On paper, The Institute has quite a bit going for it, including an interesting premise from Stephen King and a creepy actor or two that play in the “nefarious experiments” sandbox pretty well. Plus, who doesn’t like Mary-Louise Parker? However, the terrible writing, uninteresting protagonists, sluggish pacing, competing storylines, and general YA-ness of it all make for a yawn-inducing viewing experience. It seemingly wants to be a mix between The New Mutants and Stranger Things — which, again, not a bad idea for a show — but it’s too pedestrian to conjure real intrigue in the mystery it’s peddling and too neutered to generate any true dread.