Under the Dome

:

Season 1
  • Network: CBS
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 24, 2013
Season #: 3, 2, 1
User Score
5.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 450 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 229 out of 450
  2. Mixed: 104 out of 450
  3. Negative: 117 out of 450
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User Reviews

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  1. psyberdelic
    Aug 12, 2013
    1
    I finally turned it off. Stupid people doing stupid things for no apparent reason. It's like half the town is brain dead and just doing whatever without a plan. The rest rape, steal and murder with impunity. If this is a true metaphor for how mankind is dealing with limited resources then we are all in big trouble.
  2. kenowens
    Aug 10, 2013
    1
    Had this followed Stephen King's book it would have been far better than what is being presented now. I gave the show a chance, and liked it at first, but the ongoing implausible and annoyingly inane characters and plot twists have caused me to disconnect. 1/2 way through Season 1 I learn CBS is renewing for 2nd season already. Jeez! I thought maybe I could get through thisHad this followed Stephen King's book it would have been far better than what is being presented now. I gave the show a chance, and liked it at first, but the ongoing implausible and annoyingly inane characters and plot twists have caused me to disconnect. 1/2 way through Season 1 I learn CBS is renewing for 2nd season already. Jeez! I thought maybe I could get through this stinker in 6 more episodes and wrap up this bad piece of fish, only to learn we are going to get served another helping. I think I am going to be sick, so I am stopping, pulling the plug, disconnecting and stop recording "Under the Dome". I can't waste anymore time on this. Have we not learned our lesson with "Lost"?… Expand
  3. aanalin
    Aug 20, 2013
    1
    Started with an intriguing event, but keep trickling pieces of it only seconds every show, it has taken a kid I hate when the kid is the smart one and everybody else is a moron) about a week to even think of my first thought, minutes after the discovery of the dome, "a lab? a power plant or something at the centre but we are wasting time in an asylum. the ratio of nuts vs sane people isStarted with an intriguing event, but keep trickling pieces of it only seconds every show, it has taken a kid I hate when the kid is the smart one and everybody else is a moron) about a week to even think of my first thought, minutes after the discovery of the dome, "a lab? a power plant or something at the centre but we are wasting time in an asylum. the ratio of nuts vs sane people is annoying.… Expand
  4. scifigeek
    Aug 30, 2013
    1
    There's not much sci-fi here except for the dome. Otherwise it's a poorly written, clichéd, and predictable melodrama that should be included in the same category as a soap opera. Where and when it's not clichéd, it is so politically correct as to nearly be a cliché. A Lost wannabe, and a washed down version at that. The characters are cardboard and unbelievable, and the drama feels forcedThere's not much sci-fi here except for the dome. Otherwise it's a poorly written, clichéd, and predictable melodrama that should be included in the same category as a soap opera. Where and when it's not clichéd, it is so politically correct as to nearly be a cliché. A Lost wannabe, and a washed down version at that. The characters are cardboard and unbelievable, and the drama feels forced so much so that the actions and thought processes of the characters are simply ridiculous, unbelievable, and very difficult to watch.… Expand
  5. flekester
    Sep 14, 2013
    1
    I started out really excited about the show. Love the concept! But holy crap...the whole Big Jim killing spree has rendered me as dead as Dody! Cheesy acting from a guy who just came off a great Breaking Bad run. Unbearably slow dialog. The "tension" build ups are just plan boring. I want to know what the dome and egg are, but I can't stand another week of C rated soap opera plot.I started out really excited about the show. Love the concept! But holy crap...the whole Big Jim killing spree has rendered me as dead as Dody! Cheesy acting from a guy who just came off a great Breaking Bad run. Unbearably slow dialog. The "tension" build ups are just plan boring. I want to know what the dome and egg are, but I can't stand another week of C rated soap opera plot. Shame that so many great minds came together to put out such a flat product.… Expand
  6. ngb222
    Sep 17, 2014
    1
    This show is so bad, So so bad. I kept thinking it would get better. But after watching the 2nd to last show in season 2 I am speechless at how badly written and clunky and the acting is. It is not even laugh at bad, it is grimace bad.
  7. SluggerOToole
    Sep 21, 2014
    1
