Things take a turn for the worse, however, when the toll of these new gifts begins to show, and people in the small hamlet start having to hide their secrets and keep outsiders away. For some, their vision is improved, several of them gain the ability to read minds, and most of the residents begin creating futuristic inventions that do spectacular things, made out of common parts. We’re introduced to several other characters around Haven who have their own interesting relationships and problems, but things pick up when this newly unearthed relic begins affecting everyone in strange ways. She’s an author too, and the idea of two writers living together either equals the occasional wonderful creative ping-pong or a stress-induced nightmare. This story is mostly about Jim Gardner (Jimmy Smits), local poet and the town drunk, whom everyone calls ‘Gard,’ but it starts with his lover, Roberta Anderson (Marg Helgenberger), or ‘Bobbi,’ walking her dog and stumbling onto a huge find buried in the woods behind their house. I hope we all like that bright green color because there’s a lot of it here. Considering his thoughts on the book and looking at other takes on the material, this isn’t that surprising. It was the last full book he penned before seeking help and cleaning his life up, but King also referred to it as a ‘cry for help.’ King usually prefers his works to be shown as a miniseries or multiple-episode show, because he often has a lot to say, but here he felt that the adaptation of Tommyknockers was actually too short, not getting enough of the good parts out and that the people making it didn’t understand what the text was going for. King wrote the novel while under the influence of hard drugs and feels that it is too long and unfocused, even if there’s a solid core premise buried in all of those pages.
Tommyknockers may have been a doomed adaptation from the beginning because of its source material, and that’s coming from the author himself.
It doesn’t quite rank as the worst of King’s televised offerings on most lists, but there’s certainly an argument for it being the biggest letdown. There was a push to make more, and adapt everything, because his work was hot, and in 1993 we were blessed with a two-part event for The Tommyknockers. We all know that Stephen King is a prolific author, so it isn’t surprising that so many of his works were turned into films and television miniseries, and it’s less surprising that several of those adaptations are often forgotten.
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