Every time a book as popular as The Stand is adapted for screen, two questions emerge: Will it satisfy the built-in fanbase? And will it also work for viewers who are new to the story? In its very first installment, the CBS All Access iteration of one of King’s most popular books isn’t really succeeding in either endeavor. It’s, of course, far too early to condemn its efforts entirely. And The Stand’s pilot does check a lot of important boxes of the genre while also putting forth at least one intriguing character arc. But it still feels like too much is missing to make it really stand out as a memorable pilot.