Netflix’s Philip K. Dick Show: Perfect Followup to Stephen King’s The Institute?

by

Netflix’s new sci-fi series, based on a book by Philip K. Dick, is coming at a great time, especially following their surprisingly good Stephen King adaptation from last year.

Wow, 2025 has been incredible for Stephen King! It’s amazing to see how many of his stories have been adapted, and even though the movies haven’t always been huge box office hits, people and critics have really loved them. What’s really surprising is how well the TV adaptations have done – they haven’t always been successful in the past, but this year they’ve been fantastic. As a fan, it’s just been a great year to see his work come to life.

When It: Welcome to Derry premiered on HBO, it became a massive hit, even impressing critics. More recently, another lesser-known Stephen King series debuted on MGM+. Now, Netflix’s new show based on the work of Philip K. Dick feels like a natural next step for fans of that kind of storytelling.

Netflix’s Philip K Dick Adaptation Will Be The Perfect Follow Up To Stephen King’s The Institute

MGM+’s The Institute centers around children with telepathic and telekinetic abilities who are kidnapped and used for unethical purposes by a shadowy organization. The show later expands to include precognitives – people who can see the future – who assist the facility’s leaders in averting global catastrophes.

It raises the difficult question of whether limiting the choices of young children today is justified if it could potentially prevent a negative future for everyone.

Netflix is adapting Philip K. Dick’s novel, The World Jones Made, a story that explores the tension between fate and free will in a fantastical setting. The book features a character with the ability to foresee the future, which initially seems like a gift for safeguarding the world. However, it quickly becomes a powerful means of control, influencing everything from government to personal decisions.

Netflix’s adaptation of The World Jones Made, called The Future Is Ours, will significantly differ from the original story. However, its use of precognition to examine the challenging question of free will versus fate makes it a great choice to follow up The Institute.

The Institute Season 2 Can Borrow Ideas From Philip K. Dick’s The World Jones Made

Chris Reardon / ©MGM+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

The first season of The Institute concludes similarly to the Stephen King novel it’s based on. However, the show has been picked up for a second season. Because season one covers the entire book, the next season will feature a completely new, original storyline. This allows The Institute to build on lessons learned from The World Jones Made and further develop its narrative in the future.

While the first season of The Institute has some exciting parts, it didn’t receive widespread praise because its concepts and plot points felt familiar, having been used in science fiction and horror stories before.

If the show focuses on seeing the future, similar to a novel by Philip K. Dick, and uses that concept to delve into thought-provoking themes about free will and how we experience time, it could be truly exceptional – surpassing many other shows in its genre and even most adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

Read More

2025-12-13 06:29