Why CBS’ The Stand Has A Huge Advantage Over The 1994 Miniseries

Stephen King’s The Stand is one of the author’s most epic and celebrated stories, but there’s something about King’s work that doesn’t translate very well on screen, including in the miniseries version of The Stand made for television in 1994. Now, with a new adaptation for CBS All Access nearing release, audiences can only hope the beloved novel receives the treatment it deserves. The good news is that producers have a significant advantage this time, given the freedom offered by CBS’s streaming platform.

The last time The Stand was adapted was for a miniseries that aired on the ABC television network in 1994. While generally well-received at the time, it fell into the usual pitfalls of a lot of King adaptations, with cheesy acting and low-budget effects that leave audiences imagining how much better it could have been. Plus, when seen today, the ’94 miniseries simply does not hold up for modern audiences. A story as epic as this (the complete and uncut edition of The Stand novel clocks in at 1,138 pages, even longer than IT by 14 pages) deserves a large budget, quality actors, and the freedom to explore more of the horror, graphic descriptions, and vulgarity that are King’s signatures.

Of course, the world of television was a lot different back in ’94. Larger budgets were reserved for movies rather than TV shows, even limited miniseries like ABC’s The Stand was held to a much lower bar than anything made for the big screen. In those days, most actors who worked in movies avoided television as it was thought to be inferior to moviemaking. Today, the lines in quality between television and movies are blurred, especially when it comes to streaming services, and television shows are now also entitled to significant budgets, A-list actors, and quality that often rivals the movies these days. As such, the newest miniseries version of The Stand has the potential to be truly epic. CBS All Access is not bound by the ratings limitations of standard television. Hopefully, producers take advantage of this and are better able to adapt The Stand truer to King’s novel.

CBS’ The Stand Should Be Better Than The 1994 Miniseries

CBS All Access is in the same league as streaming platforms like Netflix and HBO Go. CBS’ streaming platform doesn’t censor graphic content, language, or ideas considered too much for children. Given this freedom, the newest adaptation of The Stand should be better than the old one. For starters, the CBS series has a strong cast to back it up, including James Masden (Westworld) as Stu Redman, Whoopi Goldberg as Mother Abigail, and Alexander Skarsgard as Randall Flagg, to name a few. It’s also been billed for nine episodes, for a total runtime of close to nine hours total.

One thing that could make or break the new The Stand miniseries is Skarsgard’s performance as Randall Flagg. If Skarsgard can portray the cruel trickster from the book, the new series could be really good. There are several scenes in the novel that show Flagg’s total disregard for others, where he tortures people and laughs while doing it. Overall, the most memorable scenes from the book are classic King, which would be great to see in the miniseries. With the freedom of CBS All Access, hopefully, producers can better portray the horror in King’s novel.

It would be amazing to see the full oozy impact of the dead bodies everywhere, the terror of the Lincoln Tunnel scene, and some of the crazy things that happen near the end of civilization, such as the executions on TV. It would also be great to see the full glory of The Trashcan Man blowing up the oil tankers, as well as the death of Rita Blakemoor and the look of that green vomit drying in her mouth that serves as motivation for Larry Underwood’s change. Hopefully, the disabled characters are handled better too, such as deaf Nick Andros and intellectually disabled Tom Cullen being hypnotized and sent to spy on Flagg’s people. The point is, without so many restrictions, The Stand on CBS All Access has the potential to be great.

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