Every Stephen King TV Show, Ranked Worst to Best

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – June 3, 2021

Originally a reluctant convert to television, best-selling horror author Stephen King has seen over two dozen projects bearing his name reach the small screen over the past 40+ years, from Salem's Lot to the just-launched Lisey's Story. While most of these have been adaptations of King's novels and stories, a few were wholly new projects written by the author directly for TV. Some have been deeply mediocre at best, but quite a few of King's TV shows have received a warm welcome from critics.

In the gallery on this page, we rank every Stephen King series from worst to best by Metascore, reflecting the critical consensus at the time of each show's debut. Miniseries are included alongside conventional TV shows, but made-for-TV movies are excluded.

20 of 26 photo by Hulu/Alex Dukay

69 11.22.63 (Hulu, 2016)

Based on the novel 11/22/63 (2011)

[#6] One of King's best-received (and least typical) novels of the past two decades, 11/22/63 found the author in sci-fi mode with a story about a high school teacher who uses a time portal to head back from the (then-) present day to the year 1958 (changed to 1960 in the series) in an attempt to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This J.J. Abrams-produced eight-part miniseries adaptation finds James Franco playing the teacher, while Chris Cooper and Sarah Gadon also star. Some critics were disappointed in the uneven result, but many more found it entertaining and stylish.

“It's totally far-fetched, but the roles are so well-cast and the 1960s texture so evocatively re-created (Jake goes from starry-eyed nostalgia to shock when he sees segregated bathroom signs) that 11.22.63 makes the trip back in time both suspenseful and enjoyable.” —Kristi Turnquist, The Oregonian

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