I’ve watched the first 4 episodes of ‘Castle Rock’ on Hulu and I’m done. It’s not bad, it’s not good – it’s just there. I’m not compelled to keep watching at all.

One thing that really hurt it was that I had a better idea for the show. Rather than another convoluted plot of faux mysteries created just for the sake of having everyone be cryptic, I was hoping for an anthology show, ala Black Mirror or Electric Dreams, but with Stephen King stories.

I’m a fan of King’s works. Not hardcore, I haven’t read everything and some things I have read and didn’t really enjoy. But I have a soft spot for him because my grandmother was a fan and they lived in Maine so there were a lot of things about this show that drew me to it. They kept the plot under wraps so I had no idea what kind of storytelling it would be but I assumed when they said it was “based on the works of Stephen King” that we would be getting his stories.

But, alas, no. It is just another series that hopes to create a winding road of “clues” and “puzzles” (sarcastic quotes as I don’t know if any of them actually have answers…I may still be hurting from all those hours wasted watching ‘Lost’).

The fourth episode did have a crazy ending, but I’ve been down that road before with TV show that get into the habit of only making the last 10 minutes of each episode actually move the stories forward just to hook you for next week…only to have the start of the next episode gloss over what happened because, really, they only did it to bring you back.

I don’t really care about anyone in the show. Heck, I barely know their names except for Henry Deaver because EVERYONE has said his name several times in each episode. Everyone else is just someone who was attached to another Stephen King film at some point…or nobody important, clearly fodder for the demons of the town.

Feeling frustrated, I Googled to see if I could find any reviews of the show and this write up from the New York Times really hit the nail on the head for me. The show is so preoccupied with hiding in-jokes for hardcore Stephen King fans, they lost the plot.

I’d need to hear some amazing things to come back to this show. I’m just so disappointed. There was SO much potential. It reminds me of the times I handed in papers to my college professor thinking they were pretty good and getting them back with a B and a note that said “I know you can do better”.

Abrams and King Et al.? I know you can do better.