Stephen King fans were excited to learn that his "The Colorado Kid" was going to be turned into a television series. The novel had an interesting, almost film-noir quality to it that could translate well onto film: there was mystery, suspense, but most importantly there was a good story at the heart of the novel that had all the ingredients for an intriguing and unique series. Time will tell whether the series will deliver, but as of now, unfortunately, the pilot episode of "Haven" does not dish up the story very convincingly.

The first thing fans of "The Colorado Kid" should do is forget it fully and completely. "Haven" is so different a story from the novel on which it is based that, if it wasn't for the opening credits stating that "Haven" was based on Stephen King's story, there would not be any similarities at all.

At the beginning of this first episode viewers are introduced to Audrey Parker (Emily Rose). She is a smart and sexy F.B.I. agent that has all the fit, finish and polish (not to mention a few quirks) to attract viewers and enable them to become involved in her life. Interesting stuff, but this is far and away a much more different role than the original newspaper internship position on which her character is supposed to be based. Parker is portrayed as a tough agent that has (of course!) a gun.

Within the first ten minutes Parker is assigned to a murder investigation in the town of Haven and the show is off, the raison detre of the episode effectively established. However, it is impossible not to feel confused by "Haven." One of the first questions viewers will ask themselves is whether "Haven" is supposed to be a horror/drama, or if it is supposed to be something else. One instance that illustrates this point is when Parker goes off the road and is precariously dangling over a cliff. Rather than feel truly frightened, she makes a joke about the song playing on the radio along the lines of if I die it wont be to this song. The joke falls flat and confuses the audience. Is "Haven" a comedy? Is it a chick-lit coming-of-age melodrama? In this same scene we are introduced to Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant) and some more contrived and supposedly funny dialogue takes place when Bryants character asks, need help maam? with a smirk, as if hanging over a cliff is a normal everyday occurrence and hes there to, you know ... help nstuff all cool like. Again, the joke falls flat. What is detrimental is that this early scene effectively ruins any chance of this episode being even remotely scary.

What Worked

An interesting dichotomy gets established at the beginning of this episode where a struggle between fact and fiction seems to be an issue; Audrey Parkers boss visits her at her apartment to give her the Haven assignment and chastises her, telling her to put her novels away and get serious about her work which, as he points out, is of the non-fiction variety. This hints that there might be a struggle between fact/fiction, reality/unreality that will hopefully be further developed and explored in future episodes. Psychological twists are always a hoot.

Another thing that works well is the town of Chester, Nova Scotia, where "Haven" is filmed. With its quaint maritime look this little village works well as a spooky Maine town. Lastly, working the title of The Colorado Kid into the storyline via a particularly poignant newspaper article -- and the mystery that surrounds this story -- is a nice touch as it pays homage to Kings story creatively.

One final thought on what worked well: John Dunsworth as a quirky newspaperman. If they continue to use his character, and in fact involve this character more, "Haven" might be a success. From what has been shown thus far Dunsworth plays this role exceedingly well and it is, after all, the only tie to "The Colorado Kid" to date.

What Didnt Work

The way the supernatural element is presented in this first episode does not work. No explanation is given for the events, and they seem to inspire boredom and mediocrity from those who actually witness them. The fact that "The Colorado Kid" novel didnt have any supernatural element in it makes the strange occurrences in "Haven" seem gratuitous and contrived.

Another distraction was that there was a lot of shaky camera movement, giving the production a rushed and thrown-together feel. However, these items pale in comparison to the corny comedy that comes across as being forced into the narrative. Weve all seen the same shtick in other Syfy shows like "Eureka" and "Warehouse 13." However, in "Haven" this contrived banter just does not work and instead ruins the flow of a potentially frightening drama.

Moreover, the look and feel of this show at times gave the impression that it was copied from the "Silent Hill" movie, with the mysterious fog rolling into town and cracks forming in the pavement in the towns streets. Again, because these elements were not part of the original "The Colorado Kid," one is left wondering what direction this show will take, and whether or not it will continue to copy from "Silent Hill" (scary elements) and "Warehouse 13" and "Eureka" (comedic elements and the sexual/romantic tension).

To conclude, it would appear that "Haven" has a lot of potential, but has no direction as of yet. The source material is so far removed from the story line of the series that the show can now pretty much go anywhere anyone wants to take it without anything being lost ever -- because there isnt anything concrete yet. This is not good for literary purists who like to see at least some similarity to their favorite work. This is even worse for King fans who are only too familiar seeing his books interpreted wrong.

Moving forward, it is time for "Haven" to do away with the corny one-liners, get serious and get down to business. With next weeks episode titled Consumed fast approaching, let us hope for something scarier.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

"Haven" stars Audrey Parker, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Richard Donat, John Dunsworth. "Welcome to Haven" was written by Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, and was directed by Adam Kane.

"Haven" airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy.