Larry Underwood, a white musician in the novel, is played by Black actor Jovan Adepo. Ralph Brentner, originally a white male Oklahoma farmer, becomes Ray Brentner, a Native American woman portrayed by Irene Bedard. Showrunner Benjamin Cavell explicitly stated the updates aimed to avoid an all-white-male cast reflective of 1978 and instead mirror 2020 demographics.

Mother Abagail remains a Black character as in the source, with efforts to humanize her beyond stereotypes. These casting decisions and creator intent introduce noticeable progressive elements into character selection and representation. The core narrative, however, stays rooted in King's traditional good-versus-evil framework involving Mother Abagail's visions versus Randall Flagg, with no central plotlines revolving around identity politics, systemic oppression, or social justice lectures.

Episode synopses confirm the story follows survivors' journeys, committee leadership in Boulder, and confrontations in New Vegas without ideological reframing. Audience and critic responses noted the diversity updates alongside mixed reception on execution and some specific casting controversies, such as a hearing actor in the deaf role of Nick Andros, but the adaptation's appeal derives primarily from the source material's epic scope rather than activist messaging.