Stephen King’s New 8-Part Horror Series Is Officially The #1 Show In The World

October 13, 2026

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Stephen King’s new horror series is taking over the world.

The author’s horror stories have been adapted into television shows since 1979, starting with the Salem’s Lot miniseries, followed by IT (1990), The Stand (1994), and The Shining (1997) miniseries during the 1990s. Today, several Stephen King stories have been adapted into miniseries during the streaming era, such as 11.22.63 (2016) on Hulu, Lisey’s Story (2021) on Apple TV, and The Stand (2020) on Paramount+.

Now, the latest Stephen King miniseries is Carrie, which, following its premiere on Prime Video on October 7, is the No. 1 most popular TV show in the world, as determined by IMDb users (based on page views and traffic on the platform). It ranks above Netflix’s Below, East of Eden, Lanterns, Ted Lasso, MobLand, Slow Horses, War, Monster, and American Horror Story.

Developed by Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck), based on Stephen King’s 1974 novel, the new Carrie miniseries follows the titular teenager (played by Summer H. Howell), raised in seclusion by her domineering mother (Samantha Sloyan), who, after her father’s death, enters public high school, where she faces a viral bullying scandal and discovers her telekinetic powers.

Carrie‘s cast also includes Siena Agudong as Susan “Sue” Snell, Alison Thornton, Joel Oulette, Josie Totah, Arthur Conti, Thalia Dudek, Amber Midthunder as Ms. Rita Desjardin, and Matthew Lillard in main roles. Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Katee Sackhoff, Rahul Kohli, Tim Bagley, Heather Graham, Tahmoh Penikett, Naika Toussaint, Ruth Codd, Delainey Hayles, Cassandra Naud, and Gil Bellows appear in recurring roles.

Carrie reviews have been positive, resulting in an 84% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics praising Mike Flanagan for breathing new life into the coming-of-age nightmare with empathy and inventive flair, reimagining a timeless tale for modern audiences while allowing the entire cast to shine, ushering in a compelling new incarnation of Stephen King’s story. The series also has an 82% audience score.

Stephen King’s 1974 novel was originally adapted into Brian De Palma’s classic 1976 film starring Sissy Spacek as Carrie White and Piper Laurie as her mother Margaret White, which is widely considered the best adaptation, though Mike Flanagan’s miniseries may challenge that title.

The 1976 film was followed by a sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999), directed by Katt Shea, which shifts focus to Carrie’s telekinetic half-sister, Rachel Lang. Carrie has also been adapted into a 2002 NBC television movie and a 2013 theatrical film, which also serves as a modern reimagining, starring Chloë Grace Moretz as Carrie and Julianne Moore as her mother.