Salems Lot 700x250 1

(Photo by Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection. SALEM’S LOT)

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.

But which is the best? Rotten Tomatoes dug up 30 Stephen King made-for-TV shows and streaming series and ranked them by their Tomatometer scores. The top 10 is made up of six of the most recent King adaptations — yay, progress! — including The Outsider, which hit HBO in 2020.

Some titles, like The Dead Zone with Anthony Michael Hall, that happened before Peak TV don’t have enough reviews of their seasons to get series-level scores and are listed alphabetically at the end of the list below (that is, you will see them first as you read down the page). Season 1 of The Dead Zone, for instance, has a 77% score on 13 reviews, but has no scores on its other five seasons and therefore doesn’t meet the criteria for a series-level score (at least half of a show’s seasons must have scores).

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.

Have a look at all Stephen King TV and streaming series ranked by Tomatometer. Have we forgotten your favorite? Remind us in the comments.

Newly added: Salem’s Lot

#2

ems

Adjusted Score: 94749%

Critics Consensus: Carla Gugino carries Gerald’s Game‘s small-scale suspense with a career-defining performance.

Synopsis: A woman accidentally kills her husband during a kinky game. Handcuffed to her bed with no hope of rescue, she…
[More]

p17518238 b v12 ah

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

#4

p571 p v8 aa

Adjusted Score: 90106%

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]

p15473693 b v13 aa

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

5d84d010 59b1 11ea b175 791e911be53d rt poster defaultgif

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

ems

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

p184498 b v7 aa

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

ems

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

p9621445 b v8 ae

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

#12

p14452845 p v8 ab

It (1990)

Tomatometer icon 68%

Adjusted Score: 69352%

Critics Consensus: Though hampered by an uneven second half, It supplies a wealth of funhouse thrills and an idelible 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]

#13

p13133 p v10 az

Adjusted Score: 67196%

Critics Consensus: Tim Matheson’s gripping performance and a strong mood make Sometimes They Come Back an effective, if not wholly revelatory, Stephen King adaptation.

Synopsis: High school teacher Jim Norman (Tim Matheson) reluctantly returns to his hometown with his wife (Brooke Adams) to pursue a…
[More]

#14

ems

Adjusted Score: 67524%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Author Ben Mears returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book only…
[More]

p8135074 b v8 ae

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

#16

ems

Adjusted Score: 50856%

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]

p291635 b v8 ac

Adjusted Score: 43311%

Critics Consensus: Rose Red asks too many questions and provides too few answers to satisfy given its lack of scares — though King completists may enjoy wandering its somewhat mysterious halls.

#18

5d84d010 59b1 11ea b175 791e911be53d rt poster defaultgif

Adjusted Score: 31491%

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.

#20

p31990 v v10 aa

Adjusted Score: 4055%

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]

#21

p21340 p v8 ab

Adjusted Score: 6857%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Determined to save her estranged brother from a suicide cult, a young woman faces murderous children and worse….
[More]

#22

p3635497 p v8 ab

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: While traveling through rural Nebraska, a couple (David Anders, Kandyse McClure) encounters a religious cult of murderous children who worship…
[More]

#23

p24297 p v10 aa

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Hannah (Natalie Ramsey) is the daughter of one of the original members of a murderous cult composed of children who…
[More]

#24

p74978 v v8 ae

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: After her grandmother vanishes, young Jamie (Claudette Mink) decides to stay in the elderly woman’s apartment in Nebraska in order…
[More]

#25

p23503 v v10 aa

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: After learning of a disaster at a remote military base in Antarctica, the CIA sends Capt. Sam Cage (Clayton Rohner)…
[More]

#26

p18276 p v10 aa

Adjusted Score: -1%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: For years, Jon Porter (Michael Gross) has been repressing memories of how his older sister was murdered — and how…
[More]

#27

p18627 p v10 ac

Adjusted Score: -1%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Grace Rhodes (Naomi Watts), who is studying to be a doctor, returns to her hometown as a strange illness is…
[More]

5d84d010 59b1 11ea b175 791e911be53d rt poster defaultgif

Adjusted Score: -1%

Critics Consensus:

p184798 b v7 aa

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

p13665044 b v8 ac

Adjusted Score: -1%

Critics Consensus:


RELATED: All Stephen King Movies Ranked



Like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get more features, news, and guides in your inbox every week.

Source