Stephen King‘s work has been adapted into many feature films, but sometimes his stories become TV miniseries, and here’s how those stack up. As long as there have been Stephen King books, there have been Stephen King adaptations, and it’s likely there will continue to be long after the legendary author himself is no longer among the living. King has a knack for writing stories that connect with people on an extremely personal level, even though most of them are told through a supernatural lens.
Another thing King is known for is writing really long stories, to the point where many of his short stories are basically novellas, and his novellas are often the length of many authors’ standard books. King novels like IT and The Stand are true door stoppers, running for well over 1000 pages each. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that these gargantuan stories might be better suited to the longer format of a TV miniseries than a theatrical film.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
Without any further ado, it’s time to look at King’s various miniseries, and rank them from worst to best. First though, a note of clarification. This ranking specifically covers projects made in the miniseries format, so made-for-TV standard-length movies and TV series that ran at least one full season are not included.
10. Bag of Bones (2011)
Bag of Bones aired on the A&E cable network in two installments on December 11 and December 12, 2011. Based on King’s 1998 novel of the same name, Bag of Bones stars Pierce Brosnan as author Mike Noonan, who becomes a widower after his wife is hit by a bus. Mike heads to their lake house, only to find himself sucked into a ghostly mystery. Sadly, Bag of Bones was almost universally panned upon release, even the usually reliable Brosnan, who overacted relentlessly. Viewers and critics also complained about the uneven pace, and often downright boring nature of the Mick Garris-directed miniseries.
9. The Tommyknockers (1993)
The Tommyknockers aired on ABC in two parts, on May 9 and 10, 1993. It’s no surprise that it’s one of the worst Stephen King miniseries, as the author himself views the 1987 Tommyknockers book as one of the worst he’s ever written. A tale of a small town besieged by manipulative aliens, The Tommyknockers has a few decent moments, and a good lead performance from Jimmy Smits, but is mostly a dud.
8. The Langoliers (1995)
The Langoliers also aired on ABC in two parts, on May 14 and 15, 1995. Based on the novella of the same name from King’s Four Past Midnight collection, The Langoliers features performances so hammy and CGI effects so bad that it borders on being so bad it’s good. Standing in the way of that is the fact that this time travel story is poorly paced and often dreadfully boring, complete with an anticlimactic ending.
7. Rose Red (2002)
Released in 2002, and written specifically for the screen by King, Rose Red was a ratings hit when it premiered on ABC, but has since fallen out of favor. While it’s not as bad as its reputation suggests, it’s certainly not too impressive, and feels every bit of its three-part, four-plus hour length. A fairly standard haunted house story, King really could’ve used an editor here, as there’s a lot of uninteresting, ultimately superfluous material included.
6. Salem’s Lot (2004)
This second attempt at adapting Salem’s Lot for TV aired in two parts in June of 2004 on the TNT cable network. In many ways, this miniseries improves on aspects of the iconic 1979 version, but fails to replicate the creepy moments that ensured its predecessor a place in horror history. Rob Lowe does fine in the lead, and Rutger Hauer plays a much closer to the book Kurt Barlow, but Salem’s Lot 2004 is the definition of being so okay it’s average.
5. Salem’s Lot (1979)
Putting Salem’s Lot 1979, a two-part miniseries that aired on CBS, this low on the list might cause some Stephen King fans to balk, but it’s just not quite as good as most people seem to remember it being. Salem’s Lot 1979 definitely contains many excellently creepy and scary moments, and its Nosferatu-esque Kurt Barlow is a terrifying creation. Unfortunately, when the vampires aren’t wreaking havoc, the rest of the miniseries is so glacially paced and boring that sleep might attack the viewer before bloodsuckers do. Hopefully the upcoming theatrical remake is able to improve on what worked in both prior miniseries.
4. The Shining (1997)
Another ranking that might cause some to raise eyebrows is putting The Shining‘s three-part ABC miniseries remake in the top five, but The Shining 1997 is almost the reverse of Salem’s Lot, in that it doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It has its own pacing problems at times, and would probably have been better served as a two-parter, but this miniseries is a much more accurate representation of King’s excellent book. Is it better or scarier than Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1980 film? Of course not, but it’s more than worth watching for King fans, and features some genuinely scary material, outside of terrible CGI hedge animals.
3. Storm of the Century (1999)
Now begins the cream of the Stephen King miniseries crop. Another written directly for the screen by King, Storm of the Century is unjustly forgotten by many, but makes a strong case for being one of the best King-related projects to date. The story focuses on a small island town beset by both the titular storm and an ancient villain known as Andre Linoge, who seeks a child to raise as his heir. Relentlessly creepy, and with a sadistic dark streak, Storm of the Century doesn’t at all feel its three-part length, and is captivating from start to finish.
2. The Stand (1994)
It’s fitting that King’s most epic novel receive his longest miniseries adaptation, clocking in at four-parts, and over six-hours even sans commercials. While The Stand isn’t perfect, and the upcoming CBS All Access adaptation could improve on it, what’s there is still really good, and was at the time one of the most ambitious TV miniseries ever produced. Sporting a cast full of recognizable faces, a terrific score, and characters that are easy to either root for or against, The Stand is only really hampered by some bad special effects and an occasionally low-budget look.
1. IT (1990)
Topping this ranking is easily the most famous Stephen King miniseries, the two-part 1990 adaptation of IT. While the second part has a lot of problems, the first part is so great that it demands to be recognized and appreciated. The cast of child Losers’ Club members fit their roles like a glove, the production design and score effortlessly transplant the viewer back to 1960, and of course, Tim Curry is absolutely amazing as Pennywise the Clown. Pennywise gets overly goofy in part 2, but in part 1, he’s bone-chilling, even on the few occasions he cracks a joke. The opening Georgie scene is deservedly celebrated, and everything just clicks. Couple that with the fact that part 2 isn’t abysmal, it’s just underwhelming, and one gets the best Stephen King miniseries, if by a thin margin.