    Flat cheezy characters with motives that have to be completely transparent... Retread archetypes that you've seen in 50 previous shows... Bad guys are a politician and a hipster kid... Yes this is tv for yokel morons.
  8. Swampguy
    Sep 25, 2014
    1
    This may not be the worst TV series ever, but it ranks right up there. Horrible acting, hackneyed dialogue ("this is what the dome wants," "the dome has chosen me," yadda-yadda). It's like they they cribbed themes from "Lost" and "Heroes" and transmogrified them into the most inane drivel. It boggles one's mind that somebody would put up all the millions it took to produce two seasons ofThis may not be the worst TV series ever, but it ranks right up there. Horrible acting, hackneyed dialogue ("this is what the dome wants," "the dome has chosen me," yadda-yadda). It's like they they cribbed themes from "Lost" and "Heroes" and transmogrified them into the most inane drivel. It boggles one's mind that somebody would put up all the millions it took to produce two seasons of this series, or that the network would give it all that air time. I can't believe I wasted two seasons watching this potboiler. Since things were left hanging in the season finale, one assumes there will be -- God knows why -- a third season. Which you could not pay me to watch. Will the townspeople escape the dome? Will everyone live happily ever after? What does the dome REALLY want? Does anyone remotely care? Not I...… Expand
  9. pguizze
    Oct 14, 2015
    1
    Started well and finished awfully stupid. The worse tv serie I saw since years.
    I understand why King left the serie in the middle.
    The 3rd season was full of of romance everywhere where it was supposed to be a sci-fi serie !
  10. bob516
    Aug 3, 2013
    0
    The roles the actors are asked to play are not characters, they are caricatures, thinly draw yet at times comically over exaggerated. The insanely jealous 'boyfriend' is the worst of many examples. No matter how good a story might be (and I won't even stick around to see how the story evolves) I cannot get past such a flaw in the writing.
  11. joef123
    Jul 11, 2013
    0
    I had really high hopes for this show, it was just awful. I'm going to give it a 0/10, I just didn't like one thing about it. This is awful. Its just terrible.
  12. marv41
    Jul 2, 2013
    0
    Sorry.....I'm a huge fan of the book and these re-writes are TERRIBLE. There's a big reason why Stephen King is mega-famous and the writers of this show are not. Horribly disappointed. Read the book....it's amazing.
  13. Muxinger
    Jul 7, 2013
    0
    It seems like the show's creators have been living under a dome. Do the creators of a network series like this even watch TV? If so, obviously not shows like Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, etc. It's hard to point out exactly where this series goes wrong because there is so much wrong here. The script is so transparent, the exposition so clumsy,It seems like the show's creators have been living under a dome. Do the creators of a network series like this even watch TV? If so, obviously not shows like Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, etc. It's hard to point out exactly where this series goes wrong because there is so much wrong here. The script is so transparent, the exposition so clumsy, it's painful to watch the actors go through the motions of their flat, clichéd characters. They seem uninspired and bored. It feels like I'm watching a soap. Even the soundtrack is like a soap. Sad. Dumb. Sad. Et tu, Speilberg?… Expand
  14. xanderdeen
    Jul 16, 2013
    0
    This is defiantly the worst show of the summer. The acting and writing is just awful, the plot is predictable, and it is just terribly made. CBS programming has been pretty trashy in the last couple years. This show confirms this for me. If you like decent programming stay away from this show.
  15. Knacion
    Sep 9, 2013
    0
    This is getting more and more stupid I guess they are just going to kill everyone and the only one left will be Big Jim. There is no sense to this. Where did this giant reservior come from in the middle of the town? it is a physical impossibility. Typical Stephen King trash.
  16. atillathehen15
    Aug 20, 2013
    0
    How can Stephen King be a party to this disconnected, uninteresting series? I read the book and it was a real page-turner. This show is so far removed from the story in the book, that I don't even watch it anymore. There's going to be a season 2? That would be dragging it out far too long; but then it really isn't Under the Dome.. Very disappointed.
  17. potential178
    Aug 20, 2013
    0
    One of the most difficult-to-watch train wrecks of a show I've had the misfortune of viewing in recent years. I feel badly for the actors; bad direction, terrible cliché writing, flat inconsistent characters even skilled actors would be set up for failure.

