Stephen King vibes and a town you can't leave: From is now a Netflix hit

Imagine a series so good that it survived five seasons while hardly anyone noticed. That's From, the sci-fi horror show that has just found a huge new audience on Netflix.

Netflix began streaming the first three seasons last month. Right now, it's the fourth most popular series on the service.

What happened? 🌲

From was created by John Griffin and premiered on Epix in February 2022. Epix was later rebranded as MGM+ (a smaller US streaming service), and the show stayed a cult favourite rather than a mainstream name.

Its devoted fans helped keep it alive. MGM+ greenlit the fifth and final season last April. Last year the series also won the Saturn Award for Best Horror Television Series.

Then Netflix added the early seasons, and the show finally reached a much bigger crowd.

What is it actually about?

A family of four is driving on a road trip when a fallen tree blocks their route. They detour and end up in a small town. Sheriff Boyd Stevens, played by Harold Perrineau, points them toward the way out.

They soon end up right back in town. Slowly, they realise there is no escaping this unnamed place.

The real problem arrives at night. The town turns deadly because of vicious monsters that look human, and the show doesn't hold back on showing their brutality. If you like gore, you're in for a treat.

Perrineau also starred in Lost. Fans often describe From as Lost with major Stephen King vibes, and it flirts with the bleakness of King's horror story The Mist.

Why is everyone talking about it?

Partly because it's hard to stop watching. All four seasons rated so far score over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes (the review-aggregation site), and the show keeps you hooked with one simple idea: there has to be a way out.

There's also a bigger point about streaming. With so many new titles launching all the time, good shows can slip between the cracks or get cancelled early. From nearly vanished that way.

What's next?

The fifth and final season is still to come. With the Netflix boost, MGM+ might even consider asking Griffin for another one.

Awards are another question. Perrineau is long overdue for Emmy consideration, but voters would have to binge four seasons of a show that wasn't on their radar. Not a light evening's viewing, either.