29 Stephen King TV Series and Miniseries, Ranked by Tomatometer

TV has been a favorite home to adaptations of Stephen King books and short stories into series and mini-series since 1979 TV series Salem’s Lot. Whether developed for television or straight-to-video — remember video tapes? — TV and movie translations of, or based on, the horror master’s work have long been fan favorites, even if they didn’t receive much critical acclaim.

You may also note that while films that are Certified Fresh are clearly labeled here, TV shows are Certified Fresh by season, and season badges won’t show up in a mixed list of film and series-level scores — click through to the shows’ overview pages to find out how many seasons are Certified Fresh.

#1

The Outsider
91% 82%

#1

Synopsis: Based on Stephen King's best-selling novel of the same name, "The Outsider" begins by following an investigation which at first [More]

Starring: Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Bateman, Julianne Nicholson, Mare Winningham

#2

Mr. Mercedes
91% 74%

#2

Synopsis: A demented killer taunts a retired police detective with a series of lurid letters and emails. [More]

Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Harry Treadaway, Kelly Lynch, Jharrel Jerome

#3

Salem's Lot (1979)
90%

#3

Critics Consensus: Director Tobe Hooper and a devilishly charismatic James Mason elevate this television adaptation of the Stephen King novel, injecting the vampiric tradition with fresh blood and lingering scares.

Synopsis: Based on the Stephen King novel, Ben Mears (David Soul) has returned to his hometown of Salem's Lot to write [More]

Starring: David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia

Directed By: Tobe Hooper

#4

Castle Rock
88% 79%

#4

Synopsis: The psychological-horror series set in the Stephen King multiverse combines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of his works, [More]

Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Tim Robbins, Paul Sparks, Yusra Warsama

#5

Creepshow
85% 77%

#5

Synopsis: An anthology horror series based on the 1982 movie features vignettes that explore terror, murder, the supernatural and the unexplainable. [More]

#6

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King
85% - -

#6

Synopsis: Adaptations of short stories written by author Stephen King. [More]

Starring: Robert Mammone, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tom Berenger, Kim Delaney

#7

Stephen King's Storm of the Century
84% 82%

#7

Synopsis: Mike Anderson, the constable of the isolated Maine island hamlet Little Tall Island, is facing the toughest challenge of his [More]

Starring: Tim Daly, Colm Feore, Dyllan Christopher, Debrah Farentino

#8

11.22.63
83% 88%

#8

Synopsis: James Franco plays the role of Jake Epping, an ordinary high school teacher, who is presented with a chance to [More]

Starring: James Franco, Chris Cooper, Sarah Gadon, Daniel Webber

#9

IT: Welcome to Derry
79% 74%

#9

Synopsis: Following the events in the 1960s, the time leading up to the events of the first film in the Stephen [More]

Starring: Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, Taylour Paige, James Remar

#10

Salem's Lot (2004)
69%

#10

Critics Consensus: Salem's Lot is a bit anemic due to a dearth of proper scares, but its effectively creepy atmosphere and solid performances make for a respectable adaptation of Stephen King's revered novel.

Synopsis: A writer (Rob Lowe) encounters a pair of sinister new residents when he returns to his Maine hometown to research [More]

Starring: Rob Lowe, Andre Braugher, Donald Sutherland, Samantha Mathis

Directed By: Mikael Salomon

#11

Stephen King's The Stand
67% 73%

#11

Synopsis: A four-part miniseries tells the horror story of King's "The Stand." A supervirus that leaked from a lab kills most [More]

Starring: Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, Laura San Giacomo, Jamey Sheridan

#12

Stephen King's It (1990)
67%

#12

Critics Consensus: Though hampered by an uneven second half, Stephen King's It supplies a wealth of funhouse thrills and an indelible turn from Tim Curry as Pennywise.

