This Shocking New Stephen King Streaming Series is Loved by the Author: “It’s really good”
There’s a lot of Stephen King out there. Last year, we got the Salem’s Lot remake, and this year alone we’ve had The Monkey and The Life of Chuck. And this year, we’ve still got The Long Walk and another The Running Man adaptation on the way. Think about that for a moment. That’s four adaptations of one author in a single calendar year, and all four of them are theatrical releases. It’s unprecedented, and if you’re a horror fan, you know it’s kind of always been that way. Lots of Stephen King.
It makes it challenging to keep up with everything, and those who do likely know just how hit-and-miss those adaptations can be. There’s some good, some great, some Mr. Harrigan’s Phone. Beyond the theatrical releases, there are just as many streaming releases. Buried beneath the prestige of King’s more popular titles, one King miniseries quietly launched on MGM+ last week, and it’s a good one.
Learn more about The Institute below:
Per MGM+: A group of psychic children unites to take on the shadowy organization that has kidnapped them and claims to be using their power to “save the world.”
The Institute is adapted from King’s novel of the same name. As of this writing, three episodes are available to stream on MGM+, the same platform where Dread Central’s and, curiously, Stephen King’s favorite horror series From is hosted. The novel is a personal favorite of mine, and Jack Bender’s adaptation stars Ben Barnes, Mary-Louise Parker, and Joe Freeman.
There are eight episodes planned for the series in full. Almost assuredly, viewership will determine whether The Institute is one-and-done or gets another season order. Unfortunately, it’s not looking too great, at least on the critical front. While reviews aren’t necessarily bad, they are decidedly mixed. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the critical consensus is at a reasonable 71%, though the audience reception is lower, with the Popcorn Meter reporting a 55% audience score. Again, not great, but not necessarily terrible.
There are fans, however, and you can check out some choice reactions from fans of the premiere episodes below:
What do you think? Any plans to check out The Institute on MGM+? What’s been your favorite Stephen King adaptation of the past few years? Mine is definitely The Monkey! Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
Categorized: News
