For anyone wondering why we need another Stephen King series about psychic teens in the wake of Carrie—or why they should care about a show on niche streamer MGM+—hear us out. The core concepts of The Institute and Carrie may be similar; both draw on one of the author’s signature tropes. But The Institute, based on his 2019 novel, skews far more sci-fi thriller than high-school horror.

It has an intense paranoia running through it, and though it’s a very intimate story—it takes place almost entirely in a single small town in Maine, largely confined to the titular facility—it hints at a global presence powering the sinister forces behind its secrets.

With season two coming November 8, now’s the perfect time to catch up on The Institute season one.

As the show begins, a young genius named Luke (Joe Freeman) is kidnapped and brought to the Institute, a foreboding facility in rural Maine. He meets other teens being held there, all of whom have telekinetic or telepathic powers (or both), as well as the ice-cold Ms. Sigsby (Mary-Louise Parker), who runs the place with the help of Dr. Hendricks (Robert Joy) and head of security Stackhouse (Julian Richings).

Sigsby tells him the work they do there is literally saving the world, though she doesn’t offer specifics. She also says that once his stint developing and deploying his psychic powers is over, he’ll have his memory wiped and be sent home. The other kids inform Luke that once they finish their training in the building’s “front half,” they’re sent to the “back half,” the final step before they get to leave.

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