The Stephen King Hulu original series, “Castle Rock,” has been canceled after two seasons. 

The news comes as a shock to fans, especially since the series garnered a lot of positive attention from critics, including Rotten Tomatoes, who gave season one an 87 percent rating and season two an 89 percent. The show itself is a psychological horror series that takes place in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine, the setting of many King stories.

The series adapted many of King’s works such as “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Misery.” The cast was composed of Stephen King film stars such as Sissy Spacek from “Carrie” and Bill Skarsgård, who most recently played Pennywise in Andy Muschietti’s “It” and “It: Chapter Two.” 

According to reports, the second season was made with no intention of a third installment. If that is true, it begs the question of why the show was left with so many loose ends untied. Despite having a different plot and cast every season, as well as the seasons taking place years apart from one another, there’s an overarching story the show tells.

The season two finale wrapped up the season’s story but did not come anywhere close to concluding the series’ story. Whether the abrupt ending to the series was intentional or not, it’s disappointing to see the beloved series go. 

“Castle Rock” isn’t the only King show getting the boot. It was announced not long after the “Castle Rock” ending that HBO’s “The Outsider” was canceled as well, despite work for season two already being underway. The reasons for the show’s life being cut short are just as vague. Though small, there is hope for both of the canceled King series.

It is not uncommon for other streaming services or TV companies to buy up dropped shows. Netflix has been known to rescue canceled shows such as “Arrested Development” and “Lucifer.” Unfortunately, no such news of an eleventh hour deal has been announced. But a show with almost limitless potential and source material like “Castle Rock” still deserves to have its story told in full.