fetched, but the roles are so well-cast and the 1960s texture so evocatively re-created (Jake goes from starry-eyed nostalgia to shock when he sees segregated bathroom signs) that 11.22.63 makes the trip back in time both suspenseful and enjoyable." —Kristi Turnquist, The Oregonian

Based on short stories from Nightmares & Dreamscapes (1993) and other collections

TNT's second King series (following the 2004 remake of Salem's Lot) was an eight-episode episodic anthology series, with each hour depicting a different Stephen King short story (mostly, but not entirely, drawn from the titular collection). Stars (who each appeared in just a single episode) included William H. Macy, William Hurt, Ron Livingston, Samantha Mathis, Henry Thomas, Kim Delaney, Tom Berenger, and Steven Weber. Given King's abundant output, an anthology would seem the perfect format for bringing the author's work to the small screen, but TNT canceled the series after one season despite relatively strong ratings and positive reviews. If you are looking for just one episode to sample, critics greatly enjoyed the dialogue-free opening hour, "Battleground," which featured effects by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. (Subsequent episodes were a bit more hit-and-miss.)

"If Stephen King had written 'The Twilight Zone,' it would have looked like this." —Scott d. Pierce, Deseret News

Based on the novels Mr. Mercedes (2014), Finders Keepers (2015), and End of Watch (2016)

Stephen King's trilogy of crime novels centering on retired detective Bill Hodges was adapted by TV veteran David E. Kelley into a fairly successful, if hard to find, TV series. Brendan Gleeson and Harry Tredaway (a late replacement for Anton Yelchin, who died just before the start of production) headed a strong cast, which saw a partial overhaul (including the departure of Treadaway) for the third and most recent season. Originally running on the AT&T-owned Audience Network (available only on DirectTV and U-verse), Mr. Mercedes found itself in limbo after that network was discontinued. As of early this year, the three existing seasons can now be found on Peacock, and there is hope that the streaming service could commission a fourth season, though there has been no indication from the streamer so far.

"Mr. Mercedes is a fine example of something that has been less frequent over the years--an effective Stephen King adaptation carried by strong performances and smart writing choices." —Dan Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter

Written directly for television

King's second original television project was a three-part horror series that received a positive reception from critics when it debuted on ABC in early 1999. (The author liked it too, recently telling The New York Times that it was his all-time favorite TV project.) Directed by Craig R. Baxley (who would later direct several lesser King projects) and starring Tim Daly and Colm Feore, Storm finds the residents of a small Maine island dealing with a murderous, mind-controlling stranger amidst a massive blizzard that cuts the island off from the mainland.

"As chilling and gripping as any Stephen King film since Stanley Kubrick's classic movie of ''The Shining,'' this six-hour mini-series works the way the most enduring horror tales do, stretching back to Edgar Allan Poe: by blending supernatural events with purely human psychological terror." —Caryn James, The New York Times

Based on the novel It (1986)

Before the $700 million-grossing 2017 feature film (and its 2019 sequel) there was this two-night ABC miniseries adaptation of King's massive 1986 horror novel—just the second-ever TV adaptation of a King work. Over 30 million viewers tuned in to see Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) portray the sinister clown Pennywise, along with a cast composed (rather unusually for a horror series) mostly of sitcom veterans, including John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Richard Masur, and Tim Reid. Though there were complaints about the ending, Curry's partially improvised performance captivated viewers and critics and helped It achieve cult status in the following decades when it continued to find an audience on home video.

"This is a good, at times brilliant, always solid and well-done example of the horror/suspense genre. But be forewarned, the superb setup is better than the slightly disappointing payoff." —Michael Hill, Baltimore Sun

Based on the novel Salem's Lot (1975)

It was the first—and the best. Stephen King's 1975 vampire novel has been adapted twice for the small screen—most successfully as this two-part, four-hour miniseries starring James Mason and David Soul and directed by Tobe Hooper in his first TV project (five years after the release of his classic horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre). It was also the very first attempt to bring King's work to the small screen, and it proved successful, collecting three Emmy nominations and earning a cult following over the ensuing years, though a 1987 feature film sequel was a disappointment.

"One of those stomach-churning, white-knuckle fright films that masterfully sets us up, shakes us around and leaves us jumping at our own shadows." —Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times