Stephen King announces The Institute Season 2 renewal on MGMPlus

The Institute, MGMPlus's supernatural thriller based on Stephen King's 2019 novel, has been renewed for a second season, the author announced on X on Monday. The series, which premiered on July 13, 2025, and was described by industry trackers as the best premiere ever for the service, will return with an eight-episode sophomore run, Deadline reported.

King posted a brief message and an eight-second clip on X saying, "Sometimes you win just by showing them youre still willing to fight. The Institute will return for Season 2 on MGMPlus." He added in a follow-up line that he "cant wait," and teased, "set free but hunted, new dangers await the escapees from the Institute, and I cant wait." The show’s creative leads and the studio issued their own statements congratulating the cast and crew and promising more story to come.

The television adaptation, written by Benjamin Cavell and directed by Jack Bender, both of whom serve as executive producers alongside King, stars Ben Barnes as Tim Jamieson and Joe Freeman as Luke Ellis. The ensemble also includes Simone Miller, Fionn Laird, Hannah Galway, Julian Richings, Robert Joy, Martin Roach and Mary-Louise Parker. The plot centers on Luke...