22 Years Later, The Most Underrated Stephen King Sci-Fi Series is on Prime (Finally)
One of the best series based on the work of the King of Horror is now on Prime.
Summary
- There are so many TV and movie adaptations of Stephen King 's novels, and only a few of them are really worth watching.
- A great example is the overlooked sci-fi series that King fans are sure to enjoy.
- Today, this series is available for streaming on Prime Video and other platforms.
Film and television adaptations of Stephen King's work have been around for nearly 50 years. While some are really not worth mentioning because they were terrible reimaginings of the books, there are still hidden gems that we'd like to discuss more in the 2020s.
One such adaptation is a TV series that aired on the USA Network in the 00s. It is not horror, and the pacing is much slower than most of King's stories. Still, it's a great sci-fi thriller full of talented actors and clever writing — why not check out this undeservedly neglected series now that it's available for streaming on Prime?
What Is This Show About?
We're talking about The Dead Zone, a series that ran for six seasons until it was canceled due to the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike. The show was loosely based on Stephen King's 1979 novel of the same name and followed a character named Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall), a man who awoke from a coma he had been in for about six years. He immediately began to notice that any contact he had with objects and people caused visions related to the past or future, and doctors believe that this is the previously unused 'dead zone' of the brain trying to compensate for the activity of damaged areas.
Trying to adjust back to normal life, Johnny begins helping the local authorities investigate cold cases using his abilities. Meanwhile, in the background, a plot unfolds involving politician Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery), who triggers Johnny's apocalyptic visions. The series also stars Nicole de Boer, John L. Adams, Chris Bruno and David Ogden Stiers.
An Underrated TV Series That Left a Lasting Impression on Viewers
While The Dead Zone has achieved a certain cult status and many look back on it with a sense of warm nostalgia, it was by no means among the most popular shows on American television at the time of its release. On USA Network, the absolute hit was The 4400, which despite having a slightly shorter run, was much louder and more dismal to many when it was canceled due to the 2007 WGA strike.
On Rotten Tomatoes, for example, all six seasons of the series have no overall rating from critics. At the same time, ordinary viewers were much more active in evaluating the series. The overall audience rating was 85% (and 89% for the first season) — the main complaint was the aforementioned cliffhanger in the sixth season finale, but the show's storyline was fascinating to many, full of innovative cinematography for its time and a strong acting ensemble cast led by Anthony Michael Hall.
Where and How to Watch It?
Streaming on Prime
This option is available in several ways.
- Screambox — The Dead Zone is available on Screambox. However, you'll have to pay $4.99 for it after a 7-day free trial, and that's on top of the basic Prime subscription, which costs $8.99. So we only recommend this option if you already have a subscription to the Screambox, or if you want to familiarize yourself with its library.
- Fandor — You can also connect to Fandor, which costs $3.99 after a 7-day free trial. This option also requires a Basic Prime subscription.
- Freevee — In addition, the series can also be streamed on Amazon's platform in an ad-supported format, as all seasons have been added to Freevee.
Other Free Services
The series is also available on many other streaming services, and remarkably, in a free, ad-supported form. Below is a list of those services.
- Tubi
- Pluto TV
- Plex
- The Roku Channel
- Hoopla