Two television adaptations of Stephen King’s works have premiered in 2025, revealing a surprising and intricate connection that fans of the author’s universe will find striking. Despite being produced by different networks and based on separate novels, these shows share thematic and narrative ties that align with Stephen King’s broader mythos.
Shared Psychic Themes Connect The Institute and It: Welcome to Derry
Earlier this year, the series The Institute debuted on MGM+, focusing on gifted children with telepathic and telekinetic abilities, including the protagonist Luke who displays precognition. These supernatural powers strongly echo the “shine,” a psychic gift featured in King’s iconic novel The Shining. This suggests that the characters in The Institute inhabit the same psychic framework as those in The Shining universe.
Similarly, IT: Welcome to Derry, which premiered on HBO, includes Dick Hallorann, a character known for possessing the “shine” in both Stephen King’s The Shining and Stanley Kubrick’s classic adaptation. In this newer series, Hallorann’s abilities are repurposed within a military context, where his clairvoyance is used to assist in the pursuit of Pennywise the Clown. Unlike his original role as the Overlook Hotel’s chef, here Hallorann serves in the armed forces and appears to have personal motivations beyond his orders. This incorporation of shining abilities in both shows provides an unexpected but clear link back to The Shining’s overarching psychic realm.
Parallel Government Intrigue and Childhood Vulnerability Across Both Series
While The Institute and IT: Welcome to Derry differ in their plot structures and tone, they resonate closely through their shared themes of small-town life and secretive government operations targeting children. Each series portrays government or military institutions experimenting on or manipulating young people with extraordinary abilities or significance.
The Institute’s premise involves kidnapping children with special powers and attempting to exploit them as weapons, highlighting ethical neglect under the guise of serving a greater purpose. Meanwhile, IT: Welcome to Derry explores a military initiative known as operation precept, which indirectly unleashes the monstrous Pennywise to terrorize Derry’s youth. In both narratives, adult figures within these organizations demonstrate dangerous indifference toward the children’s welfare, forcing the young characters into premature confrontations with evil and loss of innocence.
The Institute’s continuation into a second season indicates ongoing exploration of these elements, while IT: Welcome to Derry’s darker tone and mature themes position it as a haunting companion piece. Together, they paint a distressing picture of childhood caught between supernatural threats and human cruelty.
Details on Cast and Production of The Institute and It: Welcome to Derry
The Institute, directed by Jack Bender and released on July 13, 2025, stars Mary-Louise Parker as Ms. Sigsby and Ben Barnes as Tim Jamieson, a former cop searching for a fresh start in a small town. The story connects the kidnapped prodigy Luke with Tim’s journey, intertwining their fates amid the thriller, mystery, fantasy, and horror genres.
IT: Welcome to Derry, which premiered on October 26, 2025, on HBO, is directed by Andy Muschietti. The cast features Bill Skarsgård returning as Pennywise and Taylour Paige as Charlotte Hanlon, weaving horror, drama, and mystery throughout the series. This show continues to deepen the lore around Derry and its dark forces.
What This Connection Means for Fans and Future Stephen King Adaptations
The discovery of shared elements, especially the psychic “shine” link and the government-driven exploitation themes, enriches the viewing experience for fans aware of Stephen King’s interconnected storytelling tradition. These links reaffirm the invisible threads that tie numerous King novels together under a larger, sinister universe that spans multiple media formats.
As The Institute gears up for its second season and IT: Welcome to Derry continues to unfold its eerie narrative, viewers should expect further connections not only between these two series but potentially with other King adaptations in the future. This layered approach underlines Stephen King’s signature style of blending horror with complex, overlapping mythologies that challenge viewers’ perceptions and expectations.
