Joanna moves with her young son, Alfie, to the quiet town of Flinstead, seeking a fresh start. However, she quickly becomes entangled in the lives of local mothers and the unsettling dynamics of the community. When Joanna stumbles upon an online rumour about a child killer living in the town, she uses it to win over the mums at the school gate. As gossip spreads, suspicions build, and Joanna finds herself drawn into a web of secrets and paranoia. Balancing her efforts to protect her son with the growing unease in town, Joanna struggles to distinguish between truth and hearsay. With relationships strained and emotions running high, the boundaries between trust and fear blur.
　　The Rumour explores how quickly small-town gossip can spiral out of control, forcing Joanna to confront the unforeseen consequences of curiosity and mistrust in her search for answers. The story is based on the Sunday Times bestselling book by Lesley Kara.

　　《迷失》导演杰克·本德与《大小谎言》)编剧大卫·E·凯利将把史蒂芬·金最新小说《研究院》打造为限定剧。本剧将由本德执导，凯利执笔剧本，据悉小说被描述为“自《小丑回魂》问世以来，有关孩子战胜邪恶的最令人揪心的故事”。

　　未来的一天，全世界的能量突然神秘消失，包括手机、电脑、汽车、飞机甚至电灯都神秘消失，人民开始使用那些冷兵器时代的武器（来保护自己。大家生活在由各种民团士兵支配下的小村子中。地球上不再有“政府”，这些民团势力取代了政府的作用。门罗民团组织的上尉Tom要求带Ben走。Ben的儿子Danny企图阻止被抓走，更让Ben被士兵击中。临终前Ben让女儿Charlie（ 崔西·思伯瑞达克斯 Tracy Spiridakos 饰）去芝加哥找他的兄弟Miles（比利·伯克 Billy Burke 饰），唯一可以救回Danny的人。埋葬父亲后，Charlie便踏上了旅程。小镇医生Maggie（安娜·李斯·菲利普斯 Anna Lise Phillips）和学者Aaron（詹克·欧思 Zak Orth 饰）也加入了队伍。Ben临终前曾将一个小盒子委托给他，里面可能包含了关于电力消失事件背后的秘密。一路上，他们又遇到了出色的射手Nate。
　　一队人向着芝加哥出发，但这一切，仅仅是故事的开始……