Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes was canceled after one season despite high ratings, but now is the time for a reboot or revival. To be fair to TNT, the network Nightmares and Dreamscapes originally aired on, the eight-episode anthology series did prove to be hit and miss. Thankfully, the only real clunker overall was "Crouch End," which sported terrible CGI effects and a rushed, unconvincing plot. The other seven episodes ranged from decent to great, with "Battleground," the premiere, still being the best.
Perhaps the series' fairly high budget, as seen in "Battleground's" actually quite good CGI effects, was the reason behind TNT opting to cancel Nightmares and Dreamscapes. They've never offered a public explanation for the decision, and some fans of the show are still annoyed about that. Clearly though, after 14 years, Nightmares and Dreamscapes season 2 isn't going to happen. At least not in it's original form on its original network. Thankfully, 2020 is bursting full of platforms looking to make original content.
While the pace of reboots and revivals of old TV shows seems to be slowing a bit, they're still happening, and if Punky Brewster is getting revived with the original cast, anything is possible. It's time for some streaming outlet or cable network to produce a new version of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King.
Why Stephen King's Nightmares & Dreamscapes Needs a Revival
Why should Nightmares and Dreamscapes come back? There are two primary reasons. The first is that Stephen King, the brand, is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity when it comes to movie and TV adaptations. Ever since 2017's IT took off like a rocket and became a pop culture phenomenon, the onslaught of new King media has rarely let up, even after failures like The Dark Tower and box office flops like Doctor Sleep. The second reason is that finally, the anthology series telling a new story in each episode is back in style. Combining Stephen King with an anthology TV show now would be a match made in marketing heaven.
Additionally, the concept behind Nightmares and Dreamscapes is genius, and shows why King is so well-suited for the anthology format. King has written over 200 short stories, and way too often, filmmakers have tried to stretch out a short into a feature-length script, leading to terrible results. The anthology format is perfect for adapting King's short stories in a manner which allows them to run a natural length, and not overstay their welcome. It's time for the King to take his anthology throne.