10 Hidden Stephen King References and Easter Eggs in Most Popular TV Shows

One of the easiest ways to measure someone’s success is to count all the pop culture references that others make to them. In the case of Stephen King, they would probably hit a three-digit number, considering how many TV shows, movies, and other novel authors have been using King’s plots as an inspiration.

If you are interested to see 10 of the most popular TV shows that referred to King one way or the other, check out the list below.

Lost (2004-2010)

Heavily influenced by King's writing, Lost had no shortage of references and easter eggs to the author within the show. The most obvious are season 3 Juliet's choice of Carrie as a book club entry, and the future version of Jack reading a newspaper clipping with words like "Ted," "the Tower," and "beam" in it, all references to Stephen King's The Dark Tower.

Derry Girls ( 2018-2022)

You would think that Derry Girls would be the furthest show from any of King's stories, but the writers decided to pull a Carrie on one of the most annoying girls in school, Jenny Joyce. This story was featured in season 2 episode 5, The Prom, and unfortunately, the main group also fell victim to this cruel prank.

Glee ( 2009-2015)

Season 5 episode 2 of Glee used the same Carrie reference as the Derry girls, but this time the victim of the bucket of slushee was Tina Cohen-Chang. What makes it even more obscure is that the episode was Beatles-themed, so it offered a weird mix of references all fitting into a prom story. No one expected anything less from Glee, though.

Hannibal ( 2013-2015)

The very first episode of Hannibal features a coincidence that seems to be more of a planned easter egg. The red bathroom in the episode looks suspiciously similar to the red bathroom in the 1980s movie The Shining. Even if King himself isn't a big fan of the adaptation, it definitely counts as a clever reference.

Stranger Things ( 2016-...)

It's hard to argue that the whole show has a strong Stephen King vibe to it, even though it wasn't based on any of King's actual novels. However, the horror master has been referenced in the show. For example, in season 1 episode 4 of Stranger Things, the policeman knocked out by Hopper is seen reading King's Cujo.

Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014)

Although King's personal guest appearance on the show can hardly be called a reference, it does contain a hidden Easter egg for all fans of the author. The name by which his character was introduced, Bachman, is King's actual pen name under which he has published in the past. In fact, he has published 7 novels under that name.

You (2018-2024)

Remember when Joe had nothing to do but hang out in the library with his newborn son? Well, there you can see a large selection of novels by Scott Lang, Stephen King's fictional author at the center of the 2006 novel Lisey's Story. And that's not the only reference! Joe also visited the notorious The Shining room 217.

Dark (2017-2020)

Anyone who has watched Dark and tried to follow the twisted and tangled timelines of events is used to all kinds of weird and downright surreal occurrences. The twins from The Shining in the opening episode of season 3, however, were a somewhat unexpected but welcome nod to Stephen King's genius.

The X-Files (1993-2018)

Like any other show about the paranormal, The X-Files was at one time inspired and influenced by the stories of Stephen King. However, in the fourteenth episode of the second season of The X-Files, King is mentioned as an author on a library card. Later, the author also joined the writers' room for Chinga, the tenth episode of season five.

Castle Rock (2018-2019)

Castle Rock is very special because the whole show is technically set in Stephen King's horror universe. Counting all the easter eggs and references might be tiring in this case, but the show alludes to such hits as The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Carrie, and many more. This Hulu show is a must watch for all King's fans.