# Best Stephen King TV / Movie Adaptation? (Poll) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, movies\ **Created:** [August 24, 2026, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524 "2026-08-24T13:44:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/101 "2026-08-27T13:27:04Z")
Thanks, but you’re good-- you were already very clear in your previous post just before my latest write-in update. Just a clarification that ‘these are my votes’ is fine. What I probably should have also done is check the ‘show identities’ option in the poll. Then I could see if people making mentions of King stuff already voted or not, which votes and how many. Oh well, live and learn. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/102 "2026-08-27T13:31:47Z")
Perhaps an updated poll listing all the write-ins with those options so we can start fresh? Sorry, I’m not trying to make extra work - just thinking what might make it easier going forward. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/103 "2026-08-27T13:55:57Z")
Yeah, not a bad thought. But then, if I went back through the posts and eliminated from the write-in list all but the ones that specifically indicated a write-in, I’d probably eliminate many that were meant as a write-in, but not clearly indicated as such. Eh, well, It’s not as if I’m gathering hard data for a Master’s in Literature thesis or something. The thread is garnering some good, fun discussion, and that’s the important thing. And, I’m finding the main poll interesting. To wit: I knew _Misery_ was a highly rated adaptation, but I’m surprised to see it pretty soldily in 3rd place so far. I thought _The Shining_ would be the undisputed 3rd place holder. And I’m also a bit surprised that _It_ the miniseries is now ahead of _It_ the movie pair. That first _It_ movie got a lot of attention and good reviews when it first came out (the second, not so much). I wonder if _It_ the miniseries benefited recently from some Tim Curry memorial votes. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/104 "2026-08-27T14:04:46Z")
It _is_ a fascinating topic. It sucked me in a lot farther than I expected. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/105 "2026-08-27T14:24:37Z")
And you’ve been a great contributor to the thread, thanks. I find your somewhat iconoclastic picks interesting. I will say, I really liked 11.22.63 the book-- I think it’s one of King’s better late-era works, and unlike many of those, I thought he really nailed the ending. The miniseries adaptation was very enjoyable too, well acted, and if I recall, very true to the source material. My brief thoughts on your other choices: **The Dark Tower:** didn’t read the series, didn’t watch the movie, no opinion. **Hearts in Atlantis:** the book didn’t make much of an impression on me, good or bad. Neither did the movie, though I’m 90% sure I saw it. Pretty much all I remember is Anthony Hopkins starred in it. **The Dead Zone:** loved the book, don’t remember much of the movie. Need to rewatch. **The Running Man (2025):** The Bachman story, enjoyed. The 1987 movie? Kitschy fun. The 2025 remake? That’s an odd one. My wife and I started to watch it a couple weeks ago on streaming, and 5 minutes in I said “I think I already saw this”. Pretty sure I watched it late one weekend night after she went to bed. Either it didn’t make much of any impression on me, or I fell asleep at some point soon after it started. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/106 "2026-08-27T14:59:48Z")
> [@solost](#): > > **Hearts in Atlantis:** the book didn’t make much of an impression on me, good or bad. Neither did the movie, though I’m 90% sure I saw it. Pretty much all I remember is Anthony Hopkins starred in it. A huge part of why this film gets me is because it is directly tied to The Dark Tower. Ted Brautigan and the Low Men play a significant role in the later books. I will add that if a dislike of fantasy is why you have avoided The Dark Tower, you should maybe give it another chance. It’s really more of a Western, with some fantasy elements thrown in. It also skips around between parallel worlds (including our own - in which King himself appears as a character), so it’s really not even strictly a Western. It is also heavily tied in with the majority of King’s other works, and even that is a plot point in the story. You will find a lot of familiar characters, like Fr. Callahan from _'Salem’s Lot_ and Patrick Danville from _Insomnia_, and a lot of familiar worlds like the one from _The Stand_. What I _don’t_ recommend is seeing the movie before reading at least the first 4 books - it won’t make any sense. And really, it’s better to have read the final line of the 7th book before watching the film. That one line is what makes the movie resonate with me - although I realize that other fans of the books don’t agree. I think the series got the fantasy reputation because King himself once compared it to the Lord of the Rings (pretty sure he said that in his autobiography _On Writing_). I get the comparison, but it’s not that really. I think what he meant was that it was his Magnum Opus, and it is that. And to be honest, I was never much of a King fan _until_ I read The Dark Tower series. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/107 "2026-08-27T15:06:10Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I find your somewhat iconoclastic picks interesting. I’ve never been described as iconoclastic. I kinda like it. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/108 "2026-08-27T15:37:46Z")
Well, to be perfectly accurate, I called your posts iconoclastic, not you specifically 😏 But I’d say you’re a bit of an iconoclast, sure. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/109 "2026-08-27T15:38:05Z")
Beware of early medieval Byzantine emperors… ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/110 "2026-08-27T15:44:18Z")
I’ll take it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/111 "2026-08-27T16:18:02Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > I will add that if a dislike of fantasy is why you have avoided The Dark Tower, you should maybe give it another chance. It’s really more of a Western, with some fantasy elements thrown in. It also skips around between parallel worlds (including our own - in which King himself appears as a character) Well honestly, I dislike the ‘Sci-Fi Western’ trope too, as well as the ‘author inserts themselves as a character in their own story’ gimmick. Clive Cussler used to do that a lot, annoyingly. One writer, can’t remember his name offhand, a murder mystery writer I think-- I read one of his books a few months back, and he had a fictional character cite _him_ as one of the character’s favorite authors. Vanity factor aside, how does that even logically work? But, I have to say, your enthusiastic endorsement of the _Dark Tower_ series has me rethinking my avoidance of it. Maybe I’ll see if I can find a Kindle sale on a bundled _Dark Tower_ complete collection. > [@Frodo](#): > > Beware of early medieval Byzantine emperors… Nice history pull 😏 But weren’t the Byzantines the original, literal “image-smasher” iconoclasts? In that case, they should welcome Thumper668 as a fellow iconoclast, shouldn’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/112 "2026-08-27T16:32:53Z")
IIRC some (most?) of them were but most Emperors were not, and you don’t want to be an heretic in the hands of those that were not. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/113 "2026-08-27T16:41:17Z")
I lived for about a year in the heart of the Byzantine iconoclasm (northern Türkiye), so I must have learned something. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/114 "2026-08-27T16:41:46Z")
You contracted Iconoclamitis! ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/115 "2026-08-27T16:44:05Z")
That explains so many things. 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/116 "2026-08-27T16:48:43Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > You contracted Iconoclamitis! At least it wasn’t Iconochlamydia 😄 ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/117 "2026-09-01T14:03:48Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Yeah how was Langoliers not even in the list? > > I get that it was a bit cheesy, and some of the acting was ropey, but it had something; you get invested in the story. And honestly, I remember it better than I remember the Green Mile (despite the latter being executed (so to speak) better). Yeah, that one’s a keeper. The slow pace works perfectly with the sense of waking up to “this can’t really be happening, and what the hell’s happening anyway?” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/118 "2026-09-01T15:22:39Z")
Speaking of the Langoliers, I was completely remembering Bryan Brown as being in it. He wasn’t. It was actually Mark Lindsay Chapman. Weird. Maybe the Langoliers ate Bryan Brown? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/119 "2026-09-01T16:48:56Z")
The short story 1408 isn’t good, but I loved the movie ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2026, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524/120 "2026-09-01T20:20:53Z")
My write-in candidates are Cujo and Christine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-stephen-king-tv-movie-adaptation-poll/1032524.md?page=7)