    Breaking Bad: 74/100 Under the Dome: 72/100 clearly the "metascore" on here is quite meaningless if one of the best shows on    One of the most difficult-to-watch train wrecks of a show I've had the misfortune of viewing in recent years. I feel badly for the actors; bad direction, terrible cliché writing, flat inconsistent characters even skilled actors would be set up for failure.

    Breaking Bad: 74/100 Under the Dome: 72/100 clearly the "metascore" on here is quite meaningless if one of the best shows on television and one of the worst score a mere 2 points apart.    … Expand
  18. darkMATTER_II
    Aug 27, 2013
    0
    Horrendous acting and writing. There is something completely off about this show and it is the setting. Why is no one worried that they are trapped in a dome? No one is rationing food. People are out walking their dogs like it's just another normal day. Main characters are laying in their beds at night reading a book under the light of their bed side lamps. Speaking of which, where isHorrendous acting and writing. There is something completely off about this show and it is the setting. Why is no one worried that they are trapped in a dome? No one is rationing food. People are out walking their dogs like it's just another normal day. Main characters are laying in their beds at night reading a book under the light of their bed side lamps. Speaking of which, where is everyone getting there electricity from? (I know, the whole propane story, but shouldn't they be rationing it for when it is ABSOLUTELY necessary?)

    I am baffled that this show gets so many viewers and shows that are truly great get so little in comparison...    … Expand
  19. mtl2la
    Sep 3, 2013
    0
    Apart from Rachelle Lefevre, Mike Vogel and Britt Robertson, this sow is laughable beyond measure. The dialogue is kindergarten grade and the directing is amateurish. The writing is probably the worst part of it but the cast is a close second with atrocious performances. Too bad there isn't any Razzie Awards for TV shows.
  20. Tof006
    Sep 16, 2013
    0
    All characters are really bad. The history is really not interesting compared to the book. It's a real disaster.
    Why waste so much money on a so bad show ?
    Angie died at the beginning of SK's book, she should have died in this show as the actress doesn't know what to do here... they invented a script for her but it's really a low level one.
  21. thamilton
    Sep 17, 2013
    0
    I thought (at the beginning) that this was a good series. Now i am completely disappointed. We are at episode 13 of the first season. I just found out that this is only season one. Are you kidding me! In the book the time frame was a couple of weeks. They are milking this series to the max! And not doing a good job of it either. This series sucks!
  22. Blackops1231
    Sep 7, 2014
    0
    I watched a couple episodes a long time ago and it looked really lame and boring. The characters were bland and the dialogue was very poor. It was also very slow and boring. I just felt like I was wasting my time watching it and I never will again. You should definitely skip watching this one. Hope this helped.
  23. drcrider
    Jun 16, 2014
    0
    awful awful show. cliche characters, predictable plot, poor acting. Its a shame that truly creative shows like hello ladies on HBO end after one season and tripe like this nonsense lurches on....
  24. diager
    Jul 15, 2014
    0
    Terrible show... poor acting (when its not over acting of which there is quite a lot), very dated directing and absolutely no chemistry between any of the major characters. And some chemistry is definitely needed since none of the characters are interesting enough to stand on their own. And the Barbie character... omg... no matter what the crisis, he behaves as if he's entering a bar for aTerrible show... poor acting (when its not over acting of which there is quite a lot), very dated directing and absolutely no chemistry between any of the major characters. And some chemistry is definitely needed since none of the characters are interesting enough to stand on their own. And the Barbie character... omg... no matter what the crisis, he behaves as if he's entering a bar for a night on the town. The dude seriously can't act.… Expand
  25. theflash956
    Aug 5, 2014
    0
    Under the dome has progressively got worse. I read the book and enjoyed the first few episodes but now it is just predictable and boring. I personally facepalm a minimum of 5 times each episode. Ignoring the fact that 60% of the things that happen don't even make any sense. "Sandstorm occurs and if somehow the winds hit every wall the dome gets clogged, and setting up a tiny fan to shootUnder the dome has progressively got worse. I read the book and enjoyed the first few episodes but now it is just predictable and boring. I personally facepalm a minimum of 5 times each episode. Ignoring the fact that 60% of the things that happen don't even make any sense. "Sandstorm occurs and if somehow the winds hit every wall the dome gets clogged, and setting up a tiny fan to shoot water 5 meters saves the city in 1 min flat." that is just plane stupid. I had high hopes for this season 1 but i cant bring my self to watch the next episode.… Expand
  26. GluedtotheTV
    Aug 26, 2014
    0
    Bottom line: this is a terrible show.

