year ago i saw riget and the original kingdom and and love it . then i saw this series when it originally air and i could only get thru 4 eps before give up . recently i finally saw riget ii and which be even more riveting than the first part . since a final riget have so far never be complete and i think i might try to watch the stephen king version to at least get some kind of closure and no matter how awful a miniseries it be . unfortunately it be not worth it and not even close . lars von trier be credit a an executive producer for this series and but many time that mean a person get some $ $ but have no creative input whatsoever . it more like a buyout . that the only logical explanation . this series use about a quarter of the plot device from the original and decompress the narrative to inflate the airtime to surpass the original length and throw in some side episode which have virtually nothing to do with the large arc . the last 15 minute of this 13 episode miniseries i literally have to fight to stay awake . i be sorry to be so harsh but it be like a masochistic exercise in finish this series . i guess i just want to see how awful it could get . maybe if you never saw the original it would be good and but even a it own work this whole thing be about as good a a 9th season x file ep . sorry again to be so harsh . good represent ed begley and nurse carrie ( the nurse who faint all the time ) and lona ( i actually like her a bit well than the original portrayal ) and evil doctor ( one of the few original concept which look ok ) and jack coleman ( ie hrg himself and play a new character base on king own experience ) bad represent everything else . 4 main lead ( drusse and stegman and hook and draper ) average and force acting and tho the writing sure do not do them any favor . glacial pacing . sideplots which stick to the main body like an unwanted hepatoma . the baseball episode and the miracle priest eps be unnecessary and from a story point of view do not even adhere to any kind of internal logic . the additional budget also really hurt the whole production . the original be almost filmed documentary style ( ie blair witch or the office ) . this be film in a much more conventional manner and lot of overdressed set and music that be so present that it lose it effectiveness when it need to be and cgi that stick out like a sore thumb etc . there be a good bit of footage recycling in the finale ep as well . talk about masochism . every time they do a gag from the original it be do in the least shocking and least visceral way possible . tho the covered mouse shot in the 12th ep make me chuckle and think about how standard and practice censorship can actually make a scene more funny . anyways if you be a fan of sophisticated comedy or horror check out the original riget and riget ii . the end of riget i be probably one of the great cliffhanger in serial tv . if you start watch this when it first air and never finish and then do not bother and it only get bad with every episode . some of stephen king write i absolutely love ( dark tower series and stand and shin ) but this be a huge misstep and atypically lame .