Welcome to What Would Have Happened Next, a recurring feature in which TVLine breaks down the plot twists, character developments, story arcs, and major moves that would’ve taken place… if only your favorite TV shows hadn’t been canceled.
CBS’ Stephen King adaptation “Under the Dome” aired for three seasons from 2013-2015. Like the original 2009 novel on which it was loosely based (major emphasis on “loosely” here!), the sci-fi drama told the story of the fictional town of Chester’s Mill after a gargantuan, glass-like, yet indestructible dome fell down from the sky and cut them off from the rest of the world. Despite help from the outside — military forces, the government, and the media all flocked toward the dome in an attempt to aid those trapped inside — the residents attempted to find their own methods of survival amid inner turmoil and a battle for resources. Naturally, a small group of people inside the dome began to unravel the mysteries surrounding their odd predicament: What is the dome, where did it come from, and when, if ever, will it go away?
The Season 3 finale (which aired Sept. 10, 2015) didn’t quite answer all of the big questions it raised throughout its run. But the dome was destroyed in the final episode with a little help from Big Jim (who broke the alien egg) and a transmitter that caused it to disintegrate. But as soon as the resistance — those fighting against the alien beings called the Kinship — were freed, the military quarantined everyone who had been infected or mind-controlled. One year later, Barbie proposed to Julia, but was interrupted for a meeting with Congressman Big Jim. Now working for the NSA, Hunter located the presumedly dead Dawn in Omaha, Neb. We then saw that she miraculously found another extraterrestrial egg. After scaring away some kids lurking about, she vowed, “We’ll come back another time.”
Would another dome have dropped in Season 4?
Was the whole dome phenomenon about to start over again? And what would have happened in Season 4? After the finale hit screens, executive producer Neal Baer confirmed that another dome would’ve, indeed, fallen down somewhere else in the U.S.
“They would have gone someplace else, and the dome would come down over another place,” he told TVLine with a laugh. “But then it would be like, ‘Then what?’ Would we do the same thing again? It would have been a real challenge. I went on this incredibly interesting adventure that was a parable for sustainability in our world, and now, it’s up to us to live the real life and do something about it.”
His only regret? Not having the time to bring everyone back in avatar form, like Angie, Linda, Dodee, and Reverend Coggins.
“My other desire — but it’s so difficult to do in TV, because there’s so many different characters — was to bring back [Norrie’s mom] Alice, like we did in Season 2, where we brought Dodee or Angie back. I would have loved to have a whole avatar scene where they’re all just haunting Big Jim. [Laughs] That would have been my dream.”
The series was never shopped around after cancelation
Baer also said that after the show’s cancelation, he had no desire to shop the CBS series to another platform.
“I’m very happy with this ending. I feel very satisfied,” he said. “We made it so there could be another [season]… but it wasn’t necessary.”
Ratings for the series had begun to plummet as the seasons ticked by. “Under the Dome” opened in June 2013 with a boffo 13.5 million total viewers, and by its freshman finale was still pulling 12.1 mil. Season 2 averaged 7.2 million weekly viewers, while Season 3 — which aired on Thursdays instead of its original day, Monday — never came close to reaching those highs.
Do you wish “Under the Dome” had been renewed? How many more seasons would you have watched? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
