Summary

King recommended the horror TV series Teacup, praising its atmosphere, characters, and clever premise.
Teacup, produced by James Wan, has a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, yet was canceled after one season due to possibly low ratings.
Lead actor Scott Speedman compared the script to The Strangers, hinting at a potential success getting half of the intensity onto the screen.

Stephen King is always glad to talk about a frightening and entertaining movie, whether the 2000s remake of Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left or the 1987 film The Stepfather. The writer behind the dark coming-of-age story Carrie, the haunted hotel tale The Shining, and the post-apocalyptic The Stand has definitely taken on every trope that exists and penned an impressive number of books, short stories, and novellas. 2025 continues to be an exciting time to be a King fan as, after The Life of Chuck, fans can get ready for The Long Walk, which will be in theaters in September 2025.

King also knows exactly what scary TV shows people want to hear about. While there's nothing better than heading to the local movie theater to check out an eerie new release, horror fans also love discovering a new series that they can enjoy in the comfort of their own home. King once praised a great TV show on social media, and while it might have gotten lost in the sea of terrifying TV tales, it's the perfect binge-watch.

‘I've Never Gotten More Hate Mail’ Stephen King Once Shared The Book Ending Fans Disliked Most

Stephen King's endings aren't always popular, and he once talked about the book conclusion that fans weren't pleased with.

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By Aya Tsintziras

Stephen King Loved Teacup, The Peacock Horror TV Series With A 77% Rotten Tomatoes Rating

A character from Teacup Peacock horror TV show

On October 1st, 2024, Stephen King tweeted that he was enjoying the Peacock horror series Teacup. While the tweet has been deleted since, he wrote (via Dread Central):

"TEACUP: If you like FROM or LOST, I think you'll enjoy this. It's strange, creepy, claustrophobic, and scary. Beware the Gas Mask Man. Short episodes. All killer, no filler. (Peacock–bows October 10th)."

Teacup has a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 76% on the Popcornmeter, and while it didn't get much attention when it premiered on the streaming service, there's a lot here for horror fans will appreciate. The series, which has eight episodes, follows James (Scott Speedman) and Maggie Chenoweth (Yvonne Strahovski), who live on a ranch in Georgia and have to deal with a mysterious and scary evil. As noted by King, the show will appeal to fans of From, another underrated series, along with Lost. Since the characters live in the country and already feel isolated, that makes their situation even more unsettling. The story wouldn't work as well if they lived in a city.

Produced by James Wan, who is known for the Blumhouse franchises Insidious and The Conjuring, Teacup didn't make a huge impression when it was released. But the setting and premise will likely draw people in who love a good scary story about people in danger working together. As is often the case with the horror, sci-fi or thriller genres, some fans might guess the twist in Teacup, but even if viewers can tell what's coming, it's still entertaining.

Fans of the 2008 horror movie The Strangers, which King also praised, will also be glad to see Speedman appear in another scary project. He played one of the two main characters, James Hoyt, who stays at a country house with his partner Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) when three masked killers show up. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Speedman shared that when he read the Teacup script, he was reminded of reading the screenplay for the 2008 film. He said:

"When I read The Strangers, I got up and locked my door when I was reading it. It just had such a feel on the page, and it was the same with Teacup. Like, if we can get half of what’s on the page here onscreen, we’re going to be in for something really interesting... It’s more the world that’s created when you’re reading something."

Speedman also shared that he loves the horror genre because "when it works, really connects with an audience, and that’s what I’m after right now." Like the most memorable horror movies, Teacup has an atmospheric setting, main characters who make an impression, and a clever premise.

Why Wasn't Teacup Renewed For Season 2?

In January 2025, Variety reported that Peacock canceled Teacup. It's possible that the show had low ratings and that's why it didn't get a second season. As Variety noted, Peacock doesn't share viewing numbers, so it's tough to know how popular the show was.

Although fans didn't get to see what happened next for these characters, several other horror or thriller TV shows are streaming on Peacock, including The Girl in the Woods and One Of Us Is Lying. Friday the 13th fans can also look forward to the upcoming prequel series Crystal Lake, which will be available on the streaming service.

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