The works of Stephen King have been adapted into movies and TV shows for decades and inspired the works of many other artists, and there are some great shows on HBO Max for fans of the King of Horror. For decades, Stephen King has taken generations of readers into a variety of worlds with all types of horrors – from supernatural entities to evil humans.
Stephen King’s novels and short stories have influenced several TV shows for years, such as From and Stranger Things, without trying to imitate them. A streaming platform with a variety of great TV shows is HBO Max, and it’s home to some of the best Stephen King TV shows, as well as others perfect for fans of his works.
Mare of Easttown
Mare of Easttown is a crime drama TV series created by Brad Ingelsby. Set in the fictional town of Easttown, in Pennsylvania, Mare of Easttown introduces viewers to Marianne “Mare” Sheehan (Kate Winslet), a detective who is a local hero after leading her high school basketball team to success many years ago.
However, after she was unable to solve the case of a missing young girl for a year, the town began to doubt her skills. Now, Mare is assigned to the case of the murder of a teenage mother, while she struggles in her personal life after her divorce, the death of her son, and a custody battle with her son’s girlfriend over her grandson.
Although it isn’t a horror TV show and it doesn’t have any supernatural elements, Mare of Easttown is reminiscent of King’s most grounded and realistic stories, especially his mystery ones. Like many of King’s works, Mare of Easttown explores themes like addiction, generational trauma, and community.
The Leftovers
The Leftovers is a supernatural drama TV series based on Tom Perrotta’s 2011 novel of the same name. The Leftovers is set three years after a global event known as the “Sudden Departure”, in which 2% of the world’s population disappeared. The Leftovers follows police chief Kevin Gravey (Justin Theroux) and his family as they adapt to this new world.
The Leftovers covers themes like loss, trauma, family, community, grief, and faith, while focusing on the mystery of the “Sudden Departure” and following complex and flawed characters. The Leftovers’ mix of supernatural elements, mystery, and drama will appeal to Stephen King fans, and even King himself praised the show.
The Last of Us
The Last of Us is one of HBO Max’s biggest hits in recent years, and it’s currently preparing for its third season. Based on the video game franchise of the same name developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us is set decades after the collapse of society caused by a fungal infection that turned the infected into zombies.
The Last of Us, then, follows a smuggler named Joel (Pedro Pascal) as he escorts a teenage girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the country, as she’s immune to the infection. Of course, Joel and Ellie come across a variety of threats and dangers, both monsters and humans.
The Last of Us will remind Stephen King fans of his stories about society’s collapse, survival, and monsters that threaten the lives of the survivors. Like most of King’s works, The Last of Us isn’t short of twists, tragedies, and horrific moments.
The Outsider
Unlike the previous entries, The Outsider is a Stephen King TV show, but it has a place on this list as it’s not only streaming on HBO Max, but it’s also one of the most underrated King shows. Based on the 2018 novel of the same name, The Outsider follows the investigation of the murder of a young boy.
Local baseball coach Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman) is the prime suspect, and investigating the case is detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn), who is struggling to cope with the loss of his son. Anderson is joined by Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo), a private detective with great memory and unusual investigative methods.
The Outsider mixes crime, mystery, drama, psychological thriller, and supernatural elements with incredible performances and high production quality. Unfortunately, The Outsider was canceled after one season, but on the bright side, that makes it easier to binge-watch.
Welcome To Derry
In Its First Season
Another TV show from the world of Stephen King but with a twist is Welcome To Derry. The show is a prequel to Andy Muschietti’s two-part movie adaptation of King’s It novel, so it’s not an adaptation of a previously published story. Welcome to Derry is set in 1962, and it follows another group of kids who come across the evil shapeshifting creature known as It.
Parallel to their stories are those of some of the adults in Derry, as the military wants to capture It to weaponize it, while others fight against racism, injustice, and corruption. Welcome to Derry brings Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise back, but it has also introduced new shapes of this terrifying creature.
So far, Welcome to Derry has been doing a great job of expanding the world of It as seen in Muschietti’s movies, without forgetting the essence of the novel. It’s to be seen what Welcome To Derry has to offer in the rest of its episode, but it will definitely appeal to Stephen King fans.
- Birthdate
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September 21, 1947
- Birthplace
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Portland, Maine, USA
- Height
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6 feet 4 inches
- Professions
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Author, Screenwriter, Producer, Director, Actor
