Stephen King Has A Glowing Review For This 2026 Underseen Apple TV Thriller Miniseries

We're in an age where a swift scroll through the interface of your favorite streamer can induce a panic attack due to the sheer amount of options. Luckily there is a savior — a brave soul whose sole purpose is, it seems, to venture into the streaming-scape and report back with movie and TV recommendations. Stephen King has watched everything so that we, the humble masses, don't have to. Instead, all we need to do is check King's social media for the latest dispatch, which, at the time of writing, points us to Apple TV's "Last Seen," though it should probably be called "Never Seen" based on how thoroughly it flew under the radar.

According to King, we all need to fix that oversight immediately. In a Twitter/X post, the author wrote, "Two observations about 'LAST SEEN,' 4 episodes in (Apple+): 1 — It's a fantastic show, and 2 — I see no good resolution for the families involved. Or for Sarah, who is played beautifully by Chloe Jean Lourdes." Of course, to understand that last part you'll have to actually watch the show, which should be a pretty enjoyable experience considering "Last Seen" received positive reviews and has the master of horror's approval.

King has only just recommended a perfect horror miniseries on Netflix, but it seems he's been binging his way through multiple shows of late, and "Last Seen" isn't actually a bad shout. This is, it should be noted, the man who previously recommended a horror series with a 32% Rotten Tomatoes score. But this time he's actually onto something.

Apple TV has been making great shows for some time, but since it has a relatively small subscriber base compared to the streaming king, Netflix, many of them come and go without much fanfare. "Last Seen" is one example. The Australian series is based on the 2011 book "The Dispatcher" by Ryan David Jahn, who incidentally cited Stephen King as one of his "five big influences" during an interview with Mystery Tribune.

The book follows an East Texas police dispatcher whose daughter is kidnapped and ultimately declared dead, only for him to learn that she might still be alive. "Last Seen" transposes the story to Australia, where Patrick Brammall's detective turned police dispatcher Ian Ridley is still reeling from the disappearance of his young daughter, Maggie, 11 years ago. Separated from his wife and six months sober, he has never truly accepted that Maggie is gone forever.

He has, however, managed to find some sort of stability, which is almost immediately upended when the remains of a young girl are unearthed during a storm — remains that could very well be Maggie's. That's not the only major development that propels Ridley into yet another spiral. A phone call at the end of Episode 2 takes things up a notch, ultimately leading Ridley to reclusive couple Henry (Brendan Cowell) and Jenna (Maxine Peake) and their teenage daughter Sarah (Chloe Jean Lourdes).

Filmed in Victoria and adapted for Apple TV by Aussie writer Kris Mrksa, "Last Seen" keeps the focus on its characters, delivering not only a gripping crime thriller but a naturalistic drama bolstered by excellent performances. No wonder it wasn't just Stephen King who liked it.

"Last Seen" comprises six episodes, all of which are directed by Christian Schwochow. But it only took four of them for Stephen King to be all-in on the miniseries. He wasn't the only one, either. Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian hailed "Last Seen" as "one of the standout shows of the year," writing, "I felt deeply invested from the start and by the third episode I was totally hooked." RogerEbert.com's Brian Tallerico was also impressed, awarding the show three stars and commending Kris Mrksa's writing for developing the supporting characters as well as Patrick Brammall's haunted dispatcher. "There are so many versions of this tale in which the young woman at the center of the piece would just become a cog in the twist machine," writes Tallerico. "But Sarah is a complex, developed character."

That's the same Sarah for whom King was so worried in his recommendation tweet. What exactly was he worried about? Well, you'll have to watch the show to find out. But it is worth noting that not everybody was as impressed with "Last Seen" as King. 

Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter took issue with Ian Ridley's behavior, which in his estimation quickly becomes "completely inappropriate and frequently illegal in a way that would probably be unsustainable." That said, even Fienberg had to admit the show ultimately held together due to "how good [Patrick] Brammall and the ensemble are throughout." What's more, "Last Seen" managed a very respectable 87% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews. So, while you probably shouldn't listen to King's endorsement of a forgotten action movie with a 28% Rotten Tomatoes score, this is one dispatch from the streaming front lines worth paying attention to.