Ten-hour miniseries of The Stand on CBS All Access

[Heather19]

For those of you with Prime, the first episode is available to watch. I enjoyed it. I was a bit worried with all the lackluster reviews it's been getting, so maybe my expectations we're really low, but I thought it was good. There's just one complaint I have with it and that's in the way they tell the story. I watched it with my boyfriend who has no knowledge of the book or the previous miniseries and he got thoroughly confused at times. I'm really curious as to why they chose to present it that way. Not sure they'll keep viewers with no knowledge of the storyline.

Heather, are you saying it's available for free on Amazon Prime streaming service? If so, I'll give it a watch for sure.

Yes, unfortunately just the first episode. I think you need to sign up for something else to watch the next one. I plan to wait until they're all out and do a trial or month of CBS All Access.

[Heather19]

The acting is pretty top notch and casting was solid but the time jumps are just so poorly done and confusing. It almost requires the user to have read the book to understand.

I agree, like I said I watched it with someone with no knowledge of the story and I had to keep explaining what was going on. It didn't throw me off but I thought it felt very disjointed and gives away basically what happens.

For those that have seen more than the first episode, does this trend continue? I'm still baffled as to why they chose to present it this way.

[Curly]

I've watched all 3 episodes so far and I am so disappointed. I much prefer the original TV series. This series is instantly forgettable.

[superpm]

[QUOTE=Heather19;1227039][QUOTE=Merlin1958;1227007]

I watched it with my boyfriend who has no knowledge of the book or the previous miniseries and he got thoroughly confused at times. I'm really curious as to why they chose to present it that way. Not sure they'll keep viewers with no knowledge of the storyline.

See Josh Boone's explanation beginning at 8:38 and more specifically at 13:18.


https://youtu.be/lJGMCVbhsbg

[webstar1000]

I've watched all 3 episodes so far and I am so disappointed. I much prefer the original TV series. This series is instantly forgettable.

I agree... Its really bad. They wasted a real opportunity here.. BUT am I surprised? no... sadly

[mattgreenbean]

I've watched the first 3 episodes so far and while I don't think that it's any better than the original, which is a real shame, it's not as bad as The Mist or what Under The Dome became. The acting is all pretty good. The production is top notch. The SFX don't look cheap.
Negatives for me have been the music (too high school trendy for my taste) and the slow moving story. Since each episode is a now and then, the story hasn't moved forward much. The book is this long journey where you meet everyone at the beginning and watch all their stories unfolding at the same time. The Miniseries followed this because Mick Garris "got it". I feel like the limited series wanted to do this version the "standard" way to do shows, The Lost way. I loved Lost, but this story shouldn't be set up the Lost way.

[CyberGhostface]

Haven’t watched it yet (still sick) but disappointed to hear the mixed reactions. Wonder how it would have been if it was on HBO.

Fwiw I think the whole flashbacks bit is a carry over from when it was going to be one film. Boone’s solution was to mix things up chronologically. Maybe he just liked the approach enough.

On the bright side I doubt we would have gotten the Blu-ray of the original miniseries if not for the new one.

[Johnny Alien]

Haven’t watched it yet (still sick) but disappointed to hear the mixed reactions. Wonder how it would have been if it was on HBO.

HBO wouldn't help it because the problem isn't with it being too watered down. My issue 100% lies with the time jumps. It's an interesting way to tackle it but down't work at all. Especially when they refuse to tell you when a time jump happens and to what time. For book readers it's jarring so I have to imagine a non-book reader could easily get lost.

The "Lost" comparison is a great one as I also think that's what they were trying to unsuccessfully pull off. At least Lost gave you a auditory and visual affect when the time jumps happened.

[Brian861]

Haven’t watched it yet (still sick) but disappointed to hear the mixed reactions. Wonder how it would have been if it was on HBO.

Fwiw I think the whole flashbacks bit is a carry over from when it was going to be one film. Boone’s solution was to mix things up chronologically. Maybe he just liked the approach enough.

On the bright side I doubt we would have gotten the Blu-ray of the original miniseries if not for the new one.

The original isn't included with any streaming service that I could find. Seems a bit odd.

[St. Troy]

The book is this long journey where you meet everyone at the beginning and watch all their stories unfolding at the same time. The Miniseries followed this because Mick Garris "got it".

...and that’s your ballgame right there - the original miniseries in a walk.

[georgiesarm]

Fwiw I think the whole flashbacks bit is a carry over from when it was going to be one film. Boone’s solution was to mix things up chronologically. Maybe he just liked the approach enough.

I've read Boone's movie script for part 1 when it was going to be 4 movies, and that was structured in a linear fashion like the book (though it starts with Mother Abigail slaughtering a chicken and Flagg walking on the highway before the title screen and then goes to the military base). Maybe his 1 movie script had more of a flashbacks structure, but I've heard it was Owen King's pitch to use it in this series.

[ICry4Oy]

Haven’t watched it yet (still sick) but disappointed to hear the mixed reactions. Wonder how it would have been if it was on HBO.

