Golden Years (1991) User Reviews

Just for real fans of Stephen King and/or "X-Files"

[Bored_Dragon · 6/10 · 7 May 2018]

"Golden Years" is a 1991 series, based on Steven King's idea, for which most of the scenario he wrote personally. The first season consisted of 7 episodes in a total duration of about 6 hours and ended with cliffhanger. Unfortunately, from episode to episode series had weaker and weaker ratings, so it was canceled. For the purpose of DVD release it was turned into a film. It was shortened to 4 hours and an alternate ending was filmed, so it doesn't stay unfinished.

The idea is great, story and characters are developing well and it had the potential to be one of the better King's accomplishments. Unfortunately, it's not. The first hour is so slow and boring that I was on the verge of giving up. Later, the story becomes more and more exciting, and once you get yourself attached to the characters, 4 hours just fly by. Nevertheless, there is an omnipresent feeling that something is wrong. As much as they skillfully turned the six-hour season into a four-hour film, although I did not watch the original version, I always felt that something was missing. But all of this would not have a major impact on the overall impression if there wasn't for a catastrophically bad ending, which so obviously does not belong to this film-series that it's simply painful to see. The story develops for 4 hours in its slow but atmospheric natural pace, and then suddenly ends, as a knife cut, with the end that is forcefully sewn to where it doesn't fit.

However, I recommend King's fans to watch it anyway, as well as fans of the series "X-Files", because the film has an atmosphere very similar to this series, as well as a couple of joint actors that enhance this impression. All in all, I enjoyed it, but I would not watch it again.

6/10

Better than most

[jfg1-1 · 5/10 · 21 December 2004]

I won't bother to list the cast, as others have done that. I will say that the cast was excellent, and did their jobs admirably.

I have not read "The Book", so I can't compare. The series as it stood, though, was rather good. That is, it had promise. I understand that the original intent was to make a full series but for reasons unknown it was cut short. The ending leaves much to be desired as it causes more questions than it answers. I would very much like to see a continuation of "Golden Years" to see where Mr. King intended to go with the story. I wish the Sci Fi channel would pick this show up and run it again. I have not seen it since the summer the Sci Fi channel premiered and they ran a number of short run shows.

Uneven Stephen King Drama!

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 15 December 2017]

I just saw "Golden Years" for the first time on DVD. It was originally broadcast as a seven episode mini series on TV. It's not your usual Stephen King fare. There are no gory monsters or what you would call horror elements that are present in most Stephen King adaptations. The story is about a 70 year old man, Harlan Williams (Keith Szarabajka) who is exposed to an unknown substance following an explosion in the lab of "mad scientist" Dr. Toddhunter. Harlan suddenly begins to exhibit signs of becoming younger much to the concern of his wife Gina (Frances Sternhagen) and the "Shop". Terry Spann (Felicity Huffman) is the security chief of the science lab complex. General Louis Crews (Ed Lauter) is a rather uninvolved military head. The "Shop" has sent hit man Jude Andrews (R.D. Call) to investigate the matter. His superiors want to question Harlan and find out the effects of the poisoning to his system. Andrews wastes no time in taking over the investigation. Dr. Ackerman (John Rothman) is forced to assist Williams but is "taken out" when he no longer serves a purpose. A similar fate befalls Eye Doctor Eakins (J.R. Horne) who had examined Harlan's eyes and discovered their re-generation. Terry takes it upon herself to aid the Williams and gets them to flee. They wind up in Chicago at the home of the Williams' daughter Francie (Harriet Samson Harris) who with the help of friends gives the group which now includes Crews, protection. However, Jude Andrews has not given up the chase and through devious means, locates the fugitives and... The cast in general, give excellent performances particularly Szarabajka and Sternhagen as the Williams. Felicity Huffman is a little to young and glamorous to be taken seriously as a security chief. Lauter as the General seems a little unsure of his role in the proceedings. Stephen Root as Major Moreland is out of place here as the inept personnel guy. I found the ending to be a little bizarre and unexplained. And..what becomes of mad scientist Toddhunter who started all of this mess in the first place?.

Good buildup, poor payoff.

[Victor Field · 15 January 2003]

Stephen King is no stranger to television, both with adaptations of his work (from "Tales From The Darkside"'s version of 'Word Processor of the Gods' to the miniseries "The Stand") and original scripts (witness "Storm of the Century" and that episode of "The X-Files"). "Golden Years" was his first venture into television originals, and it certainly avoids the depths of "The Shining" (the Kubrick version, not the one with Rebecca DeMornay), but neither is it as effective as "The Dead Zone."

