The year 2020 has been, by every indication imaginable, a nightmare. We’ve been hunkering down at home, waiting out the coronavirus, economy freefalling and anxiety skyrocketing as we dream of a return to the normal, perhaps even humdrum, lives we knew before.

Television has emerged as a key escape mechanism. And what sort of entertainment are we seeking out? For many, it’s more horror.

Stephen King, our own prince of darkness, is behind many series on air or in development. Epix, for one, is betting big on Chapelwaite, a drama targeted for a fall premiere that represents the first series from the network’s Epix Productions. Set in the 1850s, Chapelwaite follows a sea captain, played by Adrien Brody, and his children getting on after the death of the captain’s wife at sea. It is based on the King short story Jerusalem’s Lot.

“Genre fare has broad appeal, and while it might sometimes be too realistic and scary for some, it can also just as often offer an escapist catharsis for others,” Epix president Michael Wright said. “I’m pretty confident Chapelwaite sits on the latter end of that spectrum.”

Wright has worked on Stephen King adaptations before, including Salem’s Lot and Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King, both of which aired on TNT. He said King’s novels have always worked great on television. “Stephen King is literally one of our generation’s greatest storytellers,” Wright said. “His books are so wonderfully rooted in great characters and great storytelling.”

‘Stand’ Tall

Stephen King is all over television these days. There is The Outsider, starring Jason Bateman as a suburban father who may or may not have committed a murder, on HBO. There is Castle Rock, which has a second season in the works on Hulu. CBS All Access is developing The Stand, about society following the accidental release of a virus that kills much of the world’s population. Mr. Mercedes, about a retired detective (Brendan Gleeson) hung up on an unsolved mass murder case, has three seasons in the can on AT&T Audience Network.

Also in the works is The Institute, produced by Spyglass Media Group, which has David E. Kelley lined up to write and executive produce and Jack Bender to direct and exec produce.

Last week, AMC announced it will air season one of Creepshow, a series on streaming platform Shudder that is based on the 1982 Creepshow movie King wrote. King is not a producer on the series.

In the recent past was the James Franco limited series 11/22/63 on Hulu, about a time traveler trying to stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and Under the Dome, about a Maine town suddenly cut off from the world when a giant dome drops over it, which went for three seasons on CBS and Amazon.

Going further back, CBS did a Salem’s Lot series in 1979; ABC had It in 1990 and a miniseries version of The Stand in 1994; and USA Network aired The Dead Zone starting in 2002. A&E premiered Bag of Bones in 2011.

King’s novels have led to dozens of films too, including 1980’s The Shining, 1983’s The Dead Zone, 1990’s Misery, 1995’s Dolores Claiborne, 2017’s It and 2019’s Pet Sematary.

King yarns will likely remain in demand long after coronavirus dissipates. “People like stories that have uncertainty and there’s certainly a lot of uncertainty and unpredictability in the story we’re living in,” said Neal Baer, who was showrunner and executive producer on Under the Dome.

Well-Loved IP

King’s next book, If It Bleeds, comes out April 28, published by Scribner. It is a collection of novellas, including Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, The Life of Chuck, Rat and the title story.

In our peak TV world, Stephen King is a bankable trove of intellectual property, network executives and producers agree. Veteran producer David Friendly, currently working on USA Network drama Queen of the South, noted King’s “preposterously good” batting average in terms of his novels making a mark on popular culture. “When you spend the amount you have to spend [to produce a series], you try to mitigate risk,” he said. “There are enormous financial risks and Stephen King is a very good bet — and one of the few safe bets.”

When so many shows are clamoring for viewers’ attention, it sure helps to have Stephen King’s name stamped on a project. “In the 500-show universe, a name like Stephen King always carries weight and always carries value,” Old Dominion University assistant professor of communications Myles McNutt said.

That King is still living and writing makes the author that much more desirable to producers. King has 5.8 million followers on Twitter. He’s active on the platform, tweeting on March 8: “No, coronavirus is NOT like THE STAND. It’s not anywhere near as serious. It’s eminently survivable. Keep calm and take all reasonable precautions.”

When King talks up a TV show on the platform, it drives viewership. “King is very prolific, and still active,” McNutt added.

First-Class Characters

Producers also note that King, known for his horror novels, is a very diverse author whose work goes well beyond horror. Hit 1986 film Stand By Me was based on the King short story The Body and has no real horror in it, minus a few pesky leeches. The 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, based on a King novella, is a taut emotional drama much more than it’s a horror flick.

