PILOT REVIEW: Under the Dome

UNDER THE DOME

Starring: Mike Vogel, Rachelle LeFevre, Natalie Martinez, Britt Robertson, Alexander Koch, Colin Ford, Nicholas Strong, Jolene Purdy, Aisha Hinds, with Jeff Fahey, and Dean Norris

Based on the Book by Stephen King, Developed by Brian K. Vaughan
Teleplay by Brian K. Vaughan, Directed by Niels Arden Oplev

Under the Dome is a new sci-fi/mystery series based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. The small town of Chester's Mill is rocked when a mysterious occurrence happens that basically puts the entire town in a bubble that no one can enter or exit through thanks to an invisible wall. The lead characters are the many who are trapped inside Chester's Mill including the veteran police chief "Duke" (Jeff Fahey), a councilman (Dean Norris), and a mysterious outsider (Mike Vogel) who was seemingly trying to escape before the dome hit.

THE GOOD: This was a captivating pilot with a premise that is unlike anything else on TV. The characters were set up with enough mystery and intrigue before the big event happened. I thought the pilot moved quite well which is especially good considering how easily this series could have gotten bogged down in exposition. The show seemed to be able to leave enough things hanging without being frustrating to viewers so far. Most of the actors are good and I'm thrilled to see two stars from the short-lived but excellent Detroit 1-8-7 in this cast.

THE BAD: This is one of those shows that had a really strong pilot but I worry for future weeks that it will become murky and complicated. I hope the writers can avoid that because it was set up well for success. While I liked most of the actors, I though Alexander Koch was weak which is troubling since his character seems to be integral to the story and mystery.

BOTTOM LINE: This is a great start to a show and a very ambitious summer offering from a network that doesn't usually do scripted shows in the summer. I hope they can keep the mystery rolling without leaving too many dangling plotlines and without getting overly complicated in the mythology. For now though, it has sucked me in and I will definitely be returning to the dome next Monday.