An elderly janitor (Keith Szarabajka in old-age makeup) is caught in an explosion at the plant where he works; he survives, but he soon starts to grow younger, and with his wife (Frances Sternhagen) he goes on the run from the people behind the plant... this blend of "Cocoon" and "The Fugitive" worked for the most part, with Szarabajka's rejuvenation a slow process instead of an overnight thing (by the end of the series he was still pretty old), and his pursuers (Ed Lauter, Felicity Huffman) weren't out-and-out villains. But the series blew it in the final episode, never producing a real finale - it just seemed to stop, leaving a distinct "That was IT?" impression.

Proof that it's never a good idea to rest on your Laurels.

Cancelled series was truncated for video!

[Fredichi · 1/10 · 29 March 2000]

When this series aired I watched most of it. I think it was supposed to be a long running series in the vein of "The Fugitive" and "The Incredible Hulk" where the protagonist is being chased around the country looking for a solution to his problems. In this case the hero's problem is his progressive aging in reverse. I liked what I saw of these shows. The acting was good especially the sorrowful relationship between the lead character and his wife. Problem is: They cancelled it before it had a chance to end. (either that or I missed the last episodes).

They never got a chance to wrap up the story either, knowing it had been cancelled. Poof it was just gone. However, like I said before I might have missed the last episodes. But my proof to the contrary is this: I rented the tape. Where I left off in the series. The lead character's wife dies in a fire started by a chase involving King's famous organization the Shop. While getting away hero is kidnapped. It ends with his friends realizing they have to go save him from the Shop. The end. Last episode. On the video: His wife does not die but escapes the fire with him. Right when he should get nabbed by the Shop, he and his wife share a weird moment then phase out of existence. Abrupt, silly and cheap to the extreme. They just wanted to put this video out and decided to tag on an ending not caring how bad it was. They might as well of just shown some stock footage of the first atomic bomb detonations. Almost Pythonesque.

The show did have a cool opening title sequence set to the David Bowie song of the same name

Lame and Absurd Story

[claudio_carvalho · 2/10 · 8 January 2013]

In a secret research center of the USA, the lunatic, but also genius, Dr. Richard X. Toddhunter (Bill Raymond) ignores the warning signal in the control panel and proceeds with his experiment with a particle accelerator. The laboratory blows-up and his assistant dies and the seventy-year-old janitor Harlan Williams (Keith Szarabajka) is exposed to a green radiation that rejuvenates. However the scientist omits the truth about the accident in the preliminary hearing.

The national security agent Terry Spann (Felicity Huffman) and her lover, General Louis Crewes (Ed Lauter), find the truth about what had happened in the laboratory and unsuccessfully try to shut down the experiment. But the CIA assassin Jude Andrews (R.D. Call) kills whoever tries to conduct a further investigation that may compromise the experiment. Now Terry and Louis decide to protect Harlan and his wife Gina (Frances Sternhagen) from Andrews that wants to bring the janitor to become the guinea pig of Dr. Toddhunter.

Yesterday I lost more than four hours of my life watching the dull "Golden Years" on a double DVD. The lame story is absurd and most of the characters are ridiculous or annoying. There are shootings and executions everywhere without press or politicians taking any action. The acting is below average and the story has no conclusion.

The gangster Jude Andrews kills whoever he wants without any consequence. General Louis Crewes and Terry Spann are military and agent from the security agency without any connection with any superior what seems to be impossible. Major Moreland is an unfunny clown while Dr. Richard X. Toddhunter is the stereotype of a mad scientist. Gina Williams is annoying and unfortunately does not die and stays until the very end. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): "Jovem Outra Vez" ("Young Again")

Complete Crap!

[avisong · 1/10 · 13 November 2007]

Please -- if you haven't attempted to sit through this garbage and are considering viewing this flick/mini-series -- do yourself a favor and find anything else to do. Floss your teeth, start learning to play the cello, beat your dog -- anything you choose will be time better spent than watching this junk. This is not a bad movie that you can get a few chuckles out of -- it simply sucks in every way possible. Just boring from beginning to end.

And for those animal lovers out there that feel my comment above is insensitive -- if your dog could speak, he or she would beg for a beating rather than suffer through watching this mess.

