Hulu’s Hit Stephen King Show Is Coming to Netflix

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It’s a rare occasion for an original show to move to a rival streaming platform, but that’s what’s about to happen to Castle Rock. Both seasons of the psychological-horror series, set in King’s fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine, and starring Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgård, are set to start streaming on Netflix on December 16th.

The series originally premiered on Hulu as a Hulu Original in the United States in 2018 and ran for two seasons before it was canceled in 2020 and has only ever streamed on Hulu in the United States. The shift to Netflix comes as series right holders Warner Bros. Television licenses the show to the platform, which has picked Castle Rock up for international markets in previous years, according to What’s on Netflix. For the time being, Castle Rock will also continue to stream on Hulu.

Castle Rock Is an Overlooked Stephen King Adaptation That Ended Too Soon

It’s a shame that Castle Rock only ran for two short seasons, because it is one of the best King adaptations to date. Unlike most King adaptations that focus on a single story from the author’s extensive bibliography, the show functions as an extension of the King universe. Throughout its two-season run, the series masterfully wove an original story with characters, themes, and locations from his works to create the ultimate homage to the famed author – and it did so exceptionally well. Longtime fans of King will be able to find countless Easter eggs and nods to Cujo, Needful Things, The Shining, IT, and more.

The series, which averaged an 88% critic score and 79% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes across its two “Certified Fresh” seasons, was an incredibly well-written story that maintained a great tone and psychological horror throughout both of its seasons, which proved to be just as much of a page-turner as King’s novels. Unfortunately, Castle Rock never really generated the conversation it deserved, resulting in it falling to the wayside amid more popular existing adaptations and bigger releases that followed. The series absolutely deserved more than just two seasons and far more attention than it got, and its move to Netflix just may give it the second chance it needs.

What’s New on Netflix?

Netflix subscribers still have a few more weeks before Castle Rock lands on the streamer on December 16th, but there are plenty of other streaming options to pass the time. November has brought everything from shows like Broadchurch to the first batch of episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 and movies like Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, the Back to the Future trilogy, and Paddington 2.

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