Stephen King has been a favorite author for Hollywood for over fifty years, and his name is almost instantly associated with scary stories. He’s brilliant at taking everyday situations and turning them into something frightening, which is why filmmakers constantly turn to his work. However, calling him just a horror writer doesn’t quite capture the range of his stories. King also writes compelling dramas, fantasies, and suspenseful thrillers, and his work often delves into the complexities of being human. This versatility is evident in the wide variety of adaptations still being made from his many books.
Stephen King’s ability to tell all kinds of stories is clear in the films released this year. Movies like The Life of Chuck, The Long Walk, The Running Man, and The Monkey demonstrate his wide range, moving from heartwarming and touching to dark and full of action. This proves his work can’t be easily categorized. It’s therefore not surprising that King has also written many science fiction stories. Several of these, known for their original ideas and well-developed characters, have been turned into TV series, each trying to showcase a different part of his boundless creativity.
6) Firestarter: Rekindled
Released in 2002, the miniseries Firestarter: Rekindled continues the story from the 1984 film. It focuses on Charlie McGee (Marguerite Moreau), now an adult, who is still learning to manage her dangerous ability to control fire while trying to live a quiet life. However, her peaceful existence is disrupted when John Rainbird (Malcolm McDowell), the dangerous assassin from her childhood, returns. He’s now leading a group of children with similar powers, all created by a mysterious organization known only as The Shop.
The Sci-Fi Channel miniseries, Firestarter: Rekindled, feels cheap and relies too much on familiar, low-budget tropes. Its nearly three-hour length drags on, with a lot of filler that makes an interesting idea feel slow and tedious. Though the lead actor, Moreau, gives a believable performance, the series doesn’t build the suspense of the original Firestarter. It ends up being a disappointing and awkward sequel that doesn’t really capture the spirit of Stephen King’s novel.
5) Under the Dome
The town of Chester’s Mill is suddenly sealed off from the outside world by an inexplicable, solid dome, leaving its inhabitants to cope with limited supplies. The unique idea behind the TV series Under the Dome generated a lot of excitement and drew a large audience when it first aired. The first season did a good job of setting up the central problem, showing how quickly society began to fall apart and how a powerful, manipulative figure named Big Jim Rennie (played by Dean Norris) started to gain control.
The biggest problem with Under the Dome was turning a complete story into a long, multi-season show. To do this, the writers moved away from the original book, adding confusing new storylines and completely changing how the dome appeared. This weakened the book’s strong ideas about what happens to people under stress, and turned a gripping survival story into a complicated and dramatic sci-fi show.
4) The Mist
The TV series The Mist builds on Stephen King’s chilling 1980 novella. While the original story focused on a single location, the series shows what happens to several groups of people in a small town after a strange fog rolls in. The show jumps between a mall, a church, and the police station, examining how different communities respond to an unbelievable danger.
Although the initial idea behind The Mist was promising, the series didn’t quite succeed. Critics found the pacing too slow and felt that revealing the monsters too early ruined the suspense that made the original novella and 2007 movie so gripping. The show’s focus on small-town conflicts and conspiracies also missed the point of the source material, which used the external threats to reveal the hidden darkness within everyday people. Ultimately, by trying to cover too much ground, the series lost the intense, confined atmosphere that made the original story so frightening.
3) The Institute
Adapted for television and released on MGM+ in 2025, The Institute tells the story of Luke Ellis, a 12-year-old prodigy who is abducted and held captive in a secluded facility in the Maine wilderness. He soon learns he’s not alone, as other children with remarkable psychic powers are also being subjected to harsh experiments overseen by the chilling Ms. Sigsby (Mary-Louise Parker). As the mystery unfolds, a troubled former police officer named Tim Jamieson (Ben Barnes) living nearby becomes increasingly involved.
The Institute is a well-acted series that effectively captures the chilling and suspenseful atmosphere of the original novel. With high production values typical of streaming shows, it creates a visually striking and intensely unsettling world. The story blends psychological thrills with moments of horror, focusing on the strength of the young characters as they struggle for their freedom.
2) The Dead Zone
Based on Stephen King’s novel, The Dead Zone aired for six seasons on USA Network and was a hit with viewers. The show centers on Johnny Smith, played by Anthony Michael Hall, a teacher who gains psychic powers after being in a coma for years. With just a touch, Johnny can see into a person’s past, present, and future, and he uses this ability to solve crimes and stop disasters. Each episode typically featured a new case, with Johnny’s visions driving the central mystery.
I really enjoyed how the show, The Dead Zone, wasn’t afraid to jump around a bit – it wasn’t exactly like the book, but it gave them space to really get into Johnny Smith’s head and show how much his abilities weighed on him. They also kept the story about Greg Stillson, that creepy politician, going throughout all 80 episodes, which was great for building tension. It’s a shame it didn’t get a proper ending, but even so, I think it’s a fantastic adaptation and truly captured what made King’s character so compelling.
1) 11.22.63
The Hulu miniseries 11.22.63 is a fantastic adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, handled with impressive quality and attention to detail. James Franco plays Jake Epping, a teacher who finds a way to travel back in time to 1960. His mission? Spend three years in the past trying to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The show is a captivating and accurate historical thriller, wonderfully recreating the atmosphere of the 1960s.
J.J. Abrams helped create 11.22.63, a series that expertly combines the suspense of a time-traveling investigation with a touching love story between the main character and a librarian, Sadie Dunhill (played by Sarah Gadon). James Franco gives a powerful performance, keeping the complicated plot and fantastical elements grounded. This adaptation succeeds where others have failed by focusing on the personal struggles and difficult decisions of the protagonist. With a deeply moving and fulfilling ending, 11.22.63 stands out as the best science-fiction series ever made from a Stephen King novel.
What’s your favorite science fiction series by Stephen King? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!
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2025-11-27 22:17