Season two of Under The Dome , the CBS hit based on Stephen King’s novel, doesn’t hit the small screen until this summer, but fans can get a sneak peek now.
The Season Two premiere episode was written by Stephen King. King has defended the show to his fans that were not happy with how much the series deviated from his novel. King wrote a letter to his fans, basically telling them that while he felt their pain, he had given his blessing to the television incarnation. He also encouraged them to re-read the novel, but to look a little closer at the series, and give it a chance.
“If you loved the book when you first read it, it’s still there for your perusal. But that doesn’t mean the TV series is bad, because it’s not. In fact, it’s very good. And, if you look closely, you’ll see that most of my characters are still there, although some have been combined and others have changed jobs.”
To adapt Under The Dome to a continuing television series, as opposed to a two or three night mini-series, changes obviously had to be made. The premise of the novel is, per the title, a town, Chester’s Mill, that is trapped under a mysterious dome. The series will span months, if not years, while the novel spanned just about a week. Immediate differences in some main characters were noted, including Dale “Barbie” Barbera, played by Mike Vogel; the “Barbie” in the series is younger, and much better looking than the “Barbie” in the novel. The same also holds for Julia Shumway, played by Twilight alum Rachelle Lefevre, much younger, much prettier, and the romantic spark between the two main characters comes to fruition much quicker on the small screen. Few characters had a better turn in the series than Angie McAlister, played by Britt Robertson. Stephen King’s version had Angie meet a pretty gruesome end fairly quickly; on the small screen, Angie has made it to Season Two.
In addition to the sneak peek that was released, Brian K. Vaughn, who is one of the Executive Producers of Under The Dome , hinted that there could be a few more funerals in Chester’s Mill this season:
“No one is safe in this town.”
Well, this is based on a Stephen King novel, after all. Vaughn’s partner in crime, Neal Baer, added fuel to the fire, teasing that there will be two new residents of Chester’s Mill, a young, strong-willed school teacher who will challenge Big Jim, and Junior Rennie’s uncle, who is out to cause “Barbie” some trouble. Considering that “Barbie” faced execution last season, it is unclear just how much more trouble he can face this season. Under The Dome’s next season starts on CBS, Monday, June 30 at 10 PM.