AceShowbiz - Fans of author Stephen King often delight in discovering the intricate web of connections that subtly link his vast literary universe. This tradition extends to the screen, and in 2025, a fascinating and undeniable narrative thread has emerged between the only two Stephen King TV adaptations released so far. Despite airing on different streaming services and adapting distinct novels, these shows are deeply interconnected through a shared supernatural phenomenon.

The profound link between these new series ties directly into one of King's most iconic works: Stephen King's The Shining. The common denominator is the mysterious psychic ability known as "the shine," a powerful gift of telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition that often manifests in heightened sensitivity to the supernatural. This enduring concept from King's canon forms the very backbone of the surprising connection.

Earlier this year, MGM+ debuted The Institute, a compelling adaptation centered on children possessing extraordinary abilities. Its young protagonists exhibit a range of powers, including telepathy and telekinesis, with the main character, Luke, also demonstrating precognition. These supernatural aptitudes are unmistakably aligned with the manifestations of "the shine" as depicted in Stephen King's The Shining, suggesting that many characters within The Institute exist within the same psychic continuum.

Adding another layer to this intriguing puzzle is HBO's highly anticipated series, IT: Welcome to Derry. This prequel to IT features a character intimately familiar to fans of The Shining: Dick Hallorann. Portrayed with clairvoyant abilities, this iteration of Hallorann mirrors his counterpart in Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation and King's novels, where his "shining" powers are crucial to the narrative.

While Hallorann is famously known as the head chef at the ominous Overlook Hotel in The Shining and later reappears in Doctor Sleep, his role in Welcome to Derry places him in the military. Here, his unique gifts are leveraged by his superiors to track down the malevolent entity Pennywise, though he appears to harbor his own hidden agenda. The presence of a character with such pronounced "shining" abilities in IT: Welcome to Derry, alongside the psychically gifted children in The Institute, solidifies their undeniable, shared lineage within Stephen King's expansive universe, all stemming from the enduring legacy of The Shining.