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2 • J une 29 - July 5, 2014 • Br ainerd Dispatch By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media S ummer's here, and with it comes a distinct dip in new prime-time programming. The pickings may be slim, but there are always a few solid series to cling to to keep you from drowning in a sea of reruns. You can thank Stephen King for one of them. "Under the Dome" was last summer's No. 1 program and is back this year for a second season. The sci-fi drama is based on the renowned horror author's bestselling novel of the same name and boasts the title of most- watched scripted summer series premiere in 21 years. The show's second season kicks off Monday, June 30, on CBS, with King himself among those at the helm. The series tells the story of Chester's Mill, a small New Eng- land town that is suddenly cut off from the rest of the world when a massive, indestructible, transpar- ent dome materializes over the town one day with no explanation. No one can pass through the dome, and all Internet access and mobile signals are cut off from the outside world, which means the residents of Chester's Mill are trapped with only whatever re- sources were with them when the dome appeared. Armed with the unsettling knowledge that no food, fresh wa- ter or medicine can be brought into town as long as the dome ex- ists, the residents of Chester's Mill must figure out how to survive as their resources dwindle and soci- etal norms begin to unravel amidst rising panic. While there will always be some who pooh-pooh a television or film remake of a book, "Under the Dome" is in good hands. The au- thor himself is among the show's executive producers, as is movie mogul Steven Spielberg, whose highest-grossing film, "Jurassic Park" (1993), was adapted from a book as well. Along with having penned the season premiere, King is also expected to make a cameo appearance on screen this season. As is generally the case with re- makes, the screen version of "Un- der the Dome" bears some dis- crepancies from the book, in terms of plot and content. The time span, for instance, is much longer in the show, with the dome in place for months instead of just a week or so, as it is in the book. King, however, not only ac- knowledged these changes on his website shortly after the series premiere last year, but gave them his wholehearted approval, af- firming that the changes made by the writing team have been out of necessity. Television is an entirely different creature from literature, after all, and if it's good enough for Stephen King, it should be good enough for us. The author has high hopes for the upcoming season as well, al- though he was ini- tially sur- prised that "Under the Dome" was renewed for a second season at all. Despite the show's popularity last summer — more than 17 mil- lion people tuned in for the pre- miere and the series was one of the six chosen for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series — the initial plan was for "a 13-epi- sode thing, and they were going to button it up at the end," as the author told "Entertainment Weekly." "[But] the arc of the second season," he as- sures us, "is terrific." Executive producer Neal Baer, on the other hand, was hoping for a second season all along and doesn't want things to stop there. "Five seasons would be great, we'd love that," he told British en- tertainment news website "Digital Spy." "People didn't think viewers would watch a show like this, es- pecially in the summer. And we proved them wrong on both ac- counts." So what exactly is in store for Chester's Mill this season? For one thing, two fan-favourite charac- ters won't survive the first episode —and one dies within minutes. This little nugget was actually an- nounced back in January in a Tele- vision Critics Association Winter Press Tour teaser. Don't get too upset, though, because as Baer announced cryptically at a media event last month, "That doesn't mean you won't see them again, because anything is possible under the dome." The mighty dome itself is changing, too. Though it's previ- ously proven itself to be indestruc- tible, there's now a crack evident, allowing some degree of commu- nication to finally take place with the outside world. This also allows for the potential for new charac- ters, since the dome is no longer 100 per cent sealed. "Maybe someone might possibly get out and maybe someone might possi- bly get in," Baer hinted at the me- dia panel. It seems as if it's more than pos- sible, since a number of new cast members have been announced. One of these will be Hunter (Max Ehrich, "The Young and the Rest- less"), a young man outside the dome from whom teenagers Nor- rie (Mackenzie Lintz, "The Hunger Games," 2012) and Joe (Colin Ford, "Supernatural") start getting Internet messages, proving that communication with the outside world is now possible. Barbie's (Mike Vogel, "The Help," 2011) father Don (Brett Cul- len, "Devious Maids") will be showing up, as will town select- man Big Jim's (Dean Norris, "Breaking Bad") brother-in-law Sam (Eddie Cahill, "CSI: NY"). The reception of these new characters remains to be seen, as one of "Under the Dome's" major driving points thus far has been the fact that town's population is sealed in together indefinitely. If people find a way to get in or out, that's one pretty significant co- nundrum now out of the way. It is more or less in keeping with the theme of season 2, however, that Baer describes as one of transformation, not just in the presence of new characters, but in the existing ones as well. "This is the year where we will find out what they're truly made of," he said in the media panel. There's much in store for the residents of Chester's Mill this summer with the second season of "Under the Dome" premiering Monday, June 30, on CBS. Viewers can also get caught up on the show with "Under the Dome: In- side Chester's Mill" — a one-hour special airing on CBS a week be- fore the premiere, with interviews with the cast and producers and a look back on season 1. Dean Norris as seen in "Under the Dome" Going back under Season 2 of 'Under the Dome' kicks off on CBS Cover Story this week NEW LOWER TIRE PRICES! We Can Do That! 218-297-7674 Free Pick Up & Delivery or Loaner Cars Available. 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