Producers are drawn to King’s singular characters as much as any boogeyman the author dreams up. “Stephen King creates indelible characters — both Everyman characters and others who are wholly idiosyncratic,” said Bridget Carpenter, who was showrunner/executive producer on 11/22/63. “And, of course, terrifying villains and atmospheres! He is also a master of story — his plots move swiftly and unfold inexorably; they sweep you along. This is wonderful for TV.”

Neal Baer got a good look at King’s storytelling skills when he worked on Under the Dome. “His books are so visual,” he said. “He has all the things you look for when you’re developing a TV series or a movie.”

Popular books can be great TV fodder, bringing in pre-existing fan bases. But King has few, if any, rivals among authors in Hollywood. Harlan Coben has a deal with Netflix to develop 14 existing and future projects, including new drama The Stranger. Agatha Christie, who died in 1976, has her name on Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse, which premiered on Amazon March 13. James Patterson had two seasons of Instinct and three of Zoo on CBS.

‘Dark Tower’ Goes Dark

Not every Stephen King novel TV tries to adapt turns into a hit series. The Mist, about a small town infected by a curious mist, lasted for just one season in 2017 on Spike. Joyland, about a college kid who spends a summer working at an amusement park and who confronts the legacy of a dreadful murder, was in development at Freeform in 2018 but did not make it to pilot.

The Dark Tower, an eight-book series about a gunslinger doing his thing in a magical American West, was a high-profile fail on Amazon. Executive producer Glen Mazzara shared on Twitter that his cast and crew “took big risks” on The Dark Tower, and “delivered big time” on a compelling adaptation. “We worked hard to honor this amazing story and bring it to life,” he added.

The future of Mr. Mercedes is uncertain. Audience Network is transitioning to a preview network for HBO Max. Mr. Mercedes may continue on the streaming network, which debuts in May. Audience Network did not comment.

An Author and a Gentleman

Producers who have spent time with King describe him as a stand-up guy who is deeply invested in his TV adaptations. On Under the Dome, King read and weighed in on all of the scripts. He would not pay a visit to the set in Los Angeles, but took on most everything else he was asked to. “You can’t ask for a better collaborator,” Baer said. “I’d love to work with Stephen King again.”

King declined requests to be interviewed for this story, saying through a representative that he was too busy working on his next book.

Having worked with King on a couple projects prior to Chapelwaite, Wright knows how to get the most out of the partnership. “If you’re smart, you run as much of it by him as you can,” he said.

Carpenter would love to work with King again, saying how much fun it would be to bring 1980 pyrokinesis novel Firestarter to series.

Great Expectations

While coronavirus can seem like something King might have dreamed up for a novel, producers stress a key difference between a King project and COVID-19. Frightful as they are, King’s novels offer a resolution at the end. With corona, the resolution has not yet been revealed. “There’s an attraction we have to well told, thrilling stories, stories that have an explanation,” Baer said. “Human nature likes scary things, but where there’s a resolution — you kind of know things are going to be OK.”

Epix president Wright said the coronavirus crisis is having “a profound impact” on our entertainment choices. “It’s difficult to say how these current events will impact viewer preferences,” he said. “But interestingly, our post-apocalyptic series, War of the Worlds, which is running right now, is our second highest-rated series to date, and actually growing week over week.”

Wright hopes he has another hit on his hands when Chapelwaite gets to air. He likens King to a modern era Charles Dickens, able to create “relatable and recognizable” characters.

“The real genius of Stephen King is his characters,” Wright said. “That’s the necessary ingredient of every great series or film ever made. That’s why adaptations of King are so effective — they’re unforgettable characters that you care about.”

KING’S BOUNTY
A look at some of Stephen King’s works that have been adapted to TV

The Dead Zone

Network: USA Network
Years: 2002-2007
Review: “Turns out to be an engaging new hour, boasting crisp writing, near-cinematic production values and an almost failsafe plot.” — Chicago Tribune

Bag of Bones

Network: A&E
Year: 2011
Review: “Handsomely shot and deliberately paced, it has a superficially cinematic quality, but it doesn’t have the storytelling juice to keep you engaged in Mr. King’s convoluted multi-ghost story.” — The New York Times

Creepshow

Network: Shudder
Year: 2019
Review: “Casual horror fans may not really get the appeal of Creepshow, but it’s not made for them anyway. Horror aficionados, on the other hand, will find a lot to like.” — TV Guide

Castle Rock

Network: Hulu
Years: 2018-2019
Review: “In every respect it’s the equal of, and largely superior to, any of the actual King adaptations that have come to television lately.” — Los Angeles Times

When the time came for Viacom Kids and Family Group to decide on the first series to produce from its new Miami multiplatform production hub, all eyes turned south to Bogotá, Colombia.

