If you were to flip on The Stand now, there's a chance you wouldn't be able to make it through the first episode. The special effects in this six-hour miniseries are very, very bad, firmly cementing it in time as a product of early '90s television. If you can, however, look past its blue screen fire effects, The Stand is a series that won't disappoint.
The Stand is a story of ultimate good versus evil. When a weaponized flu virus eradicates 99 percent of the population, the few survivors must choose sides — follow the path of kindness to Mother Abigail (Ruby Dee) in Nebraska, or head to Las Vegas, where the demonic Randall Flagg (Jamey Sheridan) resides. Along the way, relationships are forged and broken, while the fate of what's left of the world hangs in the balance.
The Stand is a long haul — a four-part miniseries that completely lays out and then resolves the battle for humanity. But so too is the Stephen King novel it's based upon. At over 1100 pages, The Stand is one of the author's longest books. Ultimately, the miniseries does the work justice, but it'll take some sacrifice on the viewer's part to get there.