Synopsis: In 1960, seven preteen outcasts fight an evil demon that poses as a child-killing clown. Thirty years later, they reunite [More]

Starring: Harry Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Richard Masur, Annette O'Toole

Directed By: Tommy Lee Wallace

#13

Under the Dome
67% 44%

#13

Synopsis: Based on the best-selling Stephen King novel of the same name, "Under the Dome" follows the residents of Chester's Mill, [More]

Starring: Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre, Dean Norris, Eddie Cahill

#14

The Institute
64% 71%

#14

Synopsis: A group of psychic children unites to take on the shadowy organization that has kidnapped them and claims to be [More]

Starring: Ben Barnes, Mary-Louise Parker, Simone Miller, Jason Diaz

#15

Haven
63% 85%

#15

Synopsis: FBI Agent Audrey Parker arrives in Haven, Maine, on what she believes is a routine assignment. But the longer she [More]

Starring: Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Edge

#16

Stephen King's Golden Years
60% - -

#16

Synopsis: When an aging janitor is accidentally exposed to exotic chemicals in a lab explosion, he undergoes an extraordinary change. It's [More]

Starring: Keith Szarabajka, Felicity Huffman, Ed Lauter, R.D. Call

#17

The Mist
59% 45%

#17

Synopsis: Stephen King's 1980 novella "The Mist" -- adapted into a feature film by Frank Darabont in 2007 -- is re-imagined [More]

Starring: Alyssa Sutherland, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Bill Carr, Gus Birney

#18

Chapelwaite
58% 80%

#18

Synopsis: Captain Charles Boone relocates his family of three children to his ancestral home in Maine after his wife dies at [More]

Starring: Adrien Brody, Jennifer Ens, Sirena Gulamgaus, Emily Hampshire

#19

The Stand
57% 25%

#19

Synopsis: "The Stand" is author Stephen King's post-apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in an elemental struggle [More]

Starring: James Marsden, Amber Heard, Odessa Young, Henrique Zaga

#20

Lisey's Story
53% 48%

#20

Synopsis: Based on the novel by Stephen King, this thriller follows widow Lisey Landon as a series of disturbing events revives [More]

Starring: Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Dane DeHaan, Jennifer Jason Leigh

#21

Big Driver (2014)
50%

#21

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: With her mind shattered, a novelist seeks revenge on the man who brutally assaulted her on a desolate New England [More]

Starring: Maria Bello, Olympia Dukakis, Joan Jett, Will Harris

Directed By: Mikael Salomon

#22

Stephen King's 'The Langoliers' (1995)
48%

#22

Critics Consensus: While not without its fair share of thrills, The Langoliers suffers from a meandering pace and dubious characterizations.

Synopsis: Ten passengers on a red-eye flight from L.A. to Boston discover that they are not the only people on the [More]

Starring: Patricia Wettig, Bronson Pinchot, Dean Stockwell, Kate Maberly

Directed By: Tom Holland

#23

Stephen King's Rose Red
42% 60%

#23

Synopsis: A college professor and a team of psychics investigate an old abandoned house at the request of the man who [More]

Starring: Nancy Travis, Matt Keeslar, Kimberly J. Brown, David Dukes

#24

The Tommyknockers (1993)
35%

#24

Critics Consensus: Unlikeable characters, a bloated narrative, and drab scripting make The Tommyknockers a hard watch for even the most die-hard of Stephen King fans.

Synopsis: An unearthly force hits all but the lover of a writer who has dug up something strange in Maine. [More]

Starring: Jimmy Smits, Marg Helgenberger, Joanna Cassidy, John Ashton

Directed By: John Power

#25

The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (2003)
17%

#25

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Dark forces invade a Seattle mansion where an industrialist (Steven Brand) lives with his submissive wife (Lisa Brenner). [More]

Starring: Lisa Brenner, Steven Brand, Kate Burton, Brad Greenquist

Directed By: Craig R. Baxley

#26

The Dead Zone
- - 72%

#26

Synopsis: Following a car crash that leaves him in a coma for six years, Johnny Smith awakens to find that he [More]

Starring: Anthony Michael Hall, Nicole de Boer, Chris Bruno, John L. Adams

#27

Stephen King's The Shining
- - 55%

#27

Synopsis: Unspeakable evils confront a caretaker's family in a desolate hotel. [More]

Starring: Rebecca De Mornay, Steven Weber, Melvin Van Peebles, Wil Horneff

#28

Firestarter: Rekindled (2002)
- -

#28

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Starring: Marguerite Moreau, Jeanne Moreau, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Malcolm McDowell

Directed By: Robert Iscove

#29

Trucks (1997)
- -

#29

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Vehicles come to life and turn homicidal, trapping people (Timothy Busfield, Brenda Bakke, Brendan Fletcher) inside a remote diner in [More]

Starring: Timothy Busfield, Brenda Bakke, Brendan Fletcher, Victor Cowie

Directed By: Chris Thomson