E
Q&A
BEST
SUMMER
EVER
HUFFINGTON
05.26.13
ENTERTAINMENT
TV
ideas even further. [The writers
have talked] about guns under the
dome, and getting to do a thoughtful story about gun control in the
confines of this otherworldly dome
has been very exciting.
MICHAEL BUCKNER/GETTY IMAGES
There’s obviously a big debate right now
about violence in entertainment. I would
assume that, given that these people
are trapped in a very tense situation,
there is violence in Under the Dome. Yes,
I would be lying if I said our show
had no violence. It’s a Stephen King
show, and we’re on at 10 p.m., so
we don’t want to pull any punches.
But the violence is never used for
spectacle, or for thrills. From the
pilot onward, violence always has
grave consequences for everyone.
And I think the role that violence
has, not just in our society, but in
the burgeoning democracy [of Under the Dome is worth exploring].
So this isn’t necessarily a one-and-done
season? It could continue? Yeah. We
treat this as if we are writing the
first season of an ongoing series,
not a TV miniseries. So it will be
up to the audience and we hope
they show up and want more, but
we certainly do. We have really
long-term plans for this.
Does it make you nervous that it’s on in the
summer? It doesn’t scare me at all.
It’s exciting. And I know with [a
deal CBS cut with Amazon.com],
episodes are going to be available online four days after they
air. I think all you can do is make
a good show and hope that the
things work out.
What has been the most fun part of making this so far? I got to sit in a room
with Stephen King on speakerphone while I was sitting across
from Steven Spielberg. We’re all
just batting around ideas — that is
geek fantasy camp. That is
a highlight of my life.
Vaughan
(right) with
writers Alex
Tse (left)
and Travis
Beacham at
a Hollywood
Reporter
party in
2008.