TV adaptations of Stephen King’s books are notoriously hit or miss, from the highs of Mr. Mercedes and 1990’s It, which scarred an entire generation, to The Langoliers and Under the Dome. One series that is squarely in the former is the thrilling supernatural drama Haven, which ran for 5 seasons on SyFy. The series is based loosely on King’s 2005 novel The Colorado Kid, creating a deep mythology of its own as it progresses… and now it is available to stream for free on Tubi.
‘Haven’ Uses Stephen King’s Book as a Stepping Stone into a Larger Story
When we say loosely based on King’s book, we mean very, very loosely: the murder of the titular character, 25-years prior, that drives the entire narrative of the book is merely a means of bringing FBI Agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) to the small town of Haven, Maine to investigate. Haven, naturally, is a nice, normal town where nothing strange ever happens. Right. Haven is, as its name suggests, a place where those plagued by a supernatural affliction known as “The Troubles” find refuge, a safe haven.
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world’s conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
05
What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
06
How does your universe treat good and evil? A world’s moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
07
What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You’d find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world’s beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien’s universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
The Wizarding World
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what’s right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter’s universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Westeros · The Known World
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don’t confuse the world as it is with the world as you’d like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
The United Federation of Planets
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe’s most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don’t just hope that’s possible. You think it’s the only thing worth working toward.
The manifestations of the “Troubles” are what drive the series; a “paranormal trouble of the week” procedural, for lack of a better comparable. One person’s nightmares become physical manifestations, driving him to try and stay awake to protect others. Animals transform into human beings. Another has a living shadow that attacks and kills whatever has angered him. A woman poisons people in the vicinity when she’s stressed out. Typically, the Trouble is a response to an emotional trigger, and once that trigger has been identified, it can be sent into remission with the right coping mechanisms.
Which is where Audrey comes in, as she, for some reason, is impervious to the effects of these Troubles. That extends to Nathan Wuornos (Lucas Bryant), a local police officer whose Trouble is idiopathic neuropathy, a condition where one cannot feel physical sensations, i.e. pain or touch. But he can feel Audrey’s touch, and the two form a bond and partner up to help those afflicted, with Audrey eventually leaving the FBI to join the Haven Police Department. They’re aided by local charming rogue Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour), with the three forming a team… and the proverbial love triangle.
But the question really is why Audrey is immune from those with Troubles, which in turn poses even more questions. Was it coincidence that she came to Haven, or was she destined to be there? Why does she feel a connection to Haven, which starts to feel less like a town and more like an entity unto itself? And why are there photos of her in Haven from years ago? It’s an overarching mystery that is intertwined with the origins of The Troubles, and she’s going to need Duke and Nathan’s help to bring the Troubles to an end, once and for all.
‘Haven’ Has a Deep Mythology With Ties to Stephen King
The depth of the Troubles they encounter is staggering, a set of imaginative maladies that keep each episode from playing out too similarly to those before or after it. It’s truly imaginative, with a well-detailed mythology that ties to the broader world of Stephen King’s works. The Troubles, inherited through bloodlines, occur in a recurring cycle of major outbursts every 27 years, a nod to the same multi-decade hibernation cycle shared by It‘s Pennywise. Other Maine towns from King’s works — Derry and Castle Rock, for instance — are often mentioned. A model of a red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury coupe appears on a desk, which looks suspiciously like the titular Christine. And in one of the more overt cases, a young boy in a yellow raincoat chases his newspaper boat, only to see it go into the gutter, letting out a blood-curdling scream when he reaches in for it…
Still, Haven stands on its own outside the King association. The relationship between the three leads has a similar vibe to The Vampire Diaries, with a very natural rapport between the three on screen. However, unlike its supernatural drama kin, where the love triangle often controlled the narrative, the focus of Haven remains on the mysteries of “The Troubles,” making the love triangle more of an engaging complementary piece than the main attraction.
The cast, led by the trio of Rose, Bryant, and Balfour, are excellent, breathing life into a host of characters that harbor their own deep secrets beneath their veneer. The one weakness of the series lies with the CGI, which is very, well, SyFy. But it’s a minor distraction, at worst, with the stories engaging enough to not have to rely heavily on it. Most importantly, it all feels somehow plausible, that despite the scope of the Troubles and Audrey’s place within it, Haven still feels grounded, a testament to Emily Rose, who shoulders the bulk of it. Haven is well worth the watch, especially now that it’s free to stream on Tubi. No “Troubles” at all.