Read the other review but keep an open mind

[jimbopajieboy · 7/10 · 2 February 2007]

This dramatisation is on the whole a good one. Albeit with a weak ending. A reasonable cast help to flesh out this tale of an ordinary (well more or less) man trying to outrun the all powerful authorities. Personally, I sank into this dramatisation like an old pair of slippers. It felt comforting. I appreciate Stephen King for his sympathetic characters and plausible relationships. Once again Kingdeftly demonstrates his exceptional talent for characterisation and human interplay. It may now be a little dated but is still worth a look. Don't be put off by the last review. If you can see past King's title of "Horror" writer (he is worthy of much more) then you will appreciate this.

Sadly, Bad

[DeeJaye6 · 3/10 · 10 June 2008]

Firstly, this is NOT an adaptation of a Stephen King book, short story, novella, or anything else. From EW's Web site, and their review on the show when it first aired, "...he never writes down to his audience, and he never betrays contempt for his subjects. His first original work for television, Stephen King's ''Golden Years'' (CBS, July 16, 9-11 p.m.), is no exception."

The series was apparently going to be (as others have mentioned) an ongoing series, which is why we never saw the ending after the cliffhanger they left us on. But this was never quite made clear to the viewers who were left wondering how it all ends??

When the series came out on videotape, it touted itself as having the "never-before-seen ending!" It should have said, "the should-never-be-seen ending!"

*** Spoiler ***

The very ending was the only significant part changed for the video (though parts of the whole were left out), and that changed ending was what destroyed the story. For example, rather than our two intrepid FBI agents realizing that they were now labeled as bad guys and on the run from the evil Jude Anderson of The Shop (as originally broadcast), Jude simply walks up to them... And they shoot him. Bang, dead, and no real emotion to speak of in the scene. Ditto on the bit with Harlan and his wife going poof. Whereas the original ending left us with a spectacular cliff-hanger, on the video, they simply get out of the cock-a-doodie car.

*** End Spoiler ***

It was a sad ending to a rather well made mini-series, and makes the video completely not worth buying, or even renting. Sincerely, save your money and your time.

Interesting -- Due to its Potential (minor spoilers)

[ColeSear · 7/10 · 30 November 2002]

First: I must say I'm confused by people who say they've read the book I've read all of his books and would advise those who make such claims to check Stephen King's official website and look at his bibliography.

This was an original television series developed by King. A typical episode of an hour long actually runs 46 minutes, so that would mean about 100 minutes were edited off this version but the continuity still works on the video version. We're only left wanting of a final fate for Dr. Toddhunter. I think we could've gotten to better know these characters given the extra time as King loves to delve in deeply into these personalities but I'll look at what we're given.

There was great potential for a long running series here and I don't understand how people never caught on. The acting was uneven especially in Felicity Huffman's performance but the characterization was strong. Some plot points were predictable but King was building great suspense regardless. He added in dovetails to 'Firestarter' with a mention of John Rainbird and an allusion to 'The Stand' with the mention of Captain Trips. R.D. Call was a great King villain playing Jude Andrews and Keith Szarabajka was very sympathetic in the lead.

It's difficult watching this now because you get a sense King was warned the ratings were bad and was given the chance to have some sort of end to the series. So we get one, kind of. We never find out how exactly the chemicals gave him (Harlan) these powers and exactly what Harlan Williams can now do but only settle the dramatic dispute.

As to the regenerating agent. It would've been interesting to learn exactly what the side affects were and what would happen as Harlan got younger and younger but it became difficult. This title now sits along side 'The Plant' (Which King has tried to publish twice) as projects he just can't seem to finish.

And it's a shame I would've liked to have seen where this one was going.

To those who think this series was cancelled early...nope

[vailus-1 · 1/10 · 19 December 2006]

I remember when this show came out. It was originally advertised as a mini-series. At the end of the last episode it said "To Be Continued" to the dismay of all the people who had watched the whole boring beyond words thing. It ended as it was supposed to, so yes, you can blame the series for having no ending. The plan was for there to be another obviously if ratings had been higher, but it was a boring show that way too long, and annoyed people by not ending when it said it would, so they never made any more. Quite a few of the comments blame its cancellation and lack of ending on the viewing public, when the truth is that for this show that is not the case, it ended the way it was actually planned to end, it is just a lousy ending.

Original series was given unfair ending on DVD release.

