Here is a press release about episode 1, season 2 of Under the Dome:
BARBIE’S FATE IS IN BIG JIM’S HANDS, ON THE SECOND SEASON PREMIERE OF “UNDER THE DOME,” MONDAY, JUNE 30
Premiere Episode Written by Bestselling Author and Executive Producer Stephen King, Who Also Makes a Cameo Appearance
Eddie Cahill and Karla Crome Join the Cast as Series Regulars
Filmed on Location in Wilmington, N.C.
“Heads Will Roll” – Barbie’s fate lies in Big Jim’s hands, and the Dome presents a new threat when it becomes magnetized. Meanwhile, Julia seeks out the help of a stranger to save the life of a mysterious girl who may hold clues to origin of the Dome, on the second season premiere of UNDER THE DOME, Monday, June 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode was written by bestselling author and executive producer Stephen King, who also makes a cameo appearance, and was filmed on location in Wilmington, N.C. Eddie Cahill and Karla Crome join the cast as series regulars.
CHEAT TWEET: No one is safe when @StephenKing takes us back #UnderTheDome for the 2nd season premiere on #CBS 6/30 @ 10 PM ET/PT http://bit.ly/1o00K4n
SERIES REGULARS:
Mike Vogel (Dale “Barbie” Barbara)
Rachelle Lefevre (Julia Shumway)
Dean Norris (James “Big Jim” Rennie)
Eddie Cahill (Sam Verdreaux)
Alexander Koch (Junior Rennie)
Nicholas Strong (Phil Bushey)
Colin Ford (Joe McAlister)
Mackenzie Lintz (Norrie Calvert-Hill)
Karla Crome (Rebecca Pine)
Natalie Martinez (Deputy Linda Esquivel)
Britt Robertson (Angie McAlister)
GUEST CAST:
Grace Victoria Cox (Melanie Cross)
Aisha Hinds (Carolyn Hill)
Sherry Stringfield (Pauline)
Jolene Purdy (Dodee)
Stephen King (Diner Patron)
WRITTEN BY: Executive Producer Stephen King
DIRECTED BY: Executive Producer Jack Bender
Brian K Vaughan has stepped down as executive producer/writer for Under the Dome a few months ago, something that seems to have gone unnoticed until now... In an interview with Bleeding Cool Brian had this to say.
RJ: Under The Dome is coming back… what’s your involvement with that show, now? And are you seeking similar roles in other series in the future?
BKV: Yeah, I don’t think this has been reported anywhere, but I actually left my position at Under The Dome a few months ago. It was the great thrill of my life to help adapt one of the best book’s ever from my all-time hero, but I’ve got two very young kids at home who I never got to see last season, so I’m enormously grateful to CBS and Amblin for letting me out of my contract a little early. I’m already missing the cast and crew, but the show remains in the excellent hands of our veteran showrunner Neal Baer, and we were lucky enough to hire some heavy hitting new writers for this season, including none other than Mr. King himself. His first episode is easily the best of the series so far, and helps set the tone for a fucking crazy new direction, so I look forward to getting to watch as a fan with everyone else.
CBS will air a one hour special for Under the Dome on June 23. Here is the press release.
CBS TO AIR “UNDER THE DOME: INSIDE CHESTER’S MILL,” AN EXCLUSIVE ONE-HOUR SPECIAL LOOKING BACK AT THE FIRST SEASON AND AHEAD TO THE SECOND SEASON PREMIERE, ON MONDAY, JUNE 23
Features Interviews with the Cast and Executive Producers and an Advance Sneak Peek at the Season Two Premiere
Season Two Premieres Monday, June 30 with an Episode Written by Bestselling Author and Executive Producer Stephen King
LOS ANGELES – CBS will air UNDER THE DOME: INSIDE CHESTER’S MILL on Monday, June 23 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT). This exclusive one-hour special looks back at the premiere season of the hit summer series, featuring highlights from last season as well as new interviews with the cast and executive producers. In addition, the special will tease what lies ahead for the residents of Chester’s Mill who are still trapped under the mysterious dome with an advance sneak peek at the season two premiere.
UNDER THE DOME returns for its second season Monday, June 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, with an episode written by bestselling author and executive producer Stephen King.
UNDER THE DOME was last summer’s #1 program and the most-watched scripted summer series premiere in 21 years. UNDER THE DOME is also licensed in 200 markets worldwide by CBS Studios International, and was recently named one of the most-watched dramas in the world by Eurodata TV Worldwide.
