Salem/Under the Dome

I love Salem.  If you're a fan of horror and you aren't watching it, you're missing out.  It's kinky, it's dark, it's gruesome, it boasts a fantastic cast, and the soundtrack is equally impressive.  I really don't want to say much about the plot.  It's about witches, of course, but it's really fresh and exciting.  I think this is definitely one of those cases where the less you know going in, the more you're going to enjoy yourself.  The show's creators may have felt the same way; the previews were intriguing but didn't really give a lot away, and I've been surprised and delighted by the program from the very beginning. 

Bonus points: In addition to stealing the show as Cotton Mather, Seth Gabel has a killer beard.  I've never seen this dude in anything before, and while the show is brimming with quality performances, he's been a bit of a revelation.  He's good, really, really good.

Under the Dome is a different story.  I really enjoyed the way the first season started.  This is when the series was being a bit more faithful to the book, but King intrigued me with all his talk about taking the show in a different direction and presenting a different conclusion.  Early in the second season, I think it's become obvious that this approach was a dreadful mistake.  Hey, if you like it, you're free to watch it, but I think a very promising series has devolved into garbage.  I don't think I'm going to keep watching it; Season 2 has been downright painful.  Whereas the book (a top-notch affair with a somewhat lackluster ending) focused on the people and the human conflict playing out under the dome to great effect, the show has become more of a mediocre CGI and bizarre plot twist showcase.

It's depressing, particularly when you look at the cast and think about what could have been.  The talent is still working hard to make it work, but plot holes, massive gaps in logic, and poor effects have ruined a program I was really enjoying early on. 

Anyway, if you're not watching Salem, join the party--it's a wicked good time.  And if you're still sailing with Under the Dome, well, may God have mercy on your soul.

Under the Dome (Quick Take)

I haven't blogged about this yet, but I'm really digging the Under the Dome series airing this summer on CBS.  I was a big fan of the book, so I was excited to hear that the project was being adapted for television.  Additionally, I'm enjoying the way that the show is using the source material as a guide and not a bible--much like AMC's The Walking Dead .  Much of what I read about in the book is represented, yet there are enough critical differences to give it a different trajectory.  Essentially, this means that even though I've read the book, I'm not really sure what's going to happen next at any point on the show.  I know that many King fans are greatly displeased about this, but I think it allows everyone to be surprised anew as the tale unfolds.

I wonder what the next book or comic to take a similar approach will be?

Anyway, if you're a fan of drama or suspense, or if you enjoy stories where people dealing with dire circumstances realize that their peers pose the greatest threat to them, you should be watching Under the Dome too.

Is Stephen King's Under the Dome Coming to CBS?

 I'm reading reports that Stephen King's Under the Dome is heading to CBS next summer.  That is good news indeed, as this massive tale represents one of the master's finest offerings.  I'm a big fan of King's work, and I think some of his most recent books should rank among his very best.  Under the Dome is as big as The Stand, and if handled appropriately, it should make for fantastic television.  Personally, I think it would be better-suited for cable television, but Showtime apparently shipped it over to CBS because they felt otherwise. 

Should the show become a reality, I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for the best.
In Under the Dome, a small town is inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world when an invisible forcefield descends.  Planes slam into it and explode, people are maimed, and a tiny community is forced to fend for themselves as a slimy politician seizes the moment and makes things much worse in an ill-fated power-grab on an epic scale.

I greatly enjoyed Under the Dome and I thought that the everyman hero, an Iraq war vet turned short-order cook who everyone calls Barbie, was a fantastic character to root for.  This is a King novel we're talking about, so it's a bit difficult at times.  No one likes to put the screws to his readers in the pursuit of a good time more than King, and he was truly at the top of his game when he penned this one.

Anyway, I'm intrigued, and I'll be watching closely as the series develops.