MGM+ has unveiled the trailer for Stephen King series “The Institute” season two, giving an extended look at the gifted kids on the run after season one. Only this time, they may be ready to fight back.
The new season premieres on November 8, 2026.
In Season 1, “Teen genius Luke Ellis is kidnapped and 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.”
By season’s end, the surviving teens escaped with The Institute hunting them down.
Season two picks up following Luke and friends’ escape from Dennison as they search for a way to end the Institute for good. Meanwhile, The Director enlists a new ally, tech billionaire Nolan Reeves, to help him rebuild, and Sigsby’s life as a fugitive pushes her to seek a way back “in”.
Returning cast includes Joe Freeman as Luke Ellis, Ben Barnes as Tim Jamieson, Mary-Louise Parker as Ms. Sigsby, Simone Miller as Kalisha, Fionn Laird as Nicky, Arlen So as George, Robert Joy as Dr. Hendricks and Hannah Galway as Wendy.
The trailer below also gives the first extended look at newcomer Alfie Allen, who joins season two as Nolan Reeves, an eccentric European tech billionaire and one of the Institute’s financial backers. It’s safe to assume he may have an agenda of his own.
The series hails from director/executive producer Jack Bender (From, Mr. Mercedes), writer/executive producer Benjamin Cavell (Justified, The Stand), and MGM+ Studios. Both filmmakers are no strangers to the world of Stephen King.
“The Institute” season two arrives almost exactly one month after the debut of Prime Video’s “Carrie”, marking the second King series centered around preternaturally gifted teens premiering this fall.
