The success of a new Stephen King TV adaptation proves that another forgotten 9-year-old sci-fi show based on the author’s novel deserves more attention. Although Stephen King TV adaptations are often hit or miss, both shows in question have established that the author’s stories can work well on the small screen if executed with the right vision.
While many movie adaptations of Stephen King’s books have performed fairly well among viewers and critics in recent times, TV shows based on his works are still catching up. As many would recall, 2020’s The Outsider was perhaps the last Stephen King show that managed to earn rave reviews from critics.
Since then, other adaptations, like 2020’s The Stand and 2021’s Lisey’s Story, have struggled to leave their mark, even though television’s relatively longer storytelling format allows for a more faithful exploration of King’s stories. Fortunately, a new Stephen King TV show not only breaks this trend but reminds viewers that another compelling TV adaptation exists.
The Institute Is The Best Stephen King Sci-Fi Show Since 11.22.63
There Have Only Been A Few Good Non-Horror TV Adaptations Of Stephen King’s Works
Arguably, Stephen King’s stories have performed far better on the big screens than on television, regardless of whether they fully fall into the horror genre or venture more into drama, sci-fi, or fantasy. The first Stephen King TV adaptation, which was 1979’s Salem’s Lot, is still considered one of the better takes on the author’s works.
Unfortunately, since then, only a handful of Stephen King TV shows have managed to achieve a similar level of acclaim or perform better. MGM+’s ongoing adaptation of Stephen King’s The Institute undoubtedly ranks among the better television takes on Stephen King’s works.
While it inclines more towards sci-fi than mainstream horror, it seems to perfectly capture the unsettling atmosphere and slow narrative build-ups that make Stephen King’s stories captivating. The show also riffs on the “children with supernatural abilities” trope, which commonly emerges in some of the greatest Stephen King books, like The Shining and Firestarter.
The Institute often lurks in a familiar domain when it comes to the thematic elements of its story. However, it still manages to be compelling enough to make viewers care about its characters and root for them to escape their dark circumstances. Long before The Institute, Hulu’s take on Stephen King’s 11.22.63 achieved something similar.
Like The Institute, 11.22.63 is more sci-fi than horror and dabbles with intriguing concepts surrounding alternate timelines and the butterfly effect. While its exploration of time travel is never overly complex, it is packed with enough twists and turns and winning performances to keep viewers hooked.
11.22.63 Is One Of Stephen King’s Most Underrated Recent Adaptations
The Show Never Got Mainstream Attention
Even though most Stephen King TV adaptations have struggled to land in critics’ good books, 11.22.63 seemingly defied the norm by earning an 83% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its 88% Popcornmeter score proves that most viewers enjoyed watching it even more than the critics. Despite the acclaim, however, 11.22.63 remains quite obscure.
Unlike the more mainstream adaptations, like 1990’s It and 2013’s Under the Dome, 11.22.63 is still often overlooked. Considering the growing interest surrounding parallel worlds and alternate timelines in mainstream cinema, it seems like a good time for the underappreciated Stephen King show to garner a new wave of attention and admiration for its exploration of sci-fi and alternate history.
