Published Aug 9, 2026, 11:45 PM EDT
Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies.
After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back.
It: Welcome to Derry premiered on HBO in 2025 and soon rose in the ranks to become one of the best takes on Stephen King's horror stories and lore. However, as incredible as the series may seem, it is arguably not better than a handful of other small screen adaptations of Stephen King's books.
It has the potential to become the best Stephen King adaptation in its upcoming season, but it is not yet up there among the top five shows based on the King of Horror's stories.
If one considers the long history of both big and small screen Stephen King adaptations, movies have a far better history of succeeding than television shows. Even in 2025, almost all movie adaptations of Stephen King's books performed incredibly well in terms of critical reception. However, every once in a while, a TV adaptation of King's stories proves that more of his works need the small screen treatment.
2025's The Institute and It: Welcome to Derry are perfect examples of this. Both shows performed incredibly well and are set to return with new seasons. Apart from them, though, five other acclaimed Stephen King TV shows have proven that some of the author's best works translate better as long-form TV shows.
5 Castle Rock (2018-2019)
It: Welcome to Derry and Castle Rock are quite similar in more ways than one. Instead of being direct adaptations of Stephen King's works, both attempt to create more of a Stephen King multiverse by borrowing elements from many stories written by the author. However, while It: Welcome to Derry remains centered on Pennywise and Derry, Castle Rock ambitiously treats its central town as a living, haunted presence.
Weaving elements from Shawshank Redemption, Needful Things, Cujo, The Dead Zone, and Salem's Lot, Castle Rock, too, has narrative flaws that explain why its audience reception has been relatively more divisive. However, for Stephen King fans, the show also drops many fun references and nods to many different stories written by the author.
This overlap between many iconic King novels and characters makes it one of the better takes on the author's works.
4 Storm Of The Century (1999)
Since Storm of the Century premiered almost three decades ago, it has almost been forgotten by many Stephen King fans. However, even after all these years, it is hard not to see it as one of Stephen King's best TV shows. Interestingly, it is not based on a Stephen King novel. Instead, it was written by Stephen King himself for the small screen.
Not every movie or show written by Stephen King has managed to leave its mark. However, Storm of the Century stands out as one of his most ambitious original screen stories. Unlike It: Welcome to Derry, it even fully commits to a dark premise and ultimately leaves viewers with a bleak and devastating ending.
Some of its visual aspects have not aged too well, but it remains one of King's best works in psychological horror.
3 Mr. Mercedes (2017-2019)
Adapted from Stephen King’s Bill Hodges trilogy, Mr. Mercedes unfolds more as a conventional crime drama than a horror TV series. Since it belongs to a completely distinct genre, it seems unfair to compare it with It: Welcome to Derry. However, the show deserves to be commended for its portrayal of a compelling game of cat-and-mouse between retired detective Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson) and Brady (Harry Treadaway).
Beyond its central game of chess between two characters, Mr. Mercedes also thrives on its grounded character work and depiction of the psychological toll crime takes on victims and those who set out to solve it. Most Stephen King TV shows are miniseries, but Mr. Mercedes is also a rare adaptation that lasts for three whole seasons.
2 11.22.63 (2016)
Stephen King's fascinating take on alternate history and time travel in 11.22.63 is still lauded by many readers. When it comes to the book's TV adaptation, though, there has been a far more divisive response. The criticism towards the show primarily stems from how much it changes the original book. Even though the show has earned Stephen King's approval, many readers have pointed out that it is nothing like the book.
Most readers, however, have unanimously agreed that both the show and the book present a unique and fascinating take on a very similar concept. While the show walks through a deeply moving and emotionally charged journey about the consequences of changing the past, the book takes a more expansive approach towards exploring the implications of time travel.
Ultimately, both the book and the show are worthwhile for fans of the time travel genre. Interesting, the original book even features an arc where its main character ends up in a past timeline in Derry and even feels Pennywise's presence. The show, however, remains razor-focused on its central time travel premise and avoids such narrative detours.
1 The Outsider (2020)
HBO's The Outsider is a one-season wonder that takes a chilling supernatural concept and brilliantly grounds it in a gritty crime procedural. It is perhaps the only show that comes close to matching the sense of dread and slow-burning tension in True Detective season 1.
The show's perfect balance between supernatural terror and clinical crime drama is compelling enough to keep most viewers hooked. However, it is further elevated by Ben Mendelsohn and Cynthia Erivo's performances as the central detective duo. The Outsider is one Stephen King adaptation that, like It: Welcome to Derry, deserved to be expanded beyond season 1.
While the Stephen King show was not as fortunate as It: Welcome to Derry, even though its second season's scripts had been written, it is still touted as a one-season masterpiece that all horror and Stephen King fans must watch.
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