By
Dhruv Sharma
Published 17 minutes ago
Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies.
After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
Summary
Generate a summary of this story
follow
Follow
followed
Followed
Like
Like
Thread
Log in
Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
Try something different:
Show me the facts
Explain it like I’m 5
Give me a lighthearted recap
An underrated Stephen King show that came out in 2025 deserves the attention of all those who are fans of two of the best books written by the author: It and Firestarter.
HBO's It: Welcome to Derry is currently performing incredibly well and has also garnered favorable reviews from viewers and critics. However, before the Stephen King TV show landed on HBO, another memorable series based on a 2019 Stephen King book premiered earlier this year. Unlike It: Welcome to Derry, the show did not shatter any major streaming records and even earned an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 64%.
Yet, despite not being as well-received as the HBO series, the show deserves more attention. Interestingly, the show has already been renewed for another season, making it the first Stephen King TV adaptation to get a follow-up installment in years.
If You Love Stephen King’s IT & Firestarter, You Must Watch The Institute On MGM+
Fans of Stephen King's Firestarter and IT will find MGM+'s The Institute to be the perfect blend of all the storytelling devices and tropes they have grown to love in the horror author's novels:
- Endangered children under the supervision of morally corrupt or negligent adults.
- Sinister government-funded organizations that exploit.
- Exploration of the frightening potential of psychic abilities.
In all three Stephen King stories, the primary characters are children who either have traces of "the shining" or possess potent supernatural powers. Firestarter and The Institute do not feature cosmic monsters like IT's Pennywise. However, like Stephen King's IT, they show how children are forced to lose their innocence after being confronted with terrors they cannot fully understand. In all three, especially in IT and The Institute, the power of friendship ultimately becomes the young characters' ultimate weapon, allowing them to stand tall in the face of danger.
"The Shop" in Firestarter is also quite similar to the titular Institute in the MGM+ Stephen King adaptation. Both organizations run experiments on children either to give them supernatural powers or enhance their existing abilities. They are both also hinted to be government-related organizations, designed to justify evil in the name of perceived greater good.
The Institute & It: Welcome To Derry Are Perfect Examples Of How Stephen King Shows Should Be Made
Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise smiles under sinister lighting in It Welcome to Derry
2025 has been a great year for Stephen King adaptations, especially the ones on the small screen. After 2020's The Outsider, almost all Stephen King TV shows struggled to perform well both critically and commercially. It: Welcome to Derry and The Institute have finally broken this trend by not only earning favorable reviews but also driving good viewership numbers. It would be fair to say that they have marked the beginning of a new era for Stephen King's TV adaptations, and future shows based on the author's work should learn from them.
The Institute
Thriller
Mystery
Fantasy
Horror
8/10
58
8.8/10
Release Date
July 13, 2025
Cast
Mary-Louise Parker, Ben Barnes, Julian Richings, Martin Roach, Robert Joy, Jason Diaz, Dan Beirne, Hannah Galway, Simone Miller, Birva Pandya, Jane Luk, Viggo Hanvelt, Arlen So, Tyler Murree, Fionn Laird, Joe Freeman
Directors
Jack Bender
Main Genre
Thriller
Genres
Thriller, Mystery, Fantasy, Horror
Seasons
1
Number of Episodes
8
Streaming Service(s)
MGM+
Powered by
Expand
Collapse
-
The Institute
-
Stephen King
-
It
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Be the first to post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.Your comment has not been saved
Send confirmation emailThis thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.
- Terms
- Privacy
- Feedback
4 hours ago
Quentin Tarantino Thinks This 1971 Film Is The Best Ultra-Violent Martial Arts Movie
5 hours ago
Marvel’s Savage New Hulk Is About To Usher In A Whole New Age For Heroes
9 hours ago
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Season 5 - Is It Happening?
6 hours ago
Ghosts’ Intriguing Character Return Sets Up A New Era At Woodstone Manor
Trending Now
Stranger Things' Next Big Spinoff Series Gets Exciting New Update From The Duffer Brothers Despite Paramount Deal
How Ultra-Violent WWII Epic Sisu: Road To Revenge Ups The Ante In The 96% RT Sequel: "The Answer Is Speed"
There's Something You Need To Know About Ciri's The Witcher Season 4 Romance
