This article contains spoilers for IT: Welcome to Derry‘s episode 2.
Only two Stephen KingTV adaptations have come out in 2025, and, surprisingly, they have an undeniable story connection.
Consistent readers of Stephen King’s books have often noticed that many of his stories have hidden connections or cross-references. Although most popular books written by Stephen King have well-rounded and self-contained narratives, subtle details in their storytelling suggest that they tie into an overarching Stephen King universe.
After seeing the only Stephen King TV shows that have come out in 2025, it is hard not to see similar overlaps. Both shows stream on different services and adapt distinct Stephen King books. Yet, they are interconnected in one significant way.
The Institute & It: Welcome To Derry Subtly Tie Into Stephen King’s The Shining
Earlier this year, a TV adaptation of Stephen King’s The Institutelanded on MGM+. The show features young children as its primary characters, many of whom possess telepathic or telekinetic abilities. The main character in the show, Luke, also has precognition.
Considering how all these supernatural powers are often possessed by those with the “shine” in Stephen King’s The Shining, it would be fair to say that many characters in The Institute exist in the same psychic continuum as those in The Shining. Interestingly, IT: Welcome to Derry‘s also features a character with the “shining” powers.
Dick Hallorann, who also shows up in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining, is one of the main characters in IT: Welcome to Derry. Like his counterpart in The Shining, Hallorann in the HBO show also has clairvoyant powers.
While he is portrayed as the head chef at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, he serves in the military in Welcome to Derry and helps his seniors track down Pennywise. In The Shining, his abilities allow him to identify that Danny, too, has the “shine” and shows up again in Doctor Sleep as well.
In Welcome to Derry, his seniors in the military make him use his powers to help them find Pennywise, but he seems to have hidden motives of his own. Since both The Institute and IT: Welcome to Derry seem to feature characters with the “shine,” they have an undeniable connection to Stephen King’s The Shining.
The Institute & It: Welcome To Derry Have Other Undeniable Thematic Parallels
From a storytelling standpoint, The Institute and IT: Welcome to Derry have significantly different structures. However, when it comes to their themes, they share many visible overlaps. For instance, both unfold in small towns where the government secretly conducts experiments.
The Institute has been renewed for season 2.
The experiments primarily threaten the younger population of the town because they are the most vulnerable. The military’s operation precept in IT: Welcome to Derry threatens to unleash Pennywise on Derry, who primarily targets children. Meanwhile, a government organization called The Institute in the MGM+ series abducts children and tries to weaponize them.
In both, the leading forces behind the overarching government organizations disregard the safety of children while believing they are serving the greater good. As a result, the adults in both Stephen King adaptations grow increasingly negligent while the children are forced to lose their innocence. IT: Welcome to Derry is far darker than The Institute, but their parallels make them perfect companion pieces.
