Television series

The Mist

Name: The Mist
Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
Released: 2017
Cast: Alyssa Sutherland, Okezie Morro, Russell Posner, Danica Curcic, Morgan Spector

Other titles called The Mist: the 2007 film.

Stephen King's creeping disaster tale, adapted for television. A small town fractures when a mysterious mist isolates it from the world, forcing strangers and enemies into desperate proximity. Social order collapses fast. It's atmospheric and bleak, built on dread rather than gore, asking what people become when civilization's guardrails disappear. For fans of slow-burn apocalypse and moral deterioration.

TVMaze rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like horror that works through human panic and moral collapse, where the monsters matter less than what neighbours do to each other when the rules fall away, much like the slow-burn dread of King's own small-town stories.

Skip it if you want the creature frights up front, since the mist is more a pressure cooker for arguments and cruelty than a steady stream of scares, and the family drama gets a lot of airtime before the fog arrives.

What it asks of you: Ten hour-long episodes that take their time setting up the family before the fog closes in, so expect patience with the grim domestic material before the pace properly tightens.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Under the Dome2013

Another King adaptation about a town cut off from the outside world. Explores how isolation and enforced proximity breed paranoia, corruption, and violence. Similar trapped-community dynamics with increasing desperation.

But The later seasons lose focus and become increasingly convoluted. Some plot threads go nowhere, and the pacing can feel padded for network television.

The Leftovers2014

Masterful portrait of a community fractured by inexplicable catastrophe. Shifts between cosmic mystery and intimate human suffering. Dark, ambitious, completely committed to exploring what breaks people.

But Relentlessly grim and emotionally exhausting. Some episodes are deliberately difficult to watch. Requires patience for abstract, non-linear storytelling.

Castle Rock2018

Anthology series that mines King's mythology for unsettling, character-driven horror. Each season weaves supernatural dread with small-town secrets. Atmospheric and genuinely creepy without relying on jump scares.

But Deliberately oblique and slow. Some viewers find it frustratingly vague. The horror is psychological rather than visceral, which won't satisfy those wanting clear answers.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Mist

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Mist2007

Same source material, entirely different approach. The film is claustrophobic and brutal; the show is sprawling and investigative. Watching both reveals what each medium does best.

Darabont's film adaptation of the same King story is masterful—a locked-room thriller about a supermarket besieged by nightmarish creatures. Stripped-down, visceral, and morally devastating. The ending is genuinely haunting.

But The TV series expands and softens what the film does in 127 brutal minutes. Some will prefer the film's compressed intensity and refusal to blink.

The Outsider2020

King adaptation that starts as a crime procedural then becomes something stranger and bleaker. Outstanding ensemble cast. The sense of wrongness builds methodically, making the supernatural feel inevitable.

But First three episodes are a slog of police work. Tone shifts dramatically partway through, which some find jarring. Very long for what it's trying to say.

Yellowjackets2021

Survival story where isolation breeds cult-like desperation and psychological fracture. Jumps between past and present to show how trauma reshapes people. Morally murky and genuinely unsettling.

But Sprawling and complex, sometimes to a fault. Mythology builds faster than it pays off. Some plot threads feel like they're spinning rather than advancing.

Lost2004

Genre-defining ensemble drama about castaways confronting isolation, mystery, and each other. Character-driven with genuine stakes. Proves that TV can sustain ambition and strangeness across multiple seasons.

But Becomes convoluted as it progresses. The ending divides audiences sharply. Later seasons prioritize mystery boxes over emotional coherence.

Carnivàle2003

Depression-era dark fantasy about a traveling circus and a preacher's son. Ornate, dread-soaked, deliberately paced. Every frame feels painted. A masterclass in mood and visual storytelling.

But Cancelled before resolving its mythology, leaving major threads hanging. Very slow. The narrative sometimes feels scattered across too many characters and storylines.

The Twilight Zone1959

Foundational anthology where ordinary people face existential breakdown and moral failure. Each episode is tight and shocking. The best ones linger like nightmares. Essential viewing for anyone who loves speculative horror.

But Uneven in quality—some episodes are dated or feel slight. The preachy moralism can feel heavy-handed. Black and white presentation isn't for everyone.

Brand New Cherry Flavor2021

A woman arrives in Los Angeles obsessed with revenge against those who wronged her. Strangely beautiful, darkly funny, and genuinely unsettling. 1990s setting and practical effects give it tactile, lived-in weirdness.

But Tonal whiplash between comedy, horror, and melodrama might feel unfocused. Some viewers find it deliberately alienating. Only one season, so commitment is lighter but satisfaction is incomplete.

Miracle Workers2019

Both watch society break down, but Miracle Workers finds the comedy in collapse while The Mist finds the horror. Seeing the same scenario inverted is strangely clarifying.

Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi as angels trying to prevent apocalypse through bureaucratic nonsense. Absurdist comedy where the world is ending but nobody's taking it seriously. Wildly inventive and genuinely hilarious.

But Tonal register is completely opposite—gleeful and goofy rather than dread-soaked. Sketch-comedy DNA means some bits land better than others. Not for viewers wanting their apocalypse played straight.

The Fountain2006

Both explore what isolation does to people and their capacity for connection. The Mist is external catastrophe; The Fountain is internal ones. Both suggest that sometimes you cannot escape what's closing in.

Darren Aronofsky's three-timeline meditation on death, love, and human isolation. Visually staggering and musically devastating. A technical achievement that also destroys you emotionally. Each viewing reveals new patterns.

But Aggressively non-linear and abstract. Some find it pretentious or opaque. Requires active engagement; it doesn't explain itself. Not a plot movie—more a feeling crystallized into images.