Here's a cast and character guide to CBS' Under The Dome series. Stephen King is one of the most widely read authors in the world, so it makes sense he's one of the most adapted too. This kicked off with Brian De Palma's Carrie in 1976 and has led to an almost endless number of movie, TV, and short film adaptations. Classics include The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me and The Mist, though plenty of less than stellar examples like The Dark Tower have happened too.
Given how sprawling Stephen King novels can be, some of them are better suited to miniseries than movies. This gives the material more room to breathe and flesh out the characters. Miniseries based on Salem's Lot and Storm Of The Century benefitted from longer runtimes, though fans of King's novel Under The Dome were left disappointed by CBS' adaptation. The book and show both revolve around a small American town cut off from the rest of the world by the sudden arrival of an impenetrable dome around it.
Under The Dome is one of Stephen King's best received recent novels, but the series deviated from the source in many ways. That said, the first season received an overall positive reaction, though it's ratings and critical reputation quickly nosedived with the third and final series considered an almighty mess. Here's a guide to the main characters of Under The Dome.
Mike Vogel - Dale "Barbie" Barbara
Mike Vogel (Cloverfield) plays Dale, a war vet passing through Chester's Mill when he's trapped by the dome. Being relatively level-headed he helps keep order when the town panics and they try to figure a way out of the dome, but he quickly makes an enemy of "Big Jim." He also develops a romance with reporter Julia - who is unaware Dale killed her husband at the start of the show.
Rachelle Lefevre- Julia Shumway
Twilight star Rachelle Lefevre plays Julia Shumway on Under The Dome, who is a determined but disgraced reporter who moved to the town with her husband. She later teams up with - and falls for - Dale as the situation in the town goes from bad to worse, and emerges as something of a leader.
Dean Norris - James "Big Jim" Rennie
Dean Norris (Breaking Bad) plays Under The Dome's main villain Jim Rennie, the sheriff who just happens to run a big meth operation too. He appears friendly and affable on the surface but is shown to be quite cunning and ruthless when it comes to maintaining power.
Alexander Koch - James "Junior" Rennie
"Big Jim's" son Junior is played by Alexander Koch on Under The Dome. He's a little less psychotic than his novel counterpart, but Junior is still portrayed as disturbed right from the first episode, where he reacts furiously to girlfriend Angie - sister of Joe - wanting to break up. He only gets worse as the show progresses and becomes more of a threat than Big Jim.
Colin Ford - Joe McAlister
Joe McAlister is a local teen in Under The Dome whose life is saved by Dale in the opening episode when he pushes him out of the way of falling plane debris. He's something of a nerd who's also in a relationship with Norrie and is played by Colin Ford (Captain Marvel).
Mackenzie Lintz - Eleanor "Norrie" Calvert-Hill
Mackenzie Lintz plays "Norrie" on Under The Dome, a teenager with serious anger management issues who becomes trapped in the town alongside her parents. She later enters into a relationship with Joe after the two find they share a mysterious connection.