As one of the first Hulu original series ever produced by the streaming service, it was a bit of a surprise when the 2016 Stephen King miniseries 11.22.63 disappeared earlier this year, but if you somehow managed to miss this underrated gem during its first go around, have no fear because not only has it found a new home, but you’ll be able to stream it for free next week.
Based on King’s epic 2011 novel, the series centers around the recently divorced Jake Epping, who is presented with a portal to 1960 in an old diner and tasked with going back in time to stop the assassination of President Kennedy. However, it’s not as easy as removing Lee Harvey Oswald from the equation, as Epping soon learns that when you set out to change the past, the past fights back.
Per Tubi, 11.22.63 will make its debut on the streaming platform on November 1, with all eight episodes being made available to watch for free. The series was developed by Dead Like Me and Friday Night Lights‘ Bridget Carpenter, with J.J. Abrams serving as an executive producer. The late Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs) originally tried to bring the project to life as a feature film, but creative differences between him and King over the script led to his exit from the project in 2012, thus paving the way for Abrams’ production company Bad Robot to swoop in and pick up the rights.
Starring James Franco as Epping and the incomparable Chris Cooper as diner owner Al Templeton, 11.22.63 also features Daniel Webber (The Dirt) as Oswald, Lucy Fry (Vampire Academy) as his wife, Marina, and Sarah Gadon (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) as Franco’s love interest, Sadie Dunhill. Sitting at an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a healthy 88% from fans, the series took home the Best Television Presentation trophy at the 43rd Annual Saturn Awards in 2016.
What Made 11.22.63 So Good?
There’s no getting around the fact that Franco has an obvious problematic past, but when it comes to his acting abilities, he was on top of his game in 11.22.63, which is part of what made it so freaking good. The scenes between him and Cