Under the Dome

Starring: Mike Vogel (39 episodes), Rachelle Lefevre (39 episodes), Alexander Koch (39 episodes), Colin Ford (39 episodes), Mackenzie Lintz (39 episodes), Dean Norris (39 episodes), Eddie Cahill (26 episodes), Max Ehrich (19 episodes), Nicholas Strong (17 episodes), Aisha Hinds (16 episodes), Grace Victoria Cox (16 episodes), Britt Robertson (15 episodes), Natalie Martinez (14 episodes), Kylie Bunbury (13 episodes), Karla Crome (13 episodes), Dale Raoul (12 episodes), John Elvis (12 episodes), Marg Helgenberger (11 episodes), Jolene Purdy (9 episodes), Sherry Stringfield (9 episodes), Samantha Mathis (7 episodes), Dwight Yoakam (7 episodes), Brett Cullen (6 episodes), Gia Mantegna (6 episodes), Mike Whaley (6 episodes), Eriq La Salle (5 episodes), Leon Rippy (5 episodes), Beth Broderick (5 episodes), Crystal Martinez (5 episodes), Estes Tarver (5 episodes), R. Keith Harris (5 episodes), Megan Ketch (4 episodes), Ned Bellamy (4 episodes), Vince Foster (4 episodes), Andrew Vogel (3 episodes), Natalie Zea (3 episodes), Bess Rous (3 episodes), Frank Whaley (3 episodes), Jeff Fahey (3 episodes), Mare Winningham (2 episodes)
Directed by: Jack Bender (9 episodes), Peter Leto (5 episodes), David Barrett (4 episodes), Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (2 episodes), Kari Skogland (2 episodes), Eriq La Salle (2 episodes), Peter Weller (2 episodes), Roxann Dawson (2 episodes), Paul A. Edwards (1 episode)
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction
2013-2015

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3

Summary: A mysterious, impenetrable dome suddenly descends upon Chester's Mill, Maine, cutting the residents off from the rest of the world.

Review:
Tim: "Under the Dome" started with great promise- adapted from a Stephen King novel, an ambitious summer miniseries from CBS. The first season delivered on that promise- it was one of the most exciting, mysterious, entertaining shows I'd seen in a while. Yes, there were some absolutely idiotic moments from time to time, but it was a summer series- those were forgivable. The series was so popular that CBS decided to extend it another season. Season two was good- not as good as the first, but still entertaining. As it veered into deeper science fiction territory, the audience was asked to forgive more and more- plot holes, bad dialogue, logical inconsistencies. Still, it was entertaining.

And then, we got the third (and eventually final) season. The last season of "Under the Dome" was when the wheels fell off the bus. The series devolved into utter nonsense, become a nearly unwatchable mess. All the flaws from the first two season became more pronounced, to the point where they overshadowed any strengths that might have been left. I haven't seen a show fall apart so completely since "Heroes". By the time CBS canceled the series in the summer of 2015, it was a mercy.

What troubles me most about the downfall of this show is that it was so good in the first season. I actually (which may be blasphemous) compared the show to "Lost". A much less good, less intelligent, weaker show, but one that reminded me of the excitement I felt about discovering the mysteries of the show. The promise of the first season was soon squandered by poor writing, awful dialogue, and some of the most inane moments I've seen on television.

The cast was one of the strengths of the series originally, and I'll always try to remember them during that first season, before they all looked completely ridiculous by the end. I really enjoyed Mike Vogel as Barbie- it was a stupid nickname for a character, but Barbie was the most interesting, coolest character on the show. Vogel did a very good job playing him. I hated the third season for many reasons, by one was taking the best character on the show and making him something else for the majority of the season. I despised that. Rachelle Lefevre was one of the most consistently awful actresses on the show. I can't think of another show that featured such a pathetic talent in such a huge role. I kind of wished her character died numerous times, just because she was so bad in the role. She has zero acting ability. Alexander Koch had the misfortune of playing Junior, a character who was completely mishandled from the very beginning. I don't fault him too much, because I do believe he tried, it was just the writing hurt his character terribly. Colin Ford was strong the first couple of seasons as Joe, but by the third season (when he randomly became a scientific genius), his lack of talent was really exposed. He made me cringe numerous times before the end of the show. Britt Robertson was one of the highlights of the cast originally, but I always felt she didn't get the screen time she deserved. She was absolutely one of the best actors on the show. I loved seeing Dean Norris here, since I am a huge "Breaking Bad" fan. It was great seeing him in this villainous role. He mostly delivered strong performances, but again, he eventually looked ridiculous because of the bad writing. Natalie Martinez played perhaps the stupidest cop in the history of the world- I hated nearly every second of her screen time. That's more about the writing than her, but she wasn't very good.

I really do believe there is an opportunity for good television during the summer. In some ways, "Under the Dome" tried to pave that road. It certainly had a lot going for it, and again, I really enjoyed the first two seasons. This show is a reminder to me of how hard it can be to maintain a level of consistency on a television show. As the episodes stack up, it's easy for shows to fall apart. The few examples of series that have maintained their high level of quality should be honored- that is not easy to do.

In the end, "Under the Dome" was a fairly entertaining summer diversion that fell apart before our very eyes. What started with great promise eventually became an utter embarrassment. I really liked the show once, but I have to say I'm happy it got canceled.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Falling Skies, Jericho, Breaking Bad