THE INSTITUTE

Abused superkids in Stephen King megamix

- Dave Golder

▶ UK/US MGM+, streaming now ▸ Showrunner Benjamin Cavell ▷ Cast Ben Barnes, Mary-Louise Parker, Joe Freeman, Julian Richings

There's a good chance that if you didn't know The Institute was a Stephen King adaptation (and you kept your eyes shut through the opening credits – which might be a good idea if you're spoilerphobic), you'd have guessed it was by the end of the first episode.

Admittedly, it's a little more sci-fi horror than the supernatural horror King's usually associated with. And the main character isn't a writer, artist or teacher (though he is a “night knocker”, which sounds like the name of an abandoned King novel, but actually means he's a kind of nightwatchman for an entire small town where the real cops are all tucked up in bed at night - because, hey, who expects crime after dark?). But in most other ways,