To Stephen King, Does "Under the Dome" > "Haven"/"The Dead Zone"?

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Officious Little Prick

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Aug 28, 2014
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Anyone have any knowledge of why Stephen King seems more invested than usual in "Under the Dome"'s TV show (to the point of actually penning an episode), while I never even hear him speak about "Haven" or the old "The Dead Zone" TV show, both of which seemed to be more consistently (if not as widely) enjoyed by the public than UTD? If I was King, I think I'd be especially complimented that the film industry had enough interest in such a comparatively low-profile release as "The Colorado Kid" that they chose to hinge an entire long-running television series on it, but King doesn't seem to pay it any mind. What makes UTD such a pet project for him versus the others?
 

Moderator

Ms. Mod
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He is an executive producer for Under the Dome but did not have any such role in The Dead Zone or Haven. If I remember correctly, because the film rights for The Dead Zone had already been sold, he wasn't even involved with the project in any capacity. He liked the show but there was no reason for him to be promoting it. I don't know why he wasn't more involved with Haven and would be purely speculation on my part to comment.
 

Officious Little Prick

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I didn't know Haven had anything to do with The Colorado Kid (bad fan! Bad fan! :D)! I liked that book enormously. Now I might have to take a gander at the show (lol)

Notice the tagline below the title:

haven-the-complete-first-season-blu-ray-cover-97.jpg
 

skimom2

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Season 5 of Haven starts next week -- it's a decent show that has a little more humor in it than you might expect. The first season is a little unfocused, but it builds an interesting mythology over the next few, and every episode has at least one reference to something from King's work.

I've never paid any attention to it at all (not a big TV person). I think I'll take a look now, especially with King references that thread throughout. Thanks, Bev.
 

Dana Jean

Dirty Pirate Hooker, The Return
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Season 5 of Haven starts next week -- it's a decent show that has a little more humor in it than you might expect. The first season is a little unfocused, but it builds an interesting mythology over the next few, and every episode has at least one reference to something from King's work.
Thank god to know that. I have been slogging through this first season. Some element of it is reminding me of the old campy Kolchak The Night Stalker shows. Instead of bustling New York and 1970s, Haven is modern day fishing village.
 

TrueGeneration

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Jun 15, 2014
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Season 5 of Haven starts next week -- it's a decent show that has a little more humor in it than you might expect. The first season is a little unfocused, but it builds an interesting mythology over the next few, and every episode has at least one reference to something from King's work.
I've never paid any attention to it at all (not a big TV person). I think I'll take a look now, especially with King references that thread throughout. Thanks, Bev.
Thank god to know that. I have been slogging through this first season. Some element of it is reminding me of the old campy Kolchak The Night Stalker shows. Instead of bustling New York and 1970s, Haven is modern day fishing village.

Agree with Bev Vincent! The show definitely gets better and the mythology expands throughout each season. I thoroughly enjoy it and actually like it better than UTD. Definitely check it out Dana Jean and skimom2! :)
 

Beatloaf

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Jul 11, 2006
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Thank god to know that. I have been slogging through this first season. Some element of it is reminding me of the old campy Kolchak The Night Stalker shows. Instead of bustling New York and 1970s, Haven is modern day fishing village.
I'm JUST NOW catching any of this show while I'm in Thailand of all places! I have caught the references to King's work. That's fun. I'm a little lost with the show tough.
 

losthighway

Member
Jan 22, 2013
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The best way to watch Haven is to see a lot of episodes at once, as close to straight through as possible. The first season didn't really capture my attention and imagination til about halfway through. The connections to The Colorado Kid novel seem loose at best--the question who killed the Colorado Kid do come up in the TV show, but there's so much more to the TV show. Can't wait for the 2015 episodes! I do wonder what Uncle Stevie thinks about the show, though.

Agree with Bev Vincent! The show definitely gets better and the mythology expands throughout each season. I thoroughly enjoy it and actually like it better than UTD. Definitely check it out Dana Jean and skimom2! :)
 

Ivy13

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Nov 8, 2015
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I just started in last year on Haven ... found it on Netflx and honestly didn't even realize it was still going on. (I don't have the channel that it airs on so I miss all the new eps). Once I got started in on it though I'm hooked. Great show with lots of twists and turns and connections (did anybody else catch the thing about the Lobstrocities??)
 

OldDarth

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Jul 10, 2006
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One thing the Under The Dome series accomplished is make me retroactively appreciate Haven more. As Bev so aptly put it, Haven is a X-Files lite kinda of show but, unlike X-Files, Haven has held its mythology together fairly well.
 

AnnaMarie

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I didn't know Haven had anything to do with The Colorado Kid (bad fan! Bad fan! :D)! I liked that book enormously. Now I might have to take a gander at the show (lol)

We started watching it when it first started. I think I made it through three shows.

If I recall, it was not quite as close to the book as The Dome. And I mean early Haven was about as close as late Dome. And personally, I wasn't enjoying it on it's own merits either.

But obviously others felt very differently, so I hope you enjoy it. :)
 
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