[dredpirate · 8/10 · 23 October 2005]

Stephen King had a great series with Golden Years, the characters were interesting and interacted well together. A story about an aging janitor (Keith Szarabajka) being exposed to a regenerating agent in a lab explosion on the day he's told he's going to lose his job because he didn't pass an eye examine. You have your basic mad scientist willing to do anything to make his work become a reality, and a government agency willing to do anything for those results.

What really made the series interesting was the fact that the head of security (Felicity Huffman), (who used to work for said government agency) wants to keep the janitor from becoming a lab experiment and his wife (Frances Sternhagen) from becoming a victim. It's a race against time and the authorities to find answers and freedom.

The disappointment between the series and the DVD release came with how the DVD ended the story. I remember where the series ended with the death of his wife and his capture. The DVD ending wasn't bad, but it gave is sort of a fairy tale type ending and left you hanging wondering what happens next.

I do however recommend the DVD for those who have never seen the series, and even for those who have. The story is good, and even if the ending has changed it still ties in with what's happened in the story. Also, for anyone who likes trivia you'll find a lot of references to names and places from other movies and stories by Stephen King.

A rather odd little mini-series.

[Schieben · 7/10 · 5 August 1999]

This was a good little movie, the version shown on tv was not quite the version you can rent at the video store. Overall, it's worth watching, as it has quite a few plot twists. The ending is a little weak, but still a good movie. If you didn't like "Insomnia" (book), you probably won't like Golden Years. Any true 'King fan will love this movie.

very bad

[allianceadd · 2/10 · 8 September 2003]

ok, i am really into King's stuff, but this is just dreadful. the whole movie, i am waiting for the main character to do something profound with his new youth and power. i can tolerate the worst of movies, as anything is better than watching a cut movie with commercials in it. but this takes the cake. i gave it a 2, and i would never recommend it to anyone.

DULL dull dull!

[filmboychris · 1 April 2003]

What was Stephen King thinking writing this dull, derivative yawnfest? A really un-interesting four hours was made out of the simple story of a man caught in an explosion at a factory who starts to get younger, and the various agents of the government who chase him wanting to know what happened. The whole thing could have fitted into an hour, but no , we have to witness every long winded chase and escape plan, plus endlessly tedious scenes of no relevance concerning a completely over the top mad doctor, and un-funny comedy relief provided by an irritating general dogsbody character. To top it all, the thing doesn't even end-just sort of peters out to nothing-no payoff-zilch. Derivative and not worthy of Stephen King's normal high quality-avoid this like the plague. You'll be bored senseless if you watch it, and at 4 hours it is a criminal waste of time.

Oh, dear

[ua-6 · 1/10 · 4 September 2006]

I really hated this movie and it's the first movie written by Stephen King that I didn't finish. I was truly disappointed, it was the worst crap I've ever seen. What were you thinking making three hours out of it? It may have a quite good story, but actors? No. Suspense? No. Romance? No. Horror? No. It didn't have anything.

It's got this strange, crazy science man with Einstein-hair, the classic thing. Not real at all. And a man keep getting younger all the time. It seems like they just used the name of Stephen King to make a crappy, too long movie with nothing exciting at all.

I give this movie "1 (awful)". If they had like -5, I would probably take that instead. It was a total waste of time.

I understand why Stephen King is retiring from writing.

[brundlefly69 · 1/10 · 13 April 2003]

This is without question the worst screen adaptation of a Stephen King work, if not the WORST MOVIE OF ALL TIME! This is an unbelievably horrible movie. I fell asleep on this stinker several times and I wasn't tired! I would rather shoot myself than sit through it again!

Man, oh Man oh Man...

[lathe-of-heaven · 2/10 · 3 January 2007]

Okay, I guess I'm pretty much a fan of spindled, mutilated, and destroyed Stephen King stories (when they reach the 'Screen') as any of us sad Masochists out here. I KNOW full well that most of them are done poorly. I EXPECT it. I PLAN on it. I humbly allow for it...

But, THIS time... GEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ... Okay, so I THINK I saw this thing a number of years ago..., fine. I THOUGHT I remembered that it was pretty good... WRONG... Like I'm saying (granted in a wordy, annoying, roundabout way : ) I really wasn't trying to be snobby or expect much, but what was this thing, a Mini-Series? I have only ONE thing to say, how can you POSSIBLY justify dragging the thing out minute by minute, scene by scene of friggin' ENDLESS, completely MEANINGLESS, and mind numbingly SLOW dialog? I mean EVERY bl**dy scene is two people 'DISCUSSING' how they feel and back and forth and D...R...A...G..I..N..G... .I...T. bl**dy well O...U...T

After about an hour and a half, which I believe is about 1/2 of the running time (I didn't check, sorry : ) I finally got totally fed up! I mean, honestly, after a frigg'n hour and a half what really had happened other than the original accident...? They were running away while the 'Shop' guy was killing eye doctors, news photographers, oh, and let's not forget... LOTS & LOTS & LOTS of meandering dialog.

