Holly: Will The ‘Never Flinch’ Sequel Take Over As The First TV Season?

Think scary story, think Stephen King, and the TV adaptations like the one in the pipeline for Holly. Who doesn’t love a monster under the bed story: not that Holly’s about that. But like Spielberg, his books awaken our deepest fears and yet intrigue us at the same time. Read on to find out more about the development of Holly on the small screen.

Monster Stories Bring King To Mind

It’s been a year since NPR reported a story about a babysitter who discovered a real-life “monster under the bed.” It happened in Kansas, and when the sitter showed the kid there wasn’t a monster, it turned out there was.

An intruder who previously lived there lurked under the bed, and he was taken away by the cops.

For some reason, reading the story again made Stephen King pop into mind. Possibly, that’s because he’s good at making monsters come alive in our minds. The reminder made us check out what’s happening with TV shows and King’s books.

Waiting For A TV Adaptation 

Hopefully, the long wait for Stephen King’s favorite private investigator to hit the small screen is nearly over. In February 2024, CBR confirmed:

During a Q&A at Chicago’s 2023 Printers Row Lit Fest…director and producer Jack Bender, who previously adapted several Stephen King stories for television, revealed that he has a new King adaptation in the works. The novel in question is Holly, King’s latest release.

Okay, so two years on, where is it? Well, initially fans of horror movies focused on the 2023 novel of Holly. But since then, a lot of chatter arose about whether Never Flinch might jump the queue. As Never Flinch launched in May 2025, it featured a more seasoned Holly Gibney. However, as far as we can tell, the current plan still remains tied to the original book. So things move along, if rather slowly. 

The Synopsis & Season 2?

If you don’t know, when Gibney searched for missing Bonnie Dahl, she discovered that an elderly couple, Rodney and Emily Harris, were cannibals with dark secrets in their basement. As fans are already familiar with her from books and shows like Mr. Mercedes, the original might remain and arrive as a first season epic.

Then, perhaps the sequel, Never Flinch, will follow for Season 2. As of April 2026 though, there’s no timeline or premiere date set. And for now, it’s not even clear which network will air it when it does arrive. Perhaps some news will arrive around Halloween this year. That’s always an ideal time to drop updates about any Stephen King horror story.

Viewers React

Two years ago, when Stephen King talked about his book, Holly, on Good Morning America, it became obvious from the comments that fans don’t ever get tired of his prolific stories.

One person opined, “KING is such a national treasure, he always seemed like such an intelligent and humble person. Like many I grew up watching and being scared of his films as a kid and as an adult he inspires my work and my films!”

Here are a few more responses that suggest the TV adaptation will be met with a good-sized audience:

• I love Stephen King’s books and movies! He’s hands down the best writer currently alive.
• The Stand. So amazing. And of course so many others.
• Holly is one of my favorite protagonists – The Outsider is my favorite.

What are your thoughts? Will you tune in to watch Holly when it finally hits the small screen? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your movie news and updates.