Stephen King Is Hooked on Apple TV’s ‘Last Seen’, but He Fears There’s No Happy Ending for Sarah

Apple TV’s latest thriller has been quietly building a devoted audience, and ‘Last Seen’ may have just earned its most famous fan in Stephen King. The Australian series follows Ian Ridley, a former police detective whose life fell apart 11 years ago when his young daughter, Maggie, vanished without a trace. Now working as a police dispatcher, he receives a distress call from a teenage girl he is certain is Maggie and sets out to bring her home, whatever the cost.

Created by Kris Mrksa and based on Ryan David Jahn’s novel ‘The Dispatcher’, the 6-episode series premiered with 2 episodes on September 9, and new installments arrive every Wednesday through October 7. Episode 4 landed on September 23, and the show currently holds an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Now King has shared his verdict. In a post on X, the author offered 2 observations after watching 4 episodes, calling ‘Last Seen’ a fantastic show while admitting he sees no good resolution for the families involved.

He was especially taken with one performance. King singled out Sarah, saying there is no good outcome for her either, and praised Chloe Jean Lourdes for playing the character beautifully. The post passed 18.6K views and 138 likes, with some fans jumping into the replies to recommend other Apple TV international series like ‘Women in Blue’.

Sarah sits at the heart of the show’s central mystery. She lives on a remote farmhouse with her father, Henry, played by Brendan Cowell, and her mother, Jenna, played by Maxine Peake, and is told she can’t interact with kids her age because society doesn’t respect the family’s religious beliefs.

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

Collider noted that Sarah bears an uncanny resemblance to a computer-generated sketch of what Maggie might look like as a teenager. That connection is what drives Patrick Brammall’s Ian into a desperate hunt for the truth.

King’s praise for Lourdes carries extra weight because ‘Last Seen’ marks her screen introduction, with BroadwayWorld describing her as a newcomer. RogerEbert.com also called the performances strong throughout, highlighting Lourdes, Peake, and Daniel Henshall, whom the review described as the series MVP.

First trailer for ‘LAST SEEN’, a new thriller series starring Patrick Brammall.

The series follows a police dispatcher who receives a distress call from a teenage girl that he is convinced is his missing daughter.

Releasing September 9 on Apple TV. pic.twitter.com/APW9jsYFEK

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 11, 2026

King’s instinct about the families may be right on the money. Brammall has teased that the story takes a turn viewers won’t see coming, with the balance of power shifting away from the adults entirely.

“By the end, the agency is taken away from them both and given to Sarah,” Brammall told TechRadar. He added that the conclusion isn’t the sort of ending audiences would usually get from a crime drama.

Critics have praised the show for favoring people over plot twists. RogerEbert.com noted that director Christian Schwochow, who helms all 6 episodes, and Mrksa are able to focus on character because the core story is relatively simple for a streaming miniseries.

Collider similarly described the show as a thoughtful examination of grief and perseverance hiding beneath a familiar investigative setup. Beyond its lead trio, the cast includes Jessica Wren, Zahra Newman, Bert La Bonté, and Tobias Muhafidin, with a score by Isobel Waller-Bridge.

‘Last Seen’ is also a landmark production. It’s the first Apple TV show to be both made and entirely filmed in Australia, with filming beginning there in March 2025.

The series comes from Werner Films Productions and 60Forty Films, the company behind ‘Hijack’ and ‘Slow Horses’. With 2 episodes still to go, viewers will soon find out whether King’s gloomy prediction for Sarah and the families comes true.

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