Stephen King really seems to get a lot out of his Apple TV+ subscription. He's collaborated with the streamer in the recent past, the adaptation of Lisey's Story that he personally wrote having been developed as an exclusive for the service, but he seems to get a real kick out of the excellent original productions in the Apple library that he has no affiliation with. King has professed tremendous appreciation for Servant, which just wrapped its third season a few months ago, and more recently he proclaimed Severance as the "loopiest, coolest" show of the spring. Now he has taken to social media to reveal his fascination with another new title on the platform: Shining Girls.
Before you ask, no, Shining Girls has absolutely nothing to do with The Shining, but Stephen King is clearly loving what he's seen from the show thus far. The first three episodes debuted at the end of last month, with new ones now rolling out weekly. There are still three left to air, but King hasn't waited for the run to finish before sharing his extremely positive thoughts. Check out his Tweet below:
SHINING GIRLS (Apple+): This is exactly what streaming was made for. Scary and involving, well acted and sumptuously made, it's a novel for the eyes and the mind.May 16, 2022
We've seen a tremendous amount of phenomenal programming created since the streaming age began a decade ago, so for Stephen King to declare Shining Girls as "exactly what streaming was made for" is a pretty high complement. He's also a man who knows a thing or two about telling scary and involving stories, so his stamp of approval on those genre elements means a lot.
Based on the novel of the same name by Lauren Beukes, and created for Apple TV+ by Silka Luisa, Shining Girls stars Elisabeth Moss as Kirby Mazrachi – a woman who works at the Chicago Sun Times and has been on a long journey mentally recovering from being brutally assaulted six years before the start of the story. When she believes that her mystery attacker has struck again, she starts investigating the crime – not only to try and discover his identity, but to also find a reason an answer to a terrifying issue she has been experiencing: her reality is constantly shifting, and the changing details in her life are growing exponentially.
In addition to Elisabeth Moss, Shining Girls also stars Wagner Moura, Phillipa Soo, and Jamie Bell.
Stephen King is definitely a pop culture advocate, regularly dolling out praise for movies like James Wan's Malignant and Edgar Wright's Last Night In Soho, and shows like Showtime's Yellowjackets (praising it as having "what so many current shows don't"). Getting King's endorsement is often celebrated by filmmakers, and I imagine that nobody behind Shining Girls will reject his compliments.
The first season of Shining Girls is eight episodes long, and episode six, titled "Bright" will premiere on Apple TV+ this Friday. The finale is scheduled to arrive on the streaming service on June 3.
