10 TV Shows That Would Have Been Better Off As Anthologies

8. Under The Dome

Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, Under The Dome is currently a staple of CBS' summer programming, slated to return for a second season this June. The show started promisingly, but ratings and reviews have steadily declined. The showrunners have stated that they hope for a solid five seasons to tell the complete story, which deviates in several major ways from King's 1,000+ page tome. The discussion here is less about the quality of Under The Dome and more about the choice to adapt it over some of King's other work. Rather than extending and changing one of King's longer books to fit the multi-season arc structure, why not adapt some of his novellas for an ongoing anthology series? For example: Full Dark, No Stars and Four Past Midnight, among others, provide the chance to delve into King's work and present a variety of stories all with the same name recognition attached. Even some of his shorter novels, such as The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, are ripe for adaptation in a limited series capacity. With the success of American Horror Story, it's not out of the realm of possibility for another anthology horror series to succeed on cable television or even a mainstream network.