27 Years Later, Stephen King’s Best TV Show Is Still A 3-Part Horror Masterpiece He Scripted Himself

Published Sep 5, 2026, 4:45 PM EDT After 18 months at Screen Rant, Guy became Classic TV Editor in September 2026, and specializes in leading features content about shows from decades gone by. Having written for and editing several TV, film and music publications, his areas of expertise include comedy and satire, animation, crime drama, Westerns, and political thrillers. Stephen King is now more popular than ever as a source of chilling horror stories and murky supernatural drama. So popular, in fact, that one of the best screen renderings of his work has been forgotten amid a surge in the number of King adaptations we’re seeing on television. 27 years after its release, the only horror series he’s ever penned entirely himself remains his greatest TV achievement. But while adaptations of The Outsider, 11.22.63, and Castle Rock have captured legions of viewers and widespread critical acclaim in recent years, along with Mike Flanagan’s innovative interpretations of King’s novels, Storm of the Century has been reduced to a career footnote. This 1999 miniseries is even overlooked when it comes to reassessing King’s most underrated TV shows. Nevertheless, no adaptation of his work in the 20th century comes close to the terror invoked by Storm of the Century’s tale of hellish isolation and merciless penance, which brings the author’s peerless writing to the fore. As exciting a decade as the 2020s has been for Stephen King fans so far, this series from the turn of the millennium is still the gold standard for small-screen storytelling based on his writing. Upcoming TV adaptations of King’s work should be using it as a key reference point for their development and production. Storm Of The Century Remains Stephen King’s Best TV Show Elevated by a truly terrifying performance from Colm Feore, Storm of the Century is a masterpiece of horror storytelling onscreen. Director Craig R. Baxley and producer Thomas H. Brodek made full use of the show’s extraordinary $35 million budget, to create a fully immersive viewing experience for those watching at home. The show is set on Little Tall Island, a fictional place off the coast of Stephen King’s home state, Maine. Likely inspired by the real-life Mount Desert Island, it’s also the setting of King’s 1992 thriller novel Dolores Claiborne, and his 1989 horror story “Home Delivery”. In Storm of the Century, Little Tall Island is beset by a snowstorm of historic proportions, which turns out to have a supernatural cause. When Feore’s André Linoge arrives on the scene, horrifying secrets about the island’s inhabitants come to light, before they’re to take extreme measures to restore apparent normality. Although it rarely gets a mention in conversations around Stephen King’s best TV shows, Storm of the Century is a modern classic of the horror genre, which blends atmospheric visuals and cinematic editing techniques with King’s profoundly imaginative horror screenplay. What’s more, André Linoge is among the best villains the author has ever created. King’s Direct Involvement Helped Storm Of The Century’s Success The main reason ABC was willing to throw tens of millions of dollars at Storm of the Century was clearly Stephen King’s direct involvement in the project. The author’s creation of the series doesn’t just pay off in production terms, though. The fact that every word spoken onscreen was penned by King himself is the real secret to its success. It’s no coincidence that Storm of the Century is one of the most quotable TV series he’s been a part of. Each piece of dialogue was crafted by King specifically with the show in mind. André Linoge is responsible for some of the most blood-curdling lines in the author’s canon, from the timeless epigram “Hell is repetition”, to his murderous mantra “Born in lust, turn to lust. Born in sin, come on in.” Meanwhile, protagonist Mike Anderson is one of his most compelling first-person narrators, precisely because his narration was written for the screen. It’s fitting that King has named Storm of the Century his favorite TV show among those to have used his work. The miniseries is Stephen King’s storytelling fully realized on the small screen. It isn’t just faithful to King’s writing. It is King’s writing, and King’s writing at its very best. Anyone who’s looking for a new adaptation of the author’s work to binge should go back and watch this masterpiece. You might not sleep very well after watching Storm of the Century, but you’ll certainly get your Stephen King fix. Release Date February 14, 1999 Runtime 257 minutes Director Craig R. Baxley Writers Stephen King