The Institute is an American supernatural horror television series written by Benjamin Cavell and directed by Jack Bender, with both also serving as executive producers. Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, the series stars Ben Barnes, Mary-Louise Parker, and Joe Freeman in the main roles, and follows a young teenager who wakes up in a place where children possess special abilities, only to discover the institute's dark secrets.
The series premiered on July 13, 2025, on MGM+, and consists of eight episodes. In August 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.
Contents
Cast and characters
Main
Ben Barnes as Tim Jamieson
Joe Freeman as Luke Ellis
Simone Miller as Kalisha
Fionn Laird as Nick
Hannah Galway as Wendy Gullickson
Julian Richings as Stackhouse
Robert Joy as Dr. Daniel Hendricks
Martin Roach as Chief Ashworth
Mary-Louise Parker as Ms. Julia Sigsby
Recurring
Jason Diaz as Tony
Brendan Beiser as Norbert Hollister
Jordan Alexander as Kate
Mary Walsh as Annie
Viggo Hanvelt as Avery Dixon
Dan Beirne as Drew
Arlen So as George Iles
Birva Pandya as Iris
Jane Luk as Maureen Alvorson
Production
When Stephen King's novel The Institute was released, David E. Kelley was linked with adapting it as a limited series in September 2019, with Jack Bender as director and Spyglass producing. In 2024, a new production was set up with Bender still attached, but now with Benjamin Cavell writing and executive producing at MGM+ Studios. The series is set to run for eight episodes.
In June 2024, Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker were cast as Tim Jamieson and Ms Sigsby. Simone Miller and Jason Diaz joined the cast in the roles of Kalisha and Tony. Another casting announcement in September 2024 revealed eleven cast members in Joe Freeman, Fionn Laird, Hannah Galway, Julian Richings, Robert Joy, Viggo Hanvelt, Arlen So, Birva Pandya, Dan Beirne, Martin Roach, and Jane Luk. It was also revealed that characters had been aged up from their respective novel characters. In August 2025, MGM+ renewed the series for a second season.
Filming for the first season took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia between August and November 2024. First look images from filming were released in December 2024.
Filming for the second season ended on early June 2026.
Broadcast
The first episode was shown at SXSW on June 5, 2025. The series premiered on July 13, 2025, on MGM+.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 64% approval rating based on 25 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A slick and schematic adaptation of Stephen King's novel, The Institute won't keep everyone committed but still offers up enough intrigue to merit a tour." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 52 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
