Stephen King’s Sci-Fi Thriller Is Dominating Streaming Right Now
MGM+ has a breakout on its hands: The Institute, adapted from Stephen King’s 2019 novel, is still pulling in strong numbers months after its Season 1 finale, cementing the horror series as one of the streamer’s standout hits.
Stephen King shows rarely sneak by, but MGM+ quietly has a legit hit on its hands with The Institute. Months after the season 1 finale, the numbers are still strong, even though critics were pretty split on it. Here is why it is sticking.
Where things stand now
As of December 22, 2025, The Institute sits at number seven on MGM+’s most-watched TV shows list, according to Flix Patrol. Not bad for a series that wrapped season 1 back in August and has been riding word of mouth ever since.
- Premiere: July 13, 2025
- Episodes: 8
- Season 1 finale: August 24, 2025
- Status: Renewed for season 2 before the finale aired
- Current performance: #7 on MGM+’s most-watched list as of December 22, 2025 (via Flix Patrol)
What the show is about
The Institute adapts King’s 2019 novel and centers on Luke Ellis, a teenager with telekinetic powers who gets kidnapped and dumped in a shadowy facility where gifted kids are poked, prodded, and pushed past their limits. Luke teams up with other captives, puts the pieces together on who is running the place, and starts planning an escape that could expose everything being done to them.
The tweak from the book that seems to be working
One big change from the novel is getting a lot of credit for how well the show plays on TV. In King’s book, former cop Tim Jamieson’s arc unfolds far away from the Institute for a good chunk of the story. The series pulls his storyline much closer to the facility, which trims the geographic sprawl and tightens the focus. It is a practical adjustment that makes the parallel threads feel like they are part of the same engine, and viewers seem to be responding to that.
Cast and who is doing what
Ben Barnes, yep, Prince Caspian himself, plays Tim Jamieson. Joe Freeman is Luke Ellis, the kid at the center of the nightmare. Emmy winner Mary Louise Parker also co-stars. Between the familiar faces and that streamlined structure, you can see why the show has stayed sticky on the platform.
The bottom line
The Institute launched strong, kept showing up on MGM+’s internal charts, and locked a season 2 renewal before season 1 even crossed the finish line. For a horror series with divided reviews, that kind of sustained streaming heat is impressive. If the second season keeps the same tight focus, MGM+ might have its go-to genre franchise for a while.