    No one who has ever seen a TV series can with a serious face appreciate Under the Dome on any level. In fact, comparing this to the dozens of shows I have followed in my life (currently I'm watching 70 different series a year), I'm convinced that Under the Dome is the worst TV series I have ever seen. Giving it a score of one would be too kind.    Bottom line: this is a terrible show.

    No one who has ever seen a TV series can with a serious face appreciate Under the Dome on any level. In fact, comparing this to the dozens of shows I have followed in my life (currently I'm watching 70 different series a year), I'm convinced that Under the Dome is the worst TV series I have ever seen. Giving it a score of one would be too kind.

    The characters are laughably birdbrained. Their decisions make no sense, they change their minds all the time without direction. They get themselves in trouble because they are so massively stupid, and they turn against each other on a whim even though only a second earlier they were friends. Then there are characters who for some reason just disappear for several episodes. The people outside the dome (who for some reason are almost non-existent from the show) can consider themselves lucky for being isolated from this town of morons.

    The plot lines are so bad they make me cry. Introduced plot lines are soon forgotten, abandoned or buried for no reason. They leave so many questions unanswered. The challenges that are thrown at the town are faced with the intelligence of a five-year-old and pseudo-scientific solutions. There are so many holes in the plot that it makes Swiss cheese jealous.

    But the worst thing has to be the dialogue. There is nothing good to say about it. It is just so absolutely inane. Like during the fifth episode when Jim and Rebecca tried to release a deadly virus to kill a large part of the town population. What did Julia say about this to the townspeople? This: "What Big Jim and Rebecca tried to do yesterday is inexcusable. But it's not unforgivable." What? What kind of stupid comment is that after they tried to kill hundreds of people? The dialogue is completely void of emotion, reason and logic.

    Some viewers say we shouldn't take this show too seriously. To them this is just a little bit of fun summer entertainment. Unfortunately this is not the case. There are many shows out there that are made for fun and that don't take themselves too seriously, and yet they manage to make sense. Under the Dome however does not do this. It takes itself too seriously while not making any sense. It is just an appalling insult to human intelligence and should under no circumstances be praised. Even playing Russian Roulette with six bullets in the chamber is more fun than watching this show.

    There is no reason for anyone to even call this show "OK", "decent" or "passable". Let's call this what it is: a sad, pathetic excuse for a TV show without any redeeming qualities. I have no idea how on earth a bunch of professional writers and producers have managed to create something this bad. They should hang their heads in shame.    … Expand
  27. ReedBosgoed
    Aug 11, 2014
    0
    I don't even know where to begin with this absolute train wreck. The dialogue is awful, the pacing is off, the acting is at the best of times bad, at the worst of times I would liken it to a 3rd grade play where the kids were given no time to rehearse.

    My roommate is obsessed with this show and I've been forced to sit through several episodes of the second season. Now, everybody loves    I don't even know where to begin with this absolute train wreck. The dialogue is awful, the pacing is off, the acting is at the best of times bad, at the worst of times I would liken it to a 3rd grade play where the kids were given no time to rehearse.

    My roommate is obsessed with this show and I've been forced to sit through several episodes of the second season. Now, everybody loves plot twists. Everybody enjoys being thrown tat curve-ball that makes think. The thing is, at some point, the plot twists actually have to start MAKING SENSE. Much like the disjointed **** that was "Lost", "Under the Dome"s writers seem to just sit around in a circle throwing out random ideas. You know what would be cool? Nuclear butterflies! Oh! And psychic visions! And religious zealots! And genetic pathogens! And a dead girl from 1985! And a mysterious chasm under the school that sends you back in time! AND! AND! AND...etc, etc.