UNDER THE DOME stars Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre, Dean Norris, Eddie Cahill, Alexander Koch, Nicholas Strong, Colin Ford, Mackenzie Lintz, Karla Crome, Natalie Martinez and Britt Robertson. It is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Amblin Television. Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, Neal Baer, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Stacey Snider, Jack Bender and Brian K. Vaughan are executive producers.
Check out some tweets about season 2 of Under the Dome.
"We're way past the book," Baer explained. "The book is about the first week and we're already two weeks in. This season will be going two more weeks. If we lasted 15 years, that would only be a year under the dome. It's certainly possible to keep going. We have so many stories to tell."
- Neal Baer
Loads of news about season 2 of Under the Dome is coming out from the CBS Summer Press Day. Here is a report from Deadline:
In CBS‘ Summer Junket Day (“Summer is the new Fall”, said CBS Productions Television Studios president David Stapf to kick things off), Under The Dome EP Neal Baer talked about the second season re-boot for the Stephen King series which, Stapf reminded reporters, was the most watched new drama series of the wrapping TV season, besting NBC’s The Blacklist.
Though the second season will move past King’s book, storyline-wise, King is giving it his blessing by writing the first episode and making a cameo, Baer said. “So he’s certifying” it.
In a trailer for that first, King-written episode, The Dome becomes magnetic, sending all the town’s metal appliances, vehicles, etc. careening across the landscape. This doesn’t end well for at least one of the show’s characters.
“What I love about Stephen King’s way of seeing the world is that the ordinary becomes extraordinary. The barbeque is only the beginning. In that episode, things we trust become fearful,” Baer said.
“This is about ecological disaster pending — that magnetism has caused many things to happen,” Baer said. He hinted at “biblical problems of pestilence and bloody rain, because characters haven’t been the stewards they should be, of protecting the land and each other. What is the message The Dome is trying to teach us?”
This season of the series will include a digital-only character who is able to communicate with characters trapped in the dome, Baer said, which he explained was part of an effort to “reach out to particularly our young audience and embrace this ‘transmedia’.” “Maybe someone might possibly get out and someone might get in as well this year,” he added.
King has read every script for the second season, Baer said. “He has great ideas. I just love the fact that refrigerators and stoves become our enemies…[King]has this wonderment quality that is infectious.”
Spoiler TV report that Brett Cullen will be in multiple episodes during season 2.
Lost alum Brett Cullen has landed a multi-episode arc as Don Barbara, the father of Mike Vogel's Barbie, TVGuide.com has learned.
The smooth, charming and powerful patriarch of the Barbara clan, Don runs a multi-national corporation. "Barbie is shocked to find himself face-to-face with his father in an unforgettable turn of events," executive producer Neal Baer says. Could that mean that Don has been in the dome this whole time? Or, better yet, that Barbie is getting out of the dome?
Angie McAlister (Britt Robertson) waits on 'Under the Dome' author Stephen King, who makes a cameo in the second season's first episode, which he wrote. Phil Bushey (Nicholas Strong) stands behind King, with Junior Rennie (Alexander Koch) to the right. "He often does little cameos, a la Hitchcock, in his films, so we thought that would be really cool if he did it again," executive producer Neal Baer says. "He's just a citizen of Chester's Mill for at least the moment."
Press release on Under the Dome season 2.
CBS’S HIT SUMMER SERIES “UNDER THE DOME” BEGINS PRODUCTION ON SEASON TWO TODAY IN WILMINGTON, N.C.
Premiere Episode Written by Bestselling Author and Executive Producer Stephen King
March 3, 2014 – Production begins today in Wilmington, N.C. on the sophomore season of CBS’s hit summer series UNDER THE DOME. Executive producer Stephen King, the bestselling author of the novel the series is based on, wrote the first episode, which will be directed by executive producer Jack Bender.
The second season of UNDER THE DOME premieres Monday, June 30 (10:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS. UNDER THE DOME was the #1 program last summer, with an average of 15.06 million viewers and 3.9/11 in adults 18-49, making it the most-watched scripted summer series in 21 years. UNDER THE DOME is licensed in 200 markets worldwide by CBS Studios International and is off to strong starts in countries where it has already premiered.
UNDER THE DOME is the story of a small town that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. The town’s inhabitants must deal with surviving the post-apocalyptic conditions while searching for answers about the dome, where it came from and if and when it will go away.
