The MGM+ thriller The Institute is back for season 2! The new season picks up a few months after the finale of 2025’s first season. The kids have escaped the institute and are on the run. But they don’t just want to flee forever. Instead, they plan to fight back.
The series is based on the 2019 Stephen King novel of the same name and was even given the seal of approval by King himself.
“He actually surprised us at the premiere,” season 1 star Jason Diaz told Show Snob in 2025. “He had pre-recorded this message for us, just letting us know that he did, in fact, love the show.” Season 2 picks up after the events of the book, taking the story in an original direction and giving King fans something new to explore.
Show Snob was lucky enough to catch up with three of the series’ rising stars—Simone Miller, who plays Kalisha; Fionn Laird, who plays Nick (“Nicky”); and Arlen So, who plays George. The stars told us what it was like to prepare for the new season and what viewers can expect next.
ShowSnob: This season seems to have a whole new vibe. The first season was heavily set in the facility, and it almost had a coming-of-age vibe to it. The new season, though, feels a lot like an action thriller, and everything got way bigger. What was it like to navigate that shift?
Fionn Laird: I think it’s important for us to be versatile as actors. So when I first saw that the series was taking a shift, I think it was a lot more demanding on us. But then you think of our characters, who did have that coming-of-age experience in season 1 and now have come of age. So then you ask, what happens after that? What’s the natural progression? And I think season 2 is exactly what would follow.
Simone Miller: Absolutely, I think it gave our characters a big evolution. The difference between season 1 and season 2 is the difference between going through something and being unsure and then going through something with all the knowledge you gained and the knowledge that you’re doomed. So then you ask, how do I stop it if I’m in a position to?
With it being a series based on Stephen King, I think audiences will probably still be expecting layers of horror or thriller, even though the new season is way more action-packed. Do you think the new season still delivers enough of King’s vibes for fans?
Miller: Oh, definitely. We amp up the intensity this season, but I feel like there’s so much horror in what these kids are being put through. I think this season really gives us a bigger window into the brutality of it. Season 1 had glimpses of it, but in season 2 we really get to experience it.
Arlen So: Yeah, I think one side of season 2 is that it’s very riveting and very in-your-face, but also for fans who are coming looking for that sort of Stephen King supernatural vibe, they will absolutely find it too.
I was lucky enough to do interviews for season 1 and got to chat with Mary Louise Parker, who was so much fun. As newer actors in the industry, what has it been like getting to work with big names like her on the show?
Miller: Oh, it’s absolutely a major moment for our acting careers. It was like the best master class you could have. In season 1, I was definitely a bit daunted coming into it. But then you meet them, and they’re lovely people and so grounded and so giving. Not just as scene partners, but as creatives who want to see us do our best. So I think that helped ease my nerves a lot.
Laird: Yeah, I have to give a shout-out to Mary Walsh, who we have to work with a lot more this season. She’s a Canadian legend, and my parents were always a fan of hers. It was awesome to see her ushering in the next wave of Canadian talent. She was just a treat to be around.
I actually noticed that a lot of you are Canadian, and that the show is largely filmed there. So I have to ask…did any of you audition for Heated Rivalry?
Laird: (raises hand). I did! I auditioned for season 2. I wasn’t lucky enough to be a part of it this time around, but it was so exciting when the casting call came out. Everyone was losing their minds.
Ok, final question. If we get an Institute season 3, where do you think the show will go from here?
Miller: I think the characters would be focused on what to do and how to help others who might be going through the same situation, if there are any. I think that could be really interesting.
Laird: I’d want to see what happens to the characters if they ever just got to live freely out in the world. I feel like Nicky would be a great bartender!
So: I think he’d be a great bouncer too!
Season 2 of The Institute is now streaming on MGM+.
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