I'm sorry, I promise that it is not that I have to have non-stop mindless action; I love LOTS of films where not much happens, but in them at least when they DO talk, MEANINGFUL things are being said and characters are being deepened, thoughts are being conveyed... SOMETHING!!!???

Okay, I admit that the actors in and of themselves were not too bad (except Stephen King, of course : ) I liked the Shop guy, I thought both of the 'older' people were fine. I liked the General and the main woman. It's just if they could have cut out all of the HOURS of filler, that's all I'm saying. I mean, it's SUPPOSED to be a Sci Fi Thriller, sort of..., right? You know what really took the prize when the Shop guy was needlessly making one of his MANY, time-filling telephone calls, this time he is talking to God knows WHO, getting all emotional (for him anyway) and acting like he can't handle it... WTF!!!??? The guy has clearly been shown to be a cold blooded, efficient killer. What the HELL was THAT about??? So, just multiply that by about 500 and that is basically why I finally turned if off about half way through; it was either that or hang myself, I swear! I mean there are other King 'adaptations' out there that are lame, but at least they MOVE ALONG...! Oh well, I guess perhaps if you are really into the 'story' itself and don't mind crawling along and have the SUPREME & DIVINE patience to wait until the end, it might be worthwhile.

But, I sincerely and humbly doubt it...

After attempting to watch this, I just HAD to come here and write this or I wouldn't be able to sleep at night (like I did DURING the show! : )

Definitely Not King's Worst

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 2 September 2016]

An explosion in the most secret laboratory of the USA. The old janitor Harlan Williams is incubated by totally unknown chemicals. Now he changes and becomes younger instead of older. The government is interested in finding out everything about this changes and hunts the fugitive Harlan.

Stephen King's made-for-TV movies are so hit and miss. Not sure how much this is his fault, since it's really out of his hands by that point. But either way, I think this happens to be one of the better ones, even if not one of the more famous. Perhaps because it is very, very light on the horror aspects? I'm not sure.

At four hours, the film is long, but actually very well-paced, unlike the dreadfully boring "Langoliers". Allegedly another, longer version exists? I don't know. And even more interesting is how this ties into "Firestarter", though the connection is not obvious and may not have been intended by the director.

The acting is terrible

[PataE73 · 1/10 · 3 October 2000]

I love Stephen Kings work and the book was great but I was very disappointed when I bought this movie on DVD. This was one of the worst B-movies I have ever seen. It feels like they had a tight schedule and only took one shot at every scene even if it turned out to be a bad one. And where did they find the actors.

Better than you might think

[TheNorwegianGuy · 7/10 · 31 December 2013]

I've always liked the movie adaptations of Stephen King's novels. Even most of the bad ones have that "charming" b-movie feel to them.

"Golden Years" is a typical Stephen King adaptation, and I think it's a good one. The story is really good and interesting, and you won't get bored.

This is more a sci-fi than the typical Stephen King horror movie/series, so don't expect bloody gore and guts.

This IS "made for TV" from the early 90s, so don't expect "Spielberg visuals" and jaw-dropping special effects. But if you're able to look past that, I think it's worth a watch. And if you're a fan of other SK- adaptations, it's absolutely for you.

Awful

[thegreenarrow-28184 · 1/10 · 1 July 2019]

Got about 15mins in... im not wathing this krap for another 3 hours and 30 mins..... awful awful awful movie... good rule for Stephen king- if a non horror fan knows the movie ( pet Sematary, IT...ext ) then its good... if somebody whos not a horror fan has never heard of it ( such as this and the langoliers ) then its probally krap

DVD version: A SciFi movie with a truly original premise and glimpses of real people.

[SeanMarshall · 10/10 · 27 February 2004]

DVD version: A SciFi movie with a truly original premise and glimpses of real people.