Bogota is where the second season of Nickelodeon’s Latin American hit Yo Soy Franky is set to begin, with promos to be shot this week by a joint U.S.-Colombian team. An English-language adaptation of the telenovela, I Am Frankie, will be the first show to originate from the new Viacom International Studios hub, located on the edge of Miami’s hip Wynwood arts district.

Created by Marcela Citterio, Franky was green-lighted last July and debuted across the region in September. It's being adapted for the U.S. by Miami-based Catharina Ledeboer, head writer for such Nickelodeon Latin America shows as La Cocina de Talia (“Talia In the Kitchen”).

The teen telenovela is centered around “Franky,” an experimental android and supercomputer created to look like a 15-year-old girl. Franky attends school and only her “family members” at home are aware that she is a robot. She learns about family life, making friends and even the challenges of having a boyfriend.

Now, Franky will become Frankie. I Am Frankie, a global, English-language adaptation of the show, will be cast this spring and shot this summer. Nickelodeon has ordered 20 episodes for distribution in 160 countries and territories where its programming airs. No premiere date has been set.

Yo Soy Franky stuck to the traditional telenovela format, with 60 hour-long episodes in its just-concluded first season.

Nickelodeon decided to go with an English-language version of Yo Soy Frankie for two reasons, VIMN Americas executive vice president and chief operating officer Juan “JC” Acosta told Hispanic Television Update in an exclusive interview.

“It is not only because of its success and high ratings in Latin America, but also due to its relatable and universal story lines that appeal to global audiences,” Acosta said.

After just three months on the air, the total viewership for Franky totaled 4.5 million viewers; it is No. 1 in its key teen target demos in Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico.

The show’s official blog has also generated some 1.5 million visits, mostly from Colombia and Mexico. That’s half of all Web traffic to MundoNick.com, Nickelodeon’s Latina America portal, and its Nick app for smartphones.

Yo Soy Franky is produced in Colombia by Televideo with on-site participation from VIMN Americas production staff. It stars 23-year-old Venezuelan actress Maria Gabriela de Faria, best known for her role as “Isa” in the Nickelodeon Latin America series Isa TKM.

While “I Am Frankie” was the first choice for shows to be produced in Miami, it’s not the first time a program from Latin America has been adapted for Nickelodeon’s U.S. audience. For example, Every Witch Way, an adaptation of Nickelodeon Latin America’s Grachi, aired for four seasons on Nick from January 2014 through July 2015.

The decision is a vote of confidence in Latin America-originated content as Hispanics comprise a larger share of the U.S. teen-age audience, Acosta said.

“It speaks to the quality of the content coming out of Latin America, and how it can have international success,” he said. “The key is to have strong characters with universal storylines that are able to translate into successful formats that can be easily adapted to any market.”

What does the production of I Am Frankie say about the distribution of programs from Latin America in the U.S. and across the globe?

“There is great content coming out of Latin America, across all genres,” Acosta notes. “This presents a huge opportunity for distribution and localization to international markets. It’s great to see the region expanding their footprint and reaching global audiences.”

Interestingly, Nickelodeon has eschewed a 24/7 Spanish-language outlet for U.S. audiences.

Nick’s appeal to Latino young adults and children dates back more than 15 years, with the 2000 debut of preschool cartoon Dora the Explorer and spinoff Go, Diego, Go!, which aired from 2005-2011. Both programs had been a part of Univision’s Saturday-morning Planeta U lineup, following two seasons on Telemundo from 2006-2008.

Given population trends, perhaps Nickelodeon’s best play at attracting Latino youth is with English-language programming. According to Pew Research Center’s 2013 American Community Survey, 14.2% of the entire Hispanic male population is 14 or under. Some 13.6% of all Hispanic females are 14 or under.

Furthermore, kids age 14 and under represent 21% of all U.S.-born Hispanics, a telltale sign that births, rather than immigration, are pacing Latino population growth. Just 2% of foreign-born U.S. Hispanics are 14 or younger.

Should a Latina be cast as "Frankie," Nickelodeon would offer the best demonstration on how “total market” strategies currently seen in the Hispanic marketing and advertising arena have been further extended through programming decisions.

Cyma Zarghami, president of Viacom's Kids and Family Group, offered no hints about casting, though.

“I Am Frankie is a fresh and different format and has an incredibly talented team behind it,” she said. “Miami has been a content hub for Nickelodeon for some time, and our talent continues to innovate their approach to both content and platforms.”