The Institute
Series, 2025, The 2020s, Set in A facility in the Maine woods
The Institute is #38 of 42 in release order and #22 of 42 in chronological order in the Stephen King Universe.
The story
When 14 year old genius Luke Ellis is kidnapped, he awakens at The Institute, a facility full of children who all got there the same way he did, and who are all possessed of unusual abilities. In a nearby town, haunted former police officer Tim Jamieson has come looking to start a new life, but the peace and quiet won’t last, as his story and Luke’s are destined to collide.
The Institute recap
The Institute (2025) is an MGM+ series about a teenage prodigy abducted to a secret Maine facility that experiments on psychic children. Season 1 ran for eight episodes from July to August 2025, with Jack Bender directing the final two. Luke Ellis (Joe Freeman) wakes in a copy of his own bedroom after intruders take him from his home and meets other abducted children, including Kalisha (Simone Miller), Nicky (Fionn Laird), George and the young telepath Avery Dixon. Director Ms. Sigsby (Mary-Louise Parker), security chief Stackhouse (Julian Richings) and Dr. Hendricks (Robert Joy) inject the children and test them, and those who "graduate" go to Back Half and are never seen again. In the nearby town, Tim Jamieson (Ben Barnes), an ex-cop with a troubled past, takes a job and grows close to deputy Wendy Gullickson (Hannah Galway). Helped by housekeeper Maureen, who later takes her own life, Luke escapes through a rotten fence and across the river, where he meets Tim. The pair outwit an Institute agent posing as a journalist and set out to expose the place, while Luke's friends in Back Half are used as weapons.
The Institute ending explained
The Institute ends its first season, in the finale "Fight", with the facility destroyed and Avery dead. Wendy arrests Sigsby, and Stackhouse locks down the Institute and plans to gas the children. Linked minds wake the Back Half children, the connection spreads to children at other Institutes, and the building starts to tear itself apart. Stackhouse falls through the floor, and Avery stays behind to hold the link. Luke, Kalisha, Nicky and George escape with Tim and Wendy. A man on the phone orders a clean-up, and Sigsby, free again, hitchhikes away with Maureen's flash drive. Season 2 premieres on November 8, 2026.
Where to watch The Institute
The Institute is streaming on fuboTV, MGM Plus, and Spectrum On Demand in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 6.7/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Life of Chuck, before The Long Walk.
- Chronological order: after The Life of Chuck, before The Long Walk.
What to watch before The Institute
In release order, 21 Stephen King Universe essentials come before The Institute (2025), from Carrie (1976) to The Life of Chuck (2025).
Cast
- Ben Barnes as Tim Jamieson
- Joe Freeman as Luke Ellis
- Simone Miller as Kalisha
- Fionn Laird as Nick Wilholm
- Hannah Galway as Wendy Gullickson
- Julian Richings as Stackhouse
- Robert Joy as Hendricks
- Martin Roach as Chief Ashworth
- Mary-Louise Parker as Ms. Sigsby
- Jason Díaz as Tony
- Arlen So as George Iles
- Jane Luk as Maureen
Created by Benjamin Cavell.