CBS has announced today a straight-to-series order for Under the Dome from Spielberg’s Amblin Television. It remains to be seen if Spielberg’s involvement transcends financials, but the property is a serialized one thanks in part to its Stephen King-written source material which is just the type of thing that viewers have been clamoring for from the big four, but the downside remains: this show will reside on a network that skews heavily towards those over the age of 50. After witnessing the mediocrity that is Vegas, there is the concern that we should not eat the cookie until we see it.
Say what you want about the brilliance of Steven Spielberg up on the big screen, but his involvement has failed to translate into quality television in recent years thanks in part to his hands-off strategy. The legendary director’s latest projects include Terra Nova, The River, Smash, and Falling Skies; however only Falling Skies and Smash made it to a second season. Perhaps that is why we are not as excited as we normally would be for his most-recent foray into broadcast fare.
Hit the jump for details on Under the Dome’s minus the side of pessimism.
STUDIO CITY, Calif. – CBS has given a straight-to-series order for 13 episodes of UNDER THE DOME, a serialized drama from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel of the same name. The series will be broadcast in summer 2013.
UNDER THE DOME is the story of a small New England town that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. The town’s inhabitants must deal with surviving the post-apocalyptic conditions while searching for answers to what this barrier is, where it came from and if and when it will go away.
CBS and Simon & Schuster will cross-promote the television series and book in advance of the show’s summer launch with the April 2013 re-release of trade paperback and electronic editions from its Pocket Books imprint. UNDER THE DOME was initially published by Simon & Schuster’s Scribner imprint in November 2009, earning widespread critical acclaim and #1 best-seller status.
“This is a great novel coming to the television screen with outstanding auspices and in-season production values to create a summer programming event,” said Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment. “We’re excited to transport audiences UNDER THE DOME and into the extraordinary world that Stephen King has imagined.”
In addition to the featured broadcast on CBS, UNDER THE DOME will have a unique programming model tailored for a summer launch with a multi-platform window available for each episode shortly after the network airing. The series will be distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and worldwide by CBS Studios International.
CBS Television Studios will produce the series in association Amblin Television. Neal Baer, Stephen King, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Stacey Snider and Brian K. Vaughan, who wrote the television adaptation, will serve as executive producers. Acclaimed director Niels Arden Oplev will direct the first episode.