It would appear The Mist is joining 2017’s growing list of “one and done” television series, reports Den of Geek. Spike TV’s recent Stephen King adaptation has been cancelled after its first season, most likely do to low viewership and the harsh criticism it received.
The Mist was Spike’s first original scripted program and was first ordered by the network back in 2016. Based on a short story of the same name from King’s horror anthology Dark Forces, The Mist followed the characters of a small American town as they deal with a mysterious mist that suddenly appears and triggers a wave of fear and chaos along with it. The show starred Morgan Spector, Alyssa Sutherland, Frances Conroy, and Gus Birney, and was created by Christian Torpe.
Many were excited at the prospect of a Stephen King tale being brought to the small screen, but The Mist only met with a wave of scathing comments by TV critics, with the AV Club calling the series “yet another exhibit in the Museum Of Failed Stephen King Adaptations” and IndieWire describing its scenes as completely missing the mark, writing, “the gaudy gore and preposterous sound effects induce more laughs than gasps.” Considering the harsh reception of the show, it’s not too surprising that Spike decided to cut the series from its lineup after merely one season.
Another factor that might have contributed to Spike’s decision to cancel The Mist is the fact that the network in the midst of rebranding itself. Spike TV will soon become the Paramount Network, which will include more original series such as the upcoming miniseries Waco. In either case, fans of Stephen King can no longer look to The Mist for a dose of television horror.