UNDER THE DOME is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Amblin Television. Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, Neal Baer, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Stacey Snider, Jack Bender and Brian K. Vaughan are executive producers.
Per TV Guide, Sherry Stringfield ("ER," "CSI") will play Pauline, a mysterious woman who may be connected to the origins of the dome. Previously the Guide teased the return of the eccentric Pauline Rennie, aka Junior's mom and Big Jim's presumed-dead wife, so you can see what we meant about shaking things up.
"I'm thrilled after all these years to be working again with Sherry Stringfield," said executive producer Neal Baer. "We had a blast on 'ER' together, and I know Sherry will bring the same grace, spirit, and intensity to her new, pivotal role on 'Under the Dome'."
Stringfield, who will recur in multiple episodes, joins previously announced Season 2 additions Eddie Cahill, Grace Victoria Cox, and Karla Crome.
"Under the Dome" returns on Monday, June 30th, and plans to kill off two "favorites" in its Stephen King-penned Season 2 premiere.
Spoiler TV reports that Grace Victoria Cox joins the cast of Under the Dome. Grace Victoria Cox to recur
The casting marks Cox's first screen credit.
The 18-year-old Cox will recur as the lithe, mysterious, beautiful and almost regal Melanie, who catches the eye of Joe (Colin Ford). Poised and ethereal, Melanie is from the right side of the tracks and is a clear contrast to Norrie (Mackenzie Lintz).
The Hollywood Reporter reports that two new actors has been casted for season 2 of Under the Dome.
Under the Dome is adding two more series regulars for its upcoming sophomore season. CSI: NY's Eddie Cahill and Misfits grad Karla Crome have been tapped to be trapped under the mysterious dome.
Cahill is set to play Sam, Big Jim's (Dean Norris) brother-in-law. The character is described as a handsome recluse and former EMT who can hold his own against Big Jim and forms a deep connection with Julia (Rachelle Lefevre).
Cahill was a series regular for all 197 episodes of CSI: NY, where he played Detective Don Flack. His credits also include romancing Jennifer Aniston's Rachel on Friends, Glory Days and an episode of Dawson's Creek.
Crome, meanwhile, will make her U.S. TV debut as Rebecca, a beautiful teacher who is athletic, smart, tough and sexy.
zap2it reports from the 2014 TCA press tour where news about season 2 of Under the Dome was released:
CBS showed off a Season 2 teaser for "Under the Dome" at the 2014 TCA press tour panel on Wednesday (Jan. 15) and wow, is there some crazy stuff coming your way, "Dome" fans.
Book author Stephen King is writing the first episode of Season 2, which executive producer Bryan K. Vaughn says is going to be a huge asset.
"The second season is going to take us places the book never go to go, he's bringing his own twists and turns," says Vaughn. "Stephen King gave us ideas we've never imagined. What's outside [the dome] comes inside."
The second season is going to explore the major question that was introduced in the Season 1 finale: The dome is there to protect them, but protect them from what?
In doing so, the show will introduce a new character in the form of Junior's uncle, who has been hiding out for reasons that will be revealed eventually and who will "cause problems for Barbie." Isn't that the Rennie family motto?
Another new character will be a young schoolteacher who is "quite forceful" and who will cause some major heat for Big Jim Rennie (Dean Norris).
Speaking of heat for Big Jim, there was footage of him kissing Linda Esquivel (Natalie Martinez) in the teaser trailer, which ... ew. Maybe that's just a dream he's having? Please?
Finally, death is coming to "Under the Dome." Two fan-favorites won't survive the first episode of Season 2 and EP Neal Baer promises, "No one is safe in this town."
"Under the Dome" premieres Monday, June 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. We'll post the video for you as soon as we have it.
Not sure why they reveal this now but please let it be Joe McAlister and Norrie Calvert-Hill that dies, please...
Under the Dome will open production offices for season two in Wilmington on January 13 at EUE/Screen Gems Studios.
Offices will be used to prep production, which, according to NCasting's Vanessa Neimeyer, will begin in early March. NCasting will once again be handling extras casting for the series.
The second season premiere will be written by King.
Today Under the Dome is released on DVD and blu-ray. If anyone got the limited one (that looks like a globe) please email me and let me know if it is as nice as it looks to be.
30 Minutes of Exclusive Special Features:
Stephen King Visits Big Jim's Car Dealership
A tour of the location with Stephen King as he explains how Chester’s Mill is based on a real town and makes a deal to buy a used car.
