The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 42% of critics have given the miniseries a positive review based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Stephen King's televisual adaption of his own novel is more faithful than its cinematic counterpart, but unfortunately this miniseries is hobbled by a drab literalism of the text and cheesy effects that diminish the scares." Drew Grant of "The New York Observer", in 2014, ranked the miniseries as the worst made-for-TV King adaptation.