The Stand is an American post-apocalyptic fantasy television miniseries based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The plot centers on a pandemic resulting from a mishap at a military biological research facility, which allows the escape of a lethal strain of influenza. After the pandemic kills almost the entire world population, the few survivors are drawn to one of two figures, Randall Flagg and Mother Abagail, setting up a final good-vs-evil confrontation. The first episode was released on Paramount+ on December 17, 2020, and on Starz on January 3, 2021.
The Stand is described in CBS publicity as "King's apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague" The fate of mankind rests on the frail shoulders of 108-year-old Mother Abagail and a handful of survivors.