CBS have released a full trailer for their summer series Under the Dome, and it looks pretty good. I have serious doubts about its longevity, even over a self-contained 13-episodes, but it's hard to argue with the talent here: Neal Baer (ER, Law & Order) is the showrunner, comic-book maven Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man) is an executive-producer, and the pilot's directed by Niels Arden Oplev (the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). I don't doubt Under the Dome will have a fun pilot, when the small town of Chester's Mill finds itself inexplicably cut off from the rest of the world by a gigantic dome-shaped invisible barrier, but how long can you make that interesting for? Even if the characters are well-written and engaging, once the initial intrigue has faded... will you be quite so taken with this miniseries by episode 5 or 6? That will be the real challenge here, but I have a soft spot for US miniseries based on Stephen King books, even if most don't achieve the gold standard of It. I just hope this isn't another Tommyknockers.
UNDER THE DOME premieres 24 June on CBS.
