X
- 2018
- TV-MA
- HULU
- 2018
- TV-MA
- HULU
- 2018
- TV-MA
- HULU
- 2018
- TV-MA
- HULU
Castle Rock (2018)
Season 1 Premiere: Jul 25, 2018
67
6.8
Where to Watch
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 44 Critic Reviews
67
64% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
34% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 44 Critic Reviews
67
64% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
34% Mixed
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Shaw, Thomason, Abrams & Co. really nail the core concepts of King’s storytelling here. Each character gets a good amount of screen time to focus on introspection. ... Castle Rock is a can’t-miss series for Stephen King fans and a must-watch horror show for fans of dark, thrilling, character-focused mysteries.
This cast starts off strong as we get two competing narratives that quickly meld together in ways that only King and Castle Rock can pull off.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 154 User Ratings
6.8
68% Positive
104 Ratings
104 Ratings
16% Mixed
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
17% Negative
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 154 User Ratings
6.8
68% Positive
104 Ratings
104 Ratings
16% Mixed
24 Ratings
24 Ratings
17% Negative
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
I loved season 2! Stephen King adaptations are a mixed bag but "Castle Rock" is definitely a winner. Somehow this "Misery/Salem's Lot" mashup works. Despite a slow start, the show progresses like gangbusters in the final episodes. Lizzy Capland (from "Masters Of Sex") shines as the emotionally disturbed Annie Wilkes. I initially wasnt sure how I would feel about THIS Annie (because I love Kathy Bates' interpretation). But Lizzy knocks it out of the park. Annie here is a sympathetic character. She knows she's mentally ill but doesnt do terrible things out of some sort of evil intent. She's trying to hold on to her tenuous grasp of reality. Capland should seriously be nominated for some awards. Elsie Fisher (from "Eight Grade") is also great as her daughter Joy. Their totally bizarre relationship and their need for each other is palpable. Annie's backstory is revealed in the episode "The Laughing Place". We get to see where her catch phrase "I'm your number 1 fan" comes from as well as some of her other strange mannerisms. We see less of the Merrill clan (Pops, Nadia, Abdi, Ace, Chris) but everything fits nicely together when they hook up with Annie. I won't give away the rest of the show's secrets. Watch it for yourself and see what ya think. There are tons of Easter eggs and season 1 callbacks to thrill King fans.
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Love it. You may be dissapointed if you're expecting a horror series; its a psychological thriller. One of the few modern shows I enjoy. Seems the writers had a clear idea of the entire season before making the 1st episode so you aren't watching a bunch of random trash thrown in , in hopes of appealing to the audience. The twists actually work. When season 2 ties into 1....good god i actually sat there saying nooo wayyy. Better than star wars for sure lol
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Through its first three episodes, Castle Rock builds out its world and character relationships thoughtfully and deliberately. Whether it holds up through the entire 10-episode first season remains to be seen, but Castle Rock gets off to a strong, engrossing start.
It’s probably not the best news to hard-core Stephen King fans that I like what I’ve seen of Castle Rock, the J.J. Abrams-produced Hulu series that’s set in one of the fictional Maine towns King has so creepily populated. Because I’m the kind of viewer who tends to like the TV adaptations of King’s stories right up until the moment the otherworldly horror really gets going.
When Castle Rock is focused on being a damn fine story--a smart one, a playful one--it can be good, even great. When it tries to be a wonderland for King fans, it races past the line of referential, rounds through fan service, and steps into cliché, sometimes even inching toward self-parody. Your response to that particular tendency may range from puzzlement, particularly if you’re not much of a King fan, to downright irritating.
A bit of a mixed bag. As the series unfolds, there are King-like touches aplenty, including spectacular acts of violence, unnerving monologues by folksy keepers of Castle Rock lore, and flashbacks that give you just enough information to chill the blood but not enough to resolve ongoing mysteries.
If it’s meant to frighten, it’s not very good at that. If it’s meant to ruminate on the nature of evil, then that message never gets through. If it’s meant to creep you out, then it barely registers. ... The first three episodes, which premiere in one chunk Wednesday (a new episode will be released each week), spend too much time laying groundwork, meting out clues and references at such a sluggish pace that they’re not worth noting, unless the show considers its mission to act as a Stephen King book club.
