Stand, The

Miniseries

After a government-spawned "superflu" wipes out more than 90 per cent of the earth's population, the devastated survivors must decide whether to support or resist the advances of a mysterious stranger from way down South who wishes to claim this new world order for himself. Although the six-hour length of The Stand makes it nigh-impossible to digest in one sitting, this well-paced adaptation of Stephen King's apocalyptic magnum opus ranks among the best adaptations of the author's work, with strong performances from Gary Sinise, Miguel Ferrer, and especially Jamey Sheridan as a good-old-boy version of Old Scratch. The opening scene, set to the strains of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," is one of the most chilling things ever shot for television.