Fwiw I think the whole flashbacks bit is a carry over from when it was going to be one film. Boone’s solution was to mix things up chronologically. Maybe he just liked the approach enough.

On the bright side I doubt we would have gotten the Blu-ray of the original miniseries if not for the new one.

The original isn't included with any streaming service that I could find. Seems a bit odd.

But it's free on Youtube.

[Heather19]

I was never a fan of the original miniseries. Some of the casting was so off, that it actually hindered my ability to read the book since I had seen that first. So I was excited to see a newer version of the story. I only saw one episode, but the casting was excellent and the production was excellent, it was just that really awkward nonlinear storytelling that threw me off. Based on the video it sounded like he was so in love with the story and miniseries that he wanted to do something fresh for the diehard fans. I'm not sure that was the right way to go though, especially since you're going to turn away people with no knowledge of the book. I'm not sure they would even know whats going on. Maybe it gets clearer as the episodes progress but I had to do a lot of explaining to my boyfriend because he had no clue what was going on or that the times had even changed, or where they actually were.

What is Owen's involvement in the series? It seems like an odd thing for him to suggest going with a nonlinear storyline unless its like Boone mentioned, they're too familiar with the story and want something different?

[ICry4Oy]

I was never a fan of the original miniseries. Some of the casting was so off, that it actually hindered my ability to read the book since I had seen that first.

It's funny how people look at things differently. I loved the original miniseries and have watched it several times (something I do with very few shows). People bitched and moaned about Molly Ringwald but I hadn't seen her in anything and had no preconceived opinion of her and thought she was just fine. My only problem going in was with Rob Lowe and he turned out to be quite good in his role. Different strokes.....

[Randall Flagg]

What is Owen's involvement in the series? It seems like an odd thing for him to suggest going with a nonlinear storyline unless its like Boone mentioned, they're too familiar with the story and want something different?

How The Stand Writer Owen King Helped Bring His Father's Pandemic Epic to Television

[georgiesarm]

I was never a fan of the original miniseries. Some of the casting was so off, that it actually hindered my ability to read the book since I had seen that first. So I was excited to see a newer version of the story. I only saw one episode, but the casting was excellent and the production was excellent, it was just that really awkward nonlinear storytelling that threw me off. Based on the video it sounded like he was so in love with the story and miniseries that he wanted to do something fresh for the diehard fans. I'm not sure that was the right way to go though, especially since you're going to turn away people with no knowledge of the book. I'm not sure they would even know whats going on. Maybe it gets clearer as the episodes progress but I had to do a lot of explaining to my boyfriend because he had no clue what was going on or that the times had even changed, or where they actually were.

What is Owen's involvement in the series? It seems like an odd thing for him to suggest going with a nonlinear storyline unless its like Boone mentioned, they're too familiar with the story and want something different?

I would say so far episode 1 handles the flashback structure the best. I can get very muddled, as they stack flashbacks within flashbacks and then sometimes they tell you it's a flashback, and sometimes they don't.

Owen was a writer on the show

[Brian861]

Haven’t watched it yet (still sick) but disappointed to hear the mixed reactions. Wonder how it would have been if it was on HBO.

Fwiw I think the whole flashbacks bit is a carry over from when it was going to be one film. Boone’s solution was to mix things up chronologically. Maybe he just liked the approach enough.

On the bright side I doubt we would have gotten the Blu-ray of the original miniseries if not for the new one.

The original isn't included with any streaming service that I could find. Seems a bit odd.

But it's free on Youtube.

This is true. I didn't have any issues with the original either. King's best book IMO so only the source material will ever do it justice.

[mattgreenbean]

Lilja's Library, The Art And The Making of The Stand Out In May


"the shooting script for the never-before-published coda written for the new series by King himself."

Sounds like he changed his epilogue. Hope it's nothing topical.

[Johnny Alien]

You have to change the ending in my opinion. The hand of God may work in a book (and it barely works in a book) but it doesn't translate to screen. That was legit the worst part of the original mini-series and I was always shocked they didn't update the ending at that time.

[ICry4Oy]

You have to change the ending in my opinion. The hand of God may work in a book (and it barely works in a book) but it doesn't translate to screen. That was legit the worst part of the original mini-series and I was always shocked they didn't update the ending at that time.

That is true! I try to overlook that part. Pure cheese.

[Brian James Freeman]

I haven't seen the ending of the new series, but I believe King's new "coda" is after the end of the story as we currently know it... and he has talked about the general concept of what it entails previously, although that was a long time ago.

Brian

[georgiesarm]

^ That's correct, it's a new add-on that takes place after the events of the book, not a rewrite of the ending (though the show's producers might still have changed that on their own). I have read rumors what the final episode written by King entails by people who claim to have worked on the series, and if true, it sounds rather unnecessary

[Curly]

Episode 4. Poor Mother Abigail, having to put up with this old fart in the Care Home...

[Johnny Alien]

Having Hemingford Home be a nursing home was weak. I think it sells the Mother Abagail character short.

[CyberGhostface]

Just saw the first episode. I enjoyed it for the most part. The shifting timelines didn’t bother me that much; the exception being the ending with Harold which made things a bit rushed in my opinion.