Like Stephen King's Jerusalem's Lot? Like Stephen King's Misery? Season II is indeed for you. Amazing acting, suspenseful overarching story (carefully layering and masterfully weaving multiple stories of the King of Horror), beautiful choreography (which is quite normal right now in tv and web series) - brought together by clever plot twists and backstories. Do yourself a favor, watch the first season to become introduced to a primary villain - but don't expect the second season to be like it, as that one character is the only one that carries over to the next season (this is an anthology series where each season has a different general cast & story direction). This show deserves 8.3/10, so I bumped my review to 10 to help balance the overall score. If you enjoy Horror, this is for you. There is also a scene with an ice cream scoop that I think many horror enthusiasts will appreciate.
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I wasn't familiar with Mr King's Castle Rock work prior watching the show. I didn't know what to expect really, but knowing his previous stories and reading dozens of his books, I hoped for something great, unusual and surprising. And oh boy, was I right!
Season 1 captures you from the first episode and you want to watch the second episode right away. This goes on until the end of the season that left me very satisfied with the ending. Absolutely fantastic work from all the artists involved.
Season 2 starts out just as good as the first one, building up on the happenings from season 1. I'm going to be honest. I waited until the full season is out, because I really couldn't wait a week between episodes that I did during season 1, I just had to know what happens next, right away.
There was no shortage of great story development. Gotta tell that they really glued me to the couch and pretty much every minute on the screen was full of emotions, questions. The main protagonists toying with your feelings, sometimes you hate them, sometimes you love them. Just like season 1, the second season left me with very satisfying ending, it was perfect!
I really hope that they renew the show for season 3! It is one of my favorite shows from the past 2 years!
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For me, things such as ghosts, vampires and such do not make for particularly interesting stories.
But, Stephen King's methology is with out a doubt amoung the best creations involving such things of the psedo-spiritual.
As far as I know, even though this series very much had the feel of a Stephen King effort, I don't think he was particularly involved with the making of "Castle Rock".
Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason were the co-creators of this TV series.
There are a lot of Stephen King "easter eggs" in Castle Rock which a lot of Stephen King fans enjoy finding.
There was some very good acting in season 1 and the reason I decided to watch it was because of:
Sissy Spacek - Ruth Deaver - Henry Deaver's mother
Bill Sharsgard - "The Kid/The Angel" - a secret prisoner in a Shawshank secret cell.
Theodore Scott Glenn - Alan Panborn - the ex-Castle Rock sheriff
And lots of other very good persformances. There were two young actors:
Chosen Jacobs - Wendel Deaver - Henry Deaver's son, and
Cassady McClincy - young Molly Strand
which I keep thinking will have excellent acting careers in the future.
But, then there was:
Melanie Lynskey - Molly Strand - Henry Deaver's - ex-next-door friend, and
Andre Holland - Henry Deaver - a criminal attorney who was previously a resident of Castle Rock.
Good actors who were not well cast for their roles in Castle Rock in my opinion.
And, watching co-creators Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason discuss Castle Rock, I'm thinking they also didn't think Melanie and Andre were good choices.
I have this theory that when a film project has a dozen producers, weird casting often happens for the lead actor(s).
When I saw JJ Abrams (Lost, Felicity, Fringe, etc) was the top executive producer, I was hoping to see a better series - but, I don't get the feeling he had a lot of hands-on involvement.
The series is good and I enjoyed watching it. I will watch season 2. I would suggest Castle Rock is at least an average Stephen King type of work.
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Season 2 of Castle Rock is three stories told in parallel.
The first story revolves around a mother and her daughter who are on the run. Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex) as Annie Wilkes – plays the mother. Elsie Fisher (Eight Grade) as Joy Wilkes - plays the daughter. Excellent casting of their roles and they provide excellent acting.
The second story involves a war veteran and his 4 children. Again, the 5 roles were cast with excellent choices – five actors who give excellent performances.
The third story involves Castle Rock and its supernatural environment. In my opinion, this third component is not that interesting – but, I know Stephen King fans will strongly disagree with that.
The first and second stories could have stood on their own and provided wonderful plots. But, the three stories are interwoven – and, in my opinion to the detriment of the other two stories.
Regardless, I found this series to be extremely enjoyable and highly recommended to Stephen King fans (although I’m not sure Stephen King had that much to do with the series).
I found the second season to be better than the first season. Again, because I found the first 2 stories to be very compelling. I hope Castle Rock is renewed for a third season.
I want to add a last note about Abby Corrigan who played an ancillary role of Chance. I think she is a wonderful talent. I hope I have a chance to see her cast in a more challenging role in some future endeavor.
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Production Company:
- Bad Robot
- Old Curiosity Shop
- Warner Bros.
Initial Release Date: Jul 25, 2018
Number of seasons: 2 Seasons
Rating: TV-MA
Awards
Golden Trailer Awards
• 3 Nominations
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 3 Nominations
Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA)
• 2 Nominations
