"The Stand" is barely alive enough to capture this year's "end of the world as we know it" vibe

"The Stand," Stephen King's epic journey of 1,152 pages, has enthralled millions. And the list of names goes on, including Heather Graham as Rita Blakemoor and Owen Teague as moody incel Harold Lauder, giving us a creepy energy that's a complete about-face from his sensitive 19-year-old suitor in HBO's "Mrs. A person doesn't have to be familiar with these actors to appreciate what they bring to "The Stand", but over the long run it helps if only to appreciate the aptness of the casting director's choices here. This also describes "The Walking Dead" during the energetically moribund season on Hershel Greene's farm, but at least that scenario offered the exciting threat of zombie hordes shambling around in the woods. Otherwise "The Stand" functions as a reminder that sometimes the greatest blessing the creators of a novel's TV adaptation can bestow upon fans is to diverge from the source material in a way that makes it spellbinding to watch, maintaining enough of its elements to capture the essence of the story's greatness. King famously had issues with the artistic license Stanley Kubrick took in his interpretation of "The Shining," but that took nothing away from either the novel or the film's iconic stature.