    It wouldn't be so bad if there was some kind of line drawn between any of this nonsense. There isn't as far as I can tell. Just a group of hack writers with a fistful of crayons and a nice fat paycheck.

    After all the critics raved about this show all last year, I thought I was missing something great. This is bar none the worst show I have seen in a number of years. Awful, just awful, it's the television equivalent of a hydrochloric acid enema.    … Expand
  28. samurai1855
    Aug 18, 2014
    0
    This show really sucks. The characters are very annoying. Why would a journalist be in charge of a town? Why does a town even need a leader in the first place? Most characters have ridiculous dialog. The story kind of sucks too. I am only watching this show in hopes of seeing some aliens that will destroy Chester's Mill.
  29. rainbow29
    Aug 24, 2014
    0
    this is the worst show I've ever seen - simply a waste of time. The producers are living under a dome.I am amazed how this can be continued at all. really looking forward to its cancellation.
  30. jronne
    Oct 1, 2014
    0
    just not well written and poorly acted. Absurd predictable stupid storyline. Compared to a decent series like breaking bad or lost this series is a joke.
  31. cfernandomaciel
    May 7, 2015
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I read the book and was very excited about the show when it began. But right after the forth episode things began to get really wakko and shallow.

    They turned what could have been a great TV show into some average low IQ cheap soap-opera.

    It's insane how fast the characters seem to change sides, from being the good ones to becoming the bad guys!

    During one episode the entire town is trying to find the responsible for so many improbable deaths and get him hanged, then suddenly something happens, something as strange as little kids' make believe tales, which diverges people attention onto it and nobody really cares any longer about getting the culprit hanged!

    It's even worse! the real responsible who's the one who managed to put the blame to the good guy is clearly caught with his lies, but nobody seems to care about it any longer!

    Wait! There is more! Dale Barbara, after almost getting hanged for crimes that he didn't commit, accused by the real criminal, right after that entire plot being dismissed, resumes to making projects and going on errands with Big Jim!!!!?? Like buddies! And oh boy! Dale Barbara is really the guy, huh?! He can shoot, kick ass, be a good samaritan as good as Mother Thereza, and wait! He is a hell of a pilot too! What is that? Rambo VI?

    It's amazing how bad could the creators of the series turn a Stephen King's novel in so many ways and levels! Not to mention that the only resemblance one can actually find with the book is only the fact that the characters have the same names, the rest, it's nothing, absolutelly nothing like the book.

    That whole thing of the dome having it's own willpower, got as ridiculous as The Forty Four Hundred tv show, and as disappointing as Heroes got to be.

    As a huge fan of Stephen King's novels, I tried to give it a shot, actually I went really far down into the show, too far for my normal taste. I deeply regret to have wasted so much time with that series, and it's sad how a good book with so many aspects that could have actually helped to save the show could be so easily dismissed.

    Big cliche TV Show, filled with shallow characters, unsteady as a bipolar's opinions; a hectic plot with so many unsolved cliffhangers, that were so many times dismissed as nothing. It's full of cheap dialogues. It's a drag.

    I cannot give any score but a full fledged zero to it. For it was even a waste of money.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Best TV Season of 2013
5
#5 Most Discussed TV Season of 2013
36
#36 Most Shared TV Season of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 35
  3. Negative: 1 out of 35
  1. Denver Post
    Reviewed by: Joanne Ostrow
    Jun 24, 2013
    80
    Not only is it creepy, suspenseful and full of splendid special effects, veteran actors and fresh young faces, but it's laced with big thoughts about environmentalism and the future of the planet.
    Read full review
  2. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Jun 24, 2013
    70
    You don't immediately sense how all of the characters are connected or how they might eventually become connected--most of the pilot is scene-setting and mood-building--but what's onscreen is compelling.
    Read full review
  3. Salon
    Reviewed by: Willa Paskin
    Jun 24, 2013
    70
    Based on just one episode, it’s hard to tell how the series will unfold, but the mood, threatening, uneasy, a little kinky, is there, and that just might be enough.
    Read full review
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