I've not really enjoyed a Stephen King horror movie since Firestarter. Just so you know my bias I like Stephen King horror books but not his horror movies. I do enjoy his non-horror films. Misery, The Shawshank Redemption, Dolores Claiborne, Apt Pupil, The Green Mile, and Dead Zone (both TV show and movie).

Golden Years is on the slow side, as is to some extent every movie I listed above. Golden Years succeeds like the above movies when it explorers characters in ways we are not used to exploring them.

Golden Years is about relationships, about the love and relationship of an elderly couple. Rarely in any movie or book do we see two characters this rich a history and depth of love. The action in Golden Years is not a lab experiment gone wrong, it is about the world of two people suddenly shaken to its foundation as they both come to realize that they have no control over their future. Golden Years is the story about the fear of leaving someone behind and the story of being afraid of being left behind.

The movie works well when the characters are connecting, unfortunatly not all the characters connect well. All in all there is much to be admired here. All in all this is simply a made for TV mini-series of the type often slapped together in the 80s-early 90s.

Both the TV version and Video version are greatly flawed due to rather odd editing choices. The ending of all three versions is still a bit weak, due I suspect to the last two episodes being written by Josef Anderson. The old age makeup for the lead character Harlen Williams leaves a lot to be desired and is often just plain distracting.

I am saddened that Stephen King feels he doesn't have anything to write about any more. Golden Years deserves to have many of its ideas fully realized in a novel.

Melancholy but tense

[FiendishDramaturgy · 7/10 · 30 August 2003]

Sad, Sweet, Thought Provoking Melancholy Movie of Life and Death and Life.

Everyone from the movie critics to the fans critiques the sesquipedalianality of the movies based on Stephen King's work. They should realize; however, that the novels these movies are based upon are long, descriptive, deep, thought-provoking works which move along chronologically from scene to scene with the grace of a soft, renewing volcanic flow through a huge primeval mountain valley.

This book was no exception.

The Made-For-TV movie, "The Golden Years," was made originally as the springboard for the TV series of the same name. The series was canceled, and someone forgot to wrap it up, disappointing lots of fans out there.

The Movie Review :.

"The Golden Years" was bittersweet, melancholic beauty in its portrayal of the relationship between Harlan Williams (Keith Szarabajka) and Gina (Frances Sternhagen), his wife during the whole ordeal. Their tenderness made us believe they were genuine in their love of one another and the honesty of their relationship was truly uplifting. Made the Fiend's heart go "pitty-patt."

Also delivering a strong performance were Felicity Huffman as Terry Spann, Ed Lauter as Gen. Louis Crewes, R.D. Call as Jude Andrews and Bill Raymond as Dr. Richard X. Toddhunter.

Synopsis:

A lab explosion, caused by an irresponsible, idiotic mad scientist introduces a chain of events which only time can stop...one way or the other.

Harlan Williams has found the fountain of youth, but it's the gift that keeps on giving. He's becoming younger by the day, but if they can't stop it, what happens when he becomes a child again? an infant? a fetus? and then?

Will these two "golden year" lovers be able to find the answers before it's too late for them both?

Well, that's the rest of the movie. I won't tell you how it ends. It's King, so you figure it out for yourself. What I will tell you is that it is a delightful movie made from an even better book (book's ALWAYS better with King) which transports you across the nation, on the wings of a beautiful love story thrown into the sci-fi/horror mix. It is a sweet and wonderful mixture.

It's a lovely movie and one of my favorite King adaptations, even though it does stray from the book, a bit.

It gets a 7.3/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Slow and painful

[matthias12425 · 3/10 · 28 July 2014]

I caught this on Netflix due to the lack of interesting programming. I have watched more B movies than ever before since I signed up for Netflix but I usually finish the movies I watch since they are mostly background noise. This was one of the few shows that annoyed me so much that I had to turn it off after 60 minutes since it was going nowhere. Slow and painful with a cliché plot and stiff acting. Most of King's stories are derivative but at least are written sufficiently well. Almost all of his work for film and TV was borderline unwatchable. The review is now over but IMDb requires at least 1000 words. Seriously? Anyway. Here it is again: I caught this on Netflix due to the lack of interesting programming. I have watched more B movies than ever before since I signed up for Netflix but I usually finish the movies I watch since they are mostly background noise. This was one of the few shows that annoyed me so much that I had to turn it off after 60 minutes since it was going nowhere. Slow and painful with a cliché plot and stiff acting. Most of King's stories are derivative but at least are written sufficiently well. Almost all of his work for film and TV was borderline unwatchable.