The Visual Effects of "Under The Dome"
A visit with the Visual Effects team as they discuss the incredible sequences they worked on for the series.
"Under The Dome": Executing the Finale
Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from on set for the filming of the last episode.
The Wilmington Pilot Premiere
On the Red Carpet in Wilmington, NC for the Pilot Premiere of Under The Dome. Includes interviews with cast members and creators, the city’s Mayor declaring June 24th Dome Day, and reactions to the gigantic success of the network premiere.
Under The Dome, television’s #1 summer series in viewers and key demographics, will return in summer 2014 with 13 new episodes, it was announced today by Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment.
Stephen King, whose bestselling novel is the basis for the series, will write the premiere episode of the second season.
“We’re excited to tell more stories about the mystery of the dome and the secrets in Chester’s Mill, and are thrilled to have the master storyteller himself, Stephen King, tell the first one of next season,” said CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler.
Parade sat down with Neal Baer to discuss the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of season one (in stores November 5) of Under the Dome, secrets of season two, and how they already have their series ending in mind. Read more here.
Under the Dome is dropping in its ratings and after I read the excerpt from an article in Variety below I’m only more convinced that the good ratings it had earlier was more because it had no competition than the fact that it’s a good series… Sorry CBS but you should have settled for a one season run. What do the rest of you think?
After watching the top new summer program to come along in years fall to season lows on Monday, the Eye announced Tuesday that the season’s penultimate episode will be rebroadcast Saturday night at 9.
“Under the Dome” had been gaining steam in the last two weeks — thanks in part to the end of the Time Warner blackout — but last night’s episode started about 25 minutes late in the East and Central time zones, thus keeping some viewers from being able to watch. According to Nielsen, Monday’s episode averaged a 2.1 rating/6 share in adults 18-49 and 9.72 million viewers overall, down week-to-week by 22% in the demo and by 13% in total viewers.
CBS had aired the men’s final of the U.S. Open earlier Monday evening, and coverage didn’t wrap until 8:55 p.m. ET. The net opted to stick with its planned comedy repeats, meaning “The Big Bang Theory” did not conclude until about 10:25. The show aired at its regularly scheduled time in the West.
Going Under the Dome: Neal Baer Answers Burning Questions on the Identity of the Monarch
TV Guide did an interview with Neal Baer about season 1 of Under the Dome. It do have spoilers for episode 11 though so don't read it if you haven't seen that episode.
Neal Baer talks about the last three episodes of season 1 of Under the Dome. Why couldn't they let it end after this season? It's just getting worse and worse if you ask me...
More on my (and Lou’s) thoughts on Under the Dome in the next podcast. Oh, and I might end up having to apologize to one of the actors... Look for it soon!
Under the Dome's fourth hand has been revealed!
After it was pieced together that Junior (Alexander Koch) also had seizures growing up — coupled with the fact that his mother drew him as a child with pink stars — he joined Norrie (Mackenzie Lintz), Joe (Colin Ford) and Angie (Britt Robertson) at the mini-dome to discover that he is, in fact, the fourth hand that unlocks it. As the quartet placed their hands on the mysterious mini-dome, pink stars showered around them, at which point Junior says what every viewer is thinking: "But what does it mean?"
"The last three episodes dive deeply into exploring that question," executive producer Neal Baer tells TVGuide.com. "The power of the four hands will soon be revealed."
These four could be the key to uncovering the mystery of the dome — and in turn, the mini-dome, which is now home to a caterpillar that will seemingly turn into a Monarch butterfly. But is the caterpillar the Monarch who will be crowned? (It's all a bit confusing, no?) "All we know is that the caterpillar has the potential to turn into a Monarch butterfly," Baer says. "So the question is how this Monarch butterfly, trapped under the mini-dome, will lead to the crowning of 'The Monarch.'"
Here is an interview with the people behind Under the Dome from Comic Con were they give the following statment:
“We can say by the end of the first season, you’ll start to get some answers – where this came from, and who’s behind this,” Vaughan said.
They now have three episodes left to do just that...
Hollywood Reporter reports that Under the Dome has been renewed for a second season. What is your thoughts on that? Would you have prefered a solution this season or are you happy to get more? Comment below. CBS will return Under the Dome
The network has renewed the summer drama about a town encapsulated by a mysterious dome for a second season, CBS announced Monday at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour. The drama will return with another batch of 13 episodes in summer 2014.
