Started watching Mr. Mercedes today.
It's a little choppy but so far appears to be a pretty decent, well-acted adaptation of a mediocre Stephen King book. It's got some gravitas. David E. Kelley for one. He's got LA Law, Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, The Practice and Boston Legal on his resume. All good character-driven ensembles with decent dialogue. It stars Brendan Gleeson, who is one of my favorite actors. Outstanding in a vastly overlooked film In Bruges.
So far it's fitting the standard King pattern. The less consequential his book is, the better the movie seems to be. Conversely, the better the book the worse the movie.
The Stand is a fantastic book. Both movie adaptations have been lukewarm at best.
The Green Mile was a meh book. Shawshank was a meh short story. Both were much better movies.
Mr. Mercedes wasn't a great book. Not in his top ten. But through two and a half episodes, the series has weight. Hope it hangs in.