Last year, Castle Rock, an anthology series set in the world of the stories of Stephen King, debuted on Hulu. The show introduced an entirely new set of characters and mysteries to the world of the titular Maine town. Produced by J.J. Abrams, the series was hailed a success for its psychological thriller storytelling. Now, a new cast of characters joins the show for the next chapter of horror and mystery, debuting October 23 on Hulu.
What is Castle Rock About?
Set in one of the main fictional towns of Stephen King, Castle Rock, the series weaves elements from multiple of the horror writer’s works. Castle Rock deftly bounces from the familiar to all-new tales, creating deeper mythology around the eerie woodland Maine town. Castle Rock was the setting for more than a dozen King works such as The Dead Zone, Cujo, and “The Body” (Stand By Me), as well as being briefly mentioned in at least twice as many, including “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.”
Now, Shawshank Correctional Facility becomes the setting for the majority of season one. In which a mysterious young man is found caged in an abandoned wing of the prison shortly after the violent suicide of the prison’s retiring warden. Past and present become intertwined and confused, and the secrets and ghosts of the town reveal a violent history in a story at times, both intimate and epic.
Season one earned the show a solid 86% from review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, as well as several award nominations, particularly for the writing and in the sci-fi/horror genre. The first season starred Andre Holland (American Horror Story), Melanie Lynskey (Togetherness), Bill Skarsgard (It), Jane Levy (What/If, Shameless), and Sissy Specak (Homecoming.)
With only 10 episodes a season, there is plenty of time to binge-watch season one before the new season airs October 23, to get in the groove. Given the anthology nature of the show, however, season two promises a whole new cast and story to entangle viewers, which may bear an only minimal connection to the first.
While season one’s biggest tie-in was Shawshank, season two has already laid its cards on the table with the reveal of the central character being Misery’s psychopathic nurse, Annie Wilkes, played by Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex, Das Boot). She is joined by her teen daughter, Joy (Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade). Other cast members include Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), Matthew Alan (Snowfall, 13 Reasons Why), Yusra Warsama (Last Days on Mars), and Tim Robbins (The Brink). The season is rumored to link to “The Body.” It also promises to show more of the town’s dark past, which makes it such a horror.
How to watch Castle Rock
Castle Rock season 2 two begins on Hulu on October 23, but you can catch up with season one now on the streaming service.
Hulu has three plan options which you can signup for here:
- $7.99/month with limited commercials
- $17.99/month commercial free
- $44.99/month commercial-free + live TV of up to 50 channels, as well as on-demand feature.
Hulu supports Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, Xbox, and mobile devices. See our review of Hulu for more details.
