Stephen King Is Hooked on Apple TV’s ‘Last Seen’, but He Can’t See a Happy Ending

Few people are better placed to judge a dark family mystery than Stephen King, and the horror master is not shy about sharing what he’s watching. His social feed has become a reliable barometer for which streaming shows deserve attention. This week, the new Apple TV thriller ‘Last Seen’ landed on his radar.

The series comes from creator Kris Mrksa and director Christian Schwochow, the Emmy-nominated filmmaker behind ‘The Crown’. It is adapted from Ryan David Jahn’s 2011 novel ‘The Dispatcher’, and it was set and filmed in Victoria, Australia. It premiered globally on September 9 with two episodes, and new episodes arrive every Wednesday through the finale on October 7.

The setup is grimly simple. Police detective Ian Ridley (Patrick Brammall) saw his life fall apart 11 years ago when his young daughter Maggie vanished, and he now works as a dispatcher. When he receives a distress call from a teenage girl he is certain is Maggie, he stops at nothing to find her.

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.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 24, 2026

Now King has weighed in after four episodes. In a post on X, he called ‘Last Seen’ a great show, then added a caveat: he sees no good resolution for the families involved, nor for Sarah, whom he says is beautifully played by Chloe Jean Lourdes. The post reached more than 11,000 views within hours of going up.

Sarah is the teenage daughter of Henry (Brendan Cowell) and Jenna (Maxine Peake), fundamentalist recluses who live on an isolated farm. Ian’s search leads him to them, which puts two families in the same unresolved story. That framing helps explain why King thinks nobody comes out clean, since each answer would seem to cost someone their family.

King’s praise carries extra weight because he has a history with the platform. He has praised Apple TV’s ‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’ and singled out Tatiana Maslany’s performance, and he has also given the sci-fi series ‘Constellation’ very warm words. That makes ‘Last Seen’ the latest in a run of Apple shows to catch his eye.

Lourdes is a newcomer, and critics have noticed. The Hollywood Reporter called her exceptional as a young woman forced to confront an outside world she has been sheltered from, and described Cowell as gruff and zealous and Peake as haunted and kind. That is a lot of weight to carry on a first major role.

The same review was more mixed on the writing, arguing that Ian’s rapid unraveling stretches believability, with his behavior becoming inappropriate within the first hour. It also felt some stretches are packed with backstory. Even so, it called the show a solid mystery, and the performances have drawn consistent praise.

Reception overall has been favorable. Rotten Tomatoes listed an 89% approval rating with a 7.2/10 average based on 18 critic reviews as of September 14, and Metacritic gave it a score of 78, indicating generally favorable reviews. Its critics consensus singled out Brammall’s performance as taking the series to the next level.

Beyond the leads, the ensemble includes Daniel Henshall, Zahra Newman, Jessica Wren and Tobias Muhafidin. Newman plays Isabel Pena, and Muhafidin plays Dean Ridley. Apple hasn’t published a detailed character biography for Sarah, which keeps the mystery’s biggest questions intact.

One step closer to the truth.#LastSeen — Now Streaming pic.twitter.com/VboKoKmah5

— Apple TV (@AppleTV) September 19, 2026

With two episodes still to go after the fifth arrives September 30, there is plenty of time for the story to prove King right or wrong. TV Insider noted that a second season would depend on how the first ends and whether there is more to tell after six episodes. If King’s instinct is right, the finale may leave viewers hurting no matter which way it goes.

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