Best MGM+ Shows: ‘The Institute’ Season 2 and More
Here’s a look at some of the best shows to watch on MGM+ with Sling, including ‘The Institute’ which is returning for its second season.
The Institute is reopening for a new season on MGM+.
The hit MGM+ series, which is based on Stephen King’s best-selling novel of the same name, returns for its second season on Sunday, November 8. Ben Barnes, Joe Freeman, and Mary-Louise Parker are among the returning cast, while Alfie Allen joins the second season as tech billionaire Nolan Reeves, who is hired to rebuild the facility on an even bigger scale.
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Star Ben Barnes recently told Good Housekeeping that despite the first season covering the entirety of Stephen King’s novel, the new season will stay true to the story’s established themes while pushing the plot in a new direction.
“I feel like he always stays true to certain themes—corruption of innocence, using the power of the next generation to question authority, disrupting a hierarchy that's just been in place, attacking abuse of power or abuse of money—whatever it might be,” Barnes said of the iconic horror author. “I think those themes are universal and important to him, and he made sure we definitely underline those things in the new season.”
The Institute is just one of the many original series available when you add MGM+ to your Sling subscription. Whether you’re looking for more unsettling horror, a period piece gangster series, or a quirky and charming comedy, these are some of the highest-rated MGM+ originals according to Rotten Tomatoes. Here’s a brief look at four more series to watch with MGM+. To add MGM+ to your Sling account, simply create a profile with Sling Freestream and add to your account, no Sling base pack is required!
‘Rogue Heroes’
Starring: Connor Swindells, Jack O’Connell, Dominic West
Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
What’s it about?
An officer hospitalized after a failed training exercise, forms a plan to radicalize traditional commando units.
Fun Facts
- The series comes from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
- It’s based on Ben Macintyre’s 2016 book and stays broadly faithful to real events. A third season is on the way.
‘From’
Starring: Harold Perrineau, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Eion Bailey, Hannah Cheramy, Simon Webster
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
What’s it about?
In Season 4, the closer the townspeople get to answers, the scarier their search becomes. Who is the Man in Yellow, and what does he want? Could Jade and Tabitha’s discovery be the key to finally getting home? And how long can Boyd hold the town together while his own body and mind are falling apart?
Fun Facts
- Seasons 1–3 recently cracked Netflix’s U.S. Top 10, while Season 4 remains on MGM+. A fifth and final season is expected in 2027.
- Lost veteran Jack Bender is an executive producer on both From and The Institute.
Related: Check out our preview of From season 4
‘American Classic’
Starring: Kevin Kline, Laura Linney, Jon Tenney, Len Cariou, Nell Verlaque
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
What’s it about?
After a very public meltdown, Broadway star Richard Bean heads home to the family theater where he first discovered his own brilliance. His over-the-top behavior sets off a string of crises for the people closest to him, including his ex-girlfriend, who is now the town’s mayor and married to his brother.
Fun Facts
- Kevin Kline, an Oscar winner for A Fish Called Wanda, also serves as an executive producer on the series.
- Theater fans get to watch Laura Linney perform a scene from Our Town on the show.
‘Godfather of Harlem’
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Ilfenesh Hadera, Lucy Fry, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Vincent D’Onofrio, Whoopi Goldberg, Rome Flynn
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92% (Season 1)
What’s it about?
In Season 4, Bumpy Johnson keeps up his bloody war with New York’s Mafia families for control of Harlem while gangster Frank Lucas arrives on the scene. After Malcolm X’s assassination, Bumpy also has to deal with his daughter Elise’s involvement with the Black Panthers.
Fun Facts
- Bumpy Johnson was a real Harlem crime boss, born Ellsworth Raymond Johnson in Charleston, S.C., in 1905. He got his nickname as a kid because of a bump on the back of his head.
- The story isn’t over yet: MGM+ ordered a two-hour series finale, which will likely air in two parts across two weeks.
How to watch MGM+ with Sling
All five of these series stream on MGM+, and you don’t need a base plan to watch them. Sign up for MGM+ as a standalone premium and get Sling Freestream included, or add it to your Sling Orange or Blue plan. New episodes of The Institute Season 2 drop Sundays, and the rest are ready to binge on demand.