The TV show comes from the mind of Stephen King and recently landed on Netflix
14:33, 04 Dec 2025
Mr Mercedes has arrived on Netflix and many are starting to watch the gripping crime thriller series, after binging through the likes of ITV ’s Des with David Tennant, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, and most recently, The Beast in Me. Mr Mercedes first aired on the Audience network back in 2017.
The show is adapted from acclaimed horror author Stephen King’s best-selling detective novel trilogy Mr. Mercedes (2014), Finders Keepers (2015), and End of Watch (2016). This series comes from veteran American TV writer and producer David E. Kelley, who was also behind the likes of Big Little Lies, Ally McBeal, Goliath, and Chicago Hope.
Mr Mercedes also boasts an impressive cast led by Irish acting legend Brendan Gleeson, The Crown’s Harry Treadaway, The Practice’s Holland Taylor, Succession’s Justine Lupe, Jharrel Jerome of When They See Us fame, and UnREAL actress Breeda Wool.
Mr Mercedes ran for a total of three seasons before coming to an end in 2019, however, now that it’s landed on Netflix it’s like to find a new wave of popularity among new viewers. The show is already leading viewers to question if the show could be based on a true story and the plot of the drama, here’s the lowdown.
Mr Mercedes is adapted from Stephen King’s novel trilogy (Image: PEACOCK)READ MORE: Three iconic horror films inspired by Netflix Ed Gein story and where to stream themREAD MORE: The Beast in Me review: A chilling thriller with some of the best acting of 2025
Is Mr Mercedes based on a true story?
No, Mr Mercedes isn’t based on a true story, however, some elements were inspired by real-life events. The Shining and Misery author previously admitted he saw a news story that served as the starting point for the detective books. King had seen a news report about someone, who had driven a car into a line of people queuing to apply for a job at McDonald’s at part of the fast food chain’s National Day of Hiring event.
Explaining how the news story sparked his inspiration, the author told UMass Lowell in 2012: “I thought to myself, ‘I want to write about this.’ I didn’t know why I wanted to write about it, or what I wanted to write about it. I just knew that I wanted to write about it.”
Mr Mercedes also starts off with a person driving a car into a crowd of people. However, unlike the real-life case, the person behind the wheel was trying to take out as many as possible in a chilling premeditated attack.
The story evolved from a short story into a fully-fledged novel as King started to think about the other acts of violence his disturbed fictional character was committing. After mowing down people in his car, the serial killer goes into hiding with the case growing cold.
Brendan Gleeson leads the cast of Mr Mercedes (Image: PEACOCK)
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What is Mr Mercedes about?
Mr Mercedes follows Gleeson’s retired police detective Bill Hodges, who is left haunted by the unsolved cold case of the man, who murdered 16 people when he drove a stolen Mercedes-Benz into a group of people at a local jobs fair. Simultaneously, Hodges is confronted with a new psychopath in the form of Brady Hartsfield (played by Harry Treadaway), who begins to play his own dangerous games which puts lives on the lines.
Hartsfield also wishes to gain notoriety for his crimes, forcing Hodges into danger and morally grey areas as he seeks out the serial killer. The killer and Hodges engage in a deadly online game of cat and mouse as the detective desperately tries to stop him from striking again.
Mr Mercedes has received strong praise on IMDb from many viewers, who have hailed the show. One person described it as an “excellent show” posted in their 9/10 star review: “As serial-killer procedurals go, this is one of the finest I’ve seen, with strong writing, a talented cast, confident director, and master storyteller Stephen King pulling the strings.”
A second awarded Mr Mercedes 10/10 stars and said it was “Gleeson at his best”. The user went on to explain: “After reading up on this, my curiosity was spiked when I learned that Stephen King had wrote the character of Bill Hodges based on Brendan Gleeson. Growing up, Stephen King was my Author of choice and being Irish I have always rated Brendan Gleeson as one of our best actors.”
A third person described the programme as an “incredible series” in their top-tier review. The user elaborated: “What the heck are people watching this show is as good as they come, the acting, story, everything TOP notch!! The whole cast is flawless the story incredible and to those who said only watch season 1 you are dead wrong. All 3 seasons are incredible and it all ends perfect.” They concluded: “1 of the best series ever.”
Mr Mercedes is streaming on Netflix UK and Ireland now
