Cover Story under Season 2 of ‘Under the Dome’ kicks off on CBS

By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media

Summer’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 mostwatched 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 England town that is suddenly cut off from the rest of the world when a massive, indestructible, transparent 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 resources were with them when the dome appeared.

Armed with the unsettling knowledge that no food, fresh water or medicine can be brought into town as long as the dome exists, the residents of Chester’s Mill must figure out how to survive as their resources dwindle and societal 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 author 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 remakes, the screen version of “Under 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 acknowledged these changes on his prised that “Under the Dome” was renewed for a second season at all. Despite the show’s popularity last summer — more than 17 million people tuned in for the premiere and the series was one of the six chosen for the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Most arc of the second season,” he assures 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 entertainment news website “Digital Chester’s Mill this season? For one ters won’t survive the first episode them again, because anything is possible under the dome.”

The mighty dome itself is changing, too. Though it’s previously proven itself to be indestructible, there’s now a crack evident, allowing some degree of communication to finally take place with the outside world. This also allows for the potential for new characters, since the dome is no longer 100 per cent sealed. “Maybe someone might possibly get out and maybe someone might possibly get in,” Baer hinted at the media panel.

It seems as if it’s more than possible, since a number of new cast members have been announced. One of these will be Hunter (Max Ehrich, “The Young and the Restless”), a young man outside the dome from whom teenagers Norrie (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 Cullen, “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 conundrum 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: Inside Chester’s Mill” — a one-hour special airing on CBS a week before the premiere, with interviews with the cast and producers and a look back on season 1.

ACROSS

1 Ms. Zadora

4 “Vasoline” rock gr.

7 Actress, Kathryn __

11 President, e.g.

12 Elizabeth McGovern’s “Downton Abbey” role

14 __ Flanders (1722 Daniel Defoe book)

15 French actress, Simone __ (b.1921d.1985)

17 Ornamental container

18 Naval __ (Type of ship on TNT’s “The Last Ship”)

20 Natalie Cole’s father

21 Brad __ (Expert on ABC’s singing competition “Rising Star”)

25 Mil. rank

27 Herman’s Hermits lead singer Peter

28 The Cure song:

“There Is __ __...”

30 Positive signs?

31 The __ (Family of singer Sonny)

33 The Beach Boys album: ‘__ Sounds’

34 “__ Life” on ABC

Family

37 Ooh and __

39 Summer of 2014 will mark the final season of this series based on the novels of Charlaine Harris:

2 wds.

42 Fran __ (Fran Drescher’s role on “The Nanny”)

45 “Taxi __” (Police show, new on NBC)

47 “Best Song __” by One Direction

48 Houston baseball player, informally

49 Just manage, with Out

50 Gets hitched

51 Mr. Starkey (Ringo Starr’s drummer son)

52 Film __

DOWN

1 Abbr. of politeness

2 “_ __ it!” (Exclamation of accomplishment)

3 Setting of Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita

4 Actor Mr. Bakula

5 Unit of pressure

6 Before surgery, infor- mally

7 __ Lake & Palmer (Rock music trio)

8 Decay

9 __-ray player 10 Yalie

13 “Right back __ __!” (Same to you!)

16 Org. in Edward Snowden headlines

19 German article

22 They provide a way to evade things, for instance in law

23 The Neverending Story