The Stand (2020 miniseries)

The Stand is an American post-apocalyptic fantasy television miniseries comprising nine episodes, based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Stephen King. Produced by Vertigo Entertainment, Mosaic Media Group, and CBS Studios, the series stars an ensemble cast led by James Marsden, Odessa Young, Owen Teague, Alexander Skarsgård, Whoopi Goldberg, Amber Heard, Jovan Adepo, Henry Zaga, Nat Wolff, Irene Bedard, Brad William Henke and Greg Kinnear.

The plot centers on a pandemic resulting from a mishap at a military biological research facility, which allows the escape of a lethal strain of influenza. After the pandemic kills almost the entire world population, the few survivors are drawn to one of two figures, Randall Flagg and Mother Abagail, setting up a final good-vs-evil confrontation. The adaptation alters details (gender, ethnicity, age, etc.) of some main characters, moves the setting to the modern-day 21st century, and features a new ending in the final episode co-written by Stephen King with his son, Owen King. The finale adds on the expanded ending of the 1990 version of the book making it the third variation of the story's conclusion.

The first episode was released on Paramount+ on December 17, 2020, and on Prime Video on January 3, 2021. The series received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its dark tone, performances of the cast and production values, but some criticised its lengthy runtime, slow pacing and writing.