Common Sense Media Review
By Matt Cabral
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Slow-paced King adaptation has language, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Lisey's Story
What's the Story?
Based on the 2006 Stephen King novel of the same name, LISEY'S STORY blends a number of genres, including drama, psychological horror, romance, and mystery. Its title character, played by Julianne Moore, is dealing with a number of problems in the wake of her husband's death, played in flashbacks by Clive Owen. In addition to grieving her spouse's untimely demise -- and piecing together the mystery he left behind -- Lisey helps care for her mentally ill sister (Joan Allen). Lisey's husband was a successful author, and an obsessed, unhinged fan will seemingly stop at nothing to get his hands on the late novelist's unpublished works. Lisey's Story is a favorite of King's, and he penned the scripts for the entire series.
Is It Any Good?
Stephen King's passionate followers have had no shortage of TV adaptations of the author's work to dig into lately; sadly, they may wish to leave Lisey's Story at the bottom of the pile. But as 2020's The Outsider and this year's The Stand proved, not all of these small-screen takes are created equal -- while the former was one of the better King adapts in recent memory, the latter left many fans disappointed, as Lisey's Story is likely to do.
The series is beautifully shot, features stellar performances and production values, and oozes with haunting atmosphere. That said, its story rarely achieves the high bar set by these other elements. While it generally does a decent job balancing its various genre influences, the narrative relies too heavily on disjointed, sloppily placed sequences that often switch between dreams, nightmares, alternate realities, flashbacks, and even flashbacks within flashbacks. Toss in a meandering pace that fails to keep the series' stretched-thin mysteries compelling, and Lisey's Story is best left to the pages of King's original novel.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Lisey's Story use of dreams, nightmares, and flashbacks. How does it use these narrative devices to tell its story? Do you think these elements add or take away from the quality of the story? What other series use this type of storytelling?
How does the series portray mental illness? Do you think its portrayal helps bring positive attention to it or is its portrayal purely for entertainment purposes? Is it disrespectful for an actor to portray a character suffering from mental illness?
How does the main character deal with her grief? Does the series handle grief and grieving in a realistic way?
TV Details
- Premiere date : June 4, 2021
- Cast : Julianne Moore , Clive Owen , Joan Allen , Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Network : Apple TV
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Book Characters
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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