It’s Officially The End Of An Era For Stephen King Adaptations

Credit: Roger Wong/INFphoto.com Published Sep 27, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT 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 2025 was a huge year for Stephen King adaptations. Almost a record-breaking number of movies based on his books premiered during the year and almost all of them managed to land in critics' good books. Among them, perhaps the most memorable film was The Long Walk, which still holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 88% and even performed well at the box office. However, while many movie adaptations based on the King of Horror's works continued to perform well, even TV shows surprisingly defied all expectations. For a long time, the big screen seemed like a far better medium for Stephen King's adaptations than the small screen. Even movies based on King's works have been hit-or-miss, but TV shows had a significantly lower success rate. Especially in recent history, Stephen King's presence was almost starting to die on the small screen. Directors like Mke Flanagan continued to draw from his works, but most direct adaptations of his stories, like Apple TV's Lisey's Story and MGM+'s Chapelwaite, struggled to leave their mark. Fortunately, this trend is already starting to fade, marking the end of a long era for Stephen King adaptations. For The First Time In History, Stephen King’s TV Adaptations Are On A Roll Brooke Palmer / ©HBO / Courtesy Everett Collection Only two TV adaptations of Stephen King's works premiered in 2025: The Institute and It: Welcome to Derry. Surprisingly, both managed to receive fairly positive reviews from viewers and critics. While The Institute's reception was relatively more lukewarm, the show performed well enough among viewers to be renewed for another season even after exhausting its source material in season 1. It: Welcome to Derry, on the other hand, is shaping up to become one of the greatest takes on Stephen King's works. The HBO show not only garnered critical acclaim but smashed many viewership records on streaming. It is also set to return for another, and, if all goes well, it will also eventually get renewed for a third installment. Even in 2026, fans of the King of Horror's stories will get to see two new TV adaptations: Carrie and The Institute season 2. Carrie has already premiered to incredibly positive reviews from critics, which should not be surprising since Mike Flanagan is at its held. While it is too soon to foresee how The Institute season 2 will turn out, the show seems to be in safe hands. With both Carrie and The Institute season 2 expected to perform well, we are finally entering an era where Stephen King's TV shows do not feel forced and subpar compared to big screen adaptations. If this trend continues, more studious would gain confidence in small-screen takes on the horror author's works, paving the way for more shows based on his books. We Need More Stephen King TV Shows After Welcome To Derry, The Institute, & Carrie TV shows have always offered the runway needed to explore King's character depth and atmospheric dread, something that 2-hour movies should not be able to capture as effectively. Yet, it is surprising how only a handful of Stephen King TV shows, like The Outsider, 11.22.69, and Mr. Mercedes, were actually worth watching in the past. Fortunately, the new wave of TV adaptations based on King's works are finally leveraging their long-term and episodic formats to deliver memorable takes on the author's novels. The Institute season 2, It: Welcome to Derry season 2, and Carrie are all expected to perform really well. Their success will prove that there is a high demand for worthy small-screen adaptations of King's works. This new trend should encourage more networks and streaming services to greenlit more Stephen King TV shows. While only time will tell how long Stephen King adaptations will continue to perform well on the small screen, it is hard not to be optimistic about the future of the horror author's work on television. Carrie Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network Prime Video Cast Summer H. Howell Carrie White Matthew Lillard Principal Grayle Samantha Sloyan Margaret White Carrie White struggles through school life after her father's passing in this new adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel. The challenges she faces include bullying, a domineering mother, and the the development of her telekinetic abilities. It: Welcome to Derry 7/10 Release Date October 26, 2025 Network HBO It: Welcome to Derry serves as a prequel to the 2017 film It, exploring the sinister history of Derry, Maine. Set in 1962, the series follows a family that relocates to the town amidst unsettling occurrences and the mysterious disappearance of a young boy. Cast Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Matilda Lawler, Amanda Christine, Clara Stack, Arian S. Cartaya, Peter Outerbridge, Chris Chalk, Rudy Mancuso, Alixandra von Renner, Dmitry Chepovetsky, Eli Katz, Mark MacRae, Lochlan Ray Miller, Maya McNair, Maya Misaljevic, Hannah Storey, Thomas Mitchell, Chad Rook, Michael Koras, Robert Clarke, Brittany Spiteri, Sean Sansom Directors Andy Muschietti Main Genre Horror Creator(s) Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Jason Fuchs Executive Producer(s) Andy Muschietti, Bárbara Muschietti, Bill Skarsgård, Brad Kane, Dan Lin, Jason Fuchs, Roy Lee, David Coatsworth, Shelley Meals Producers Anna Beben, Cherie Dimaline, Sarah Rath Seasons 1 The Institute 8/10 Release Date July 13, 2025 Network MGM+ The Institute, released in 2025, follows 14-year-old genius Luke Ellis, who is kidnapped and wakes up at a mysterious facility filled with children possessing unusual abilities. Meanwhile, Tim Jamieson, a former police officer, seeks a fresh start in a nearby town, inevitably intertwining his fate with Luke's. Cast Ben Barnes, Joe Freeman, Simone Miller, Fionn Laird, Hannah Galway, Julian Richings, Robert Joy, Martin Roach, Mary-Louise Parker, Mary Walsh, Birva Pandya, Jason Diaz, Arlen So, Dan Beirne, Jane Luk, Viggo Hanvelt, Jordan Alexander, Phoebe Rex, Bo Hong Fu, Micha Cromwell, Mitch Landry, Aviva Armour-Ostroff, Michelle Monteith, Tyler Murree, Elise Bauman, Tylan Bailey, Matthew McCarthy, Bob Mann, Beverly Smith Directors Jack Bender, Brad Turner, Jeff Renfroe Main Genre Thriller Creator(s) Benjamin Cavell Executive Producer(s) Benjamin Cavell, Jack Bender, Shane Elrod Producers Jack Bender, Benjamin Cavell Seasons 1