One of Stephen King’s best novels is now a must watch series on Stan.

When it comes to building a suspenseful tale, no one does it better than Stephen King.

King is one of the most adapted authors in history. Over the course of his illustrious career, he's penned more than 65 novels and novellas, over 50 of which have been adapted into beloved TV shows and movies. Some of his works have even spawned their own televised spin-offs, making the world of Stephan King a vast entertainment space in its own right and one that many different generations have enjoyed over the years.

The Institute on Stan is the latest adaptation of King's famed works. Based on his best-selling 2019 novel of the same name, this series does not disappoint, and is perfect for lovers of suspense, drama, science fiction, and mystery.

This highly anticipated new series traces two different stories that connect in an intriguing way. The first is hooked on a former Boston police officer named Tim Jamieson (Ben Barnes) who is aimlessly moving around when he accepts a very low-stakes security job in a small town in Maine. Tim is attempting to forget a dark moment from his past, and therefore he is content to keep his head down in his new job and not assimilate into the town. However, after hearing a local woman make some alarming claims about what is really happening behind the scenes in this small town, Tim begins to investigate.

In the first episode of The Institute, the audience is also introduced to a 14-year-old high school student named Luke Ellis (Joe Freeman), who is gifted and possesses a very high level of intelligence. After stunning the other students with his performance during a standardised college admission exam, Luke and his parents happily plan for his early admission to MIT. However, that same night, four mysterious figures break into Luke's bedroom, where they drug and abduct him.

Luke then awakens in a strange facility called The Institute, which is filled with other teenagers — all of whom were also abducted from their homes, all of whom possess a series of strange powers and abilities.

Everything about how The Institute operates is unsettling to watch, and from the very first shots inside its bleak walls, the audience is aware that something sinister is bubbling away behind the scenes here.

Take a look at the trailer for The Institute on Stan.

Much of the tension comes from Institute headmistress Ms. Sigsby (Mary-Louise Parker), who informs Luke that he will only be held for testing and examination for a short period of time, at which point he will be returned safely to his parents (you are right to be suspicious of this). She also informs him that since the teenagers of The Institute are given the respect of adults, they will also be punished like adults if they dare to break the rules — a warning that becomes even more chilling once you start to piece together where this story is really heading.

King is known for creating worlds and telling stories filled with twists, turns, and more than a few unexpected scares, and when it comes to telling a truly compelling story, no one else in the world does it quite like him.

But he is also known for filling even his most chilling stories with heart, humanity, and characters we cannot help but love, ensuring that the character arcs draw us in just as much as the jump scares and plot twists.

This adaptation of The Institute lives up to the promise of King's work, delivering us a series that is expertly crafted, and one that spends as much time building up its characters' stories as it does carefully laying out a mystery for us to solve.

As an added incentive to watch The Institute, you should know that the series, along with King, is executive produced by Jack Bender, known from his work on Lost and From (From being one of the greatest suspense/horror shows ever created, and you should absolutely watch it on Stan as well) so you know this show is in safe hands.

If you are looking for a new series that captivates you with its mystery, features a stellar cast, and keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, then you need to be watching The Institute on Stan.

The Institute is now streaming only on Stan. New episodes every Sunday.

Feature image: Stan.