The drama, an adaptation of Stephen King's best-seller of the same name, hails from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, CBS Television Studios and DreamWorks Television and was picked up straight to series after initially being developed for CBS corporate sibling Showtime.
"We're excited to tell more stories about the mystery of the dome and the secrets in Chester's Mill, and are thrilled to have the master storyteller himself, Stephen King, tell the first one of next season," CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler said in a statement announcing the news.
The series from showrunner Neal Baer (ER) and executive producer Brian K. Vaughan (Lost, Y: The Last Man) opened to a summer best June 24 at 10 p.m. The series drew a 3.2 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic according to Fast National numbers, tying it with Fox's The Following for the second-highest-rated drama premiere of the 2012-13 season; and its 13.1 million total viewers was the biggest audience for a drama launch in the past year. The series premiere ranked as CBS' most-watched summer debut since 2000 (Big Brother) and its highest-rated since 2005 (Fire Me Please). The series is averaging 13.84 million viewers and a 3.5 among adults 18-49.
When factoring in DVR data, the bow for Dome jumped to a 4.3 in the demo and 16.7 million total viewers -- impressive given its competition for the night included the final game of the Stanley Cup Finals. During its second week, the series lost a bit of steam, scoring a 2.8 in the demo (down 15 percent) and 11.5 million total viewers. It's third week continued the strong viewership, dropping only two points from its second week and easily topping all other original broadcasts for the night.
CBS struck an early content licensing deal with Amazon, giving Amazon Prime members unlimited access to the serialized drama four days after the network broadcast. (CBS has also been airing repeats of the episodes on Sundays at 9 p.m.; the rebroadcast of the premiere collected more than 5 million viewers and tied for second in the demo with a 1.0.)
The Amazon arrangement helps the network offset the cost of launching a pricey serialized original drama -- generally something the networks reserve for the fall -- in the typically low-rated summer months. Sources tell THR that the drama comes with a $3 million-per-episode price tag and has already been licensed in 200 international markets.
Dome is the key component of CBS' push toward year-round scripted programming, which also includes the second season of Unforgettable. The Poppy Montgomery drama was resurrected from the dead with an order for an abbreviated summer run. The push at CBS comes a year after the network saw its reality offerings fail to register last summer.
For their part, producers Baer and Vaughan have been vocal about stretching the series from what many early on considered a closed-ended 13-episode order. Baer, whose previous series ER and Law & Order: SVU have both run for 15 seasons, joked that he hoped Dome would follow the same trajectory. Vaughan, meanwhile, also is eyeing another abbreviated summer run for the drama. The producers, with King's blessing and guidance, plan to stretch the 1,000-page-plus book beyond the time span featured in the author's source material.
"When we first started talking to Stephen, we came up with the idea of the town potentially being trapped for years at a time, and that's something that [King said] you guys could get to do that I didn't," Vaughan told reporters ahead of the premiere, noting it might necessitate a different ending to the series. "We pitched Stephen a far-out, big-swing idea for this to go several years -- a different ending -- and he was really excited by it."
Meanwhile, diehard fans of the book have complained about the departures producers have made from the novel -- with King defending the changes in a post on his website. "Many of the changes wrought by Brian K. Vaughan and his team of writers have been of necessity, and I approved of them wholeheartedly," he wrote. "Some have been occasioned by their plan to keep the dome in place over Chester's Mill for months instead of little more than a week, as is the case in the book. Other story modifications are slotting into place because the writers have completely reimagined the source of the dome."
For Spielberg, the Dome renewal means he'll have at least two series on the air next year. TNT recently renewed Falling Skies for a fourth season (due in summer 2014) and ABC is launching freshman lottery drama Lucky 7 in the fall.
Dome, which stars Dean Norris (Breaking Bad), Natalie Martinez (CSI: NY), Britt Robertson (Life Unexpected), Rachelle Lefevre (Twilight) and Mike Vogel (Bates Motel), also teased fans about a cliffhanger ending to season one during its Comic-Con debut.
Here is a first look at Natalie Zea from Under the Dome.
"I play Maxine, an out-of-towner who has been in Chester's Mill since the dome came down but has been hiding, lying in wait, ready to make her move," Zea says.
Here is the Comic Con poster for Under the Dome. Looks OK if you ask me but it's ironic that it's based on the only special effect that wasn't that good...