Featured Image Credit: Peacock
Topics: Amazon Prime, Stephen King, Film and TV, Horror
Ellie Kemp
Stephen King fans are raving about a TV series adaptation filled with 'terrifying surprises' and a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
The undisputed 'King of Horror' is behind a number of smash TV and film hits, from 1976's Carrie through to 2017's Gerald's Game and new release The Monkey - to name just a few.
But this 'hidden gem' might have slipped under your radar, having debuted on the Audience Network back in 2017 and later picked up by Peacock.
Made up of three seasons, the show is now available to stream with an Amazon Prime Video subscription.
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Based on King's first 'hard boiled detective' book released in 2014, the story is actually inspired by a true event; a woman who'd crashed her car into a McDonald's restaurant.
The story was only originally supposed to be 'a few pages long', but instead, it became the first book of a trilogy.
We're talking about Mr. Mercedes, which follows a retired detective struggling with his mental health who's plucked out of retirement to help solve a mysterious case.
When a stolen Mercedes S-Class plows into a crowd at a job fair, eight people are killed and many more severely injured.
But it's Bill Hodges (Brendan Gleeson), a recently retired detective from the local police department, who receives a letter from an individual claiming to be the culprit.
Referring to himself only as 'Mr. Mercedes', it's up to Hodges to find out who's responsible for the horrific crime.
Watch the trailer below:
In the trailer, you might have spotted some familiar Hollywood faces, including The Truman Show's Holland Taylor, The Crown's Harry Treadaway and The Banshees of Inisherin's Brendan Gleeson.
Across three seasons, the 'thrilling' TV show has been rated 91 percent by Rotten Tomatoes critics.
Reviewers enjoyed the debut seasons' 'tense, creepy narrative' praising its 'quick-witted dialogue, strong characters, and terrifying surprises'.
Meanwhile, its second season earned a perfect 100 percent, with Gleeson and Treadaway's performances catching critics' attention.
Their consensus claimed their talent generates 'enough sparks to dazzle mystery aficionados and horror buffs alike' - which is some pretty solid feedback, might I add.
Viewers were mostly in agreement with critics, although some reckoned, despite its flawless rating, the second season was 'too far fetched'.
This didn't stop people from devoring all three of its seasons, though.
One person said of the series: "What an absolute piece of art. Thrilling, suspenseful. Dark, and very disturbing. A hidden gem!"
A second agreed: "Loved it 100% The actors are amazing."
While a third admitted: "Mr Mercedes kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time."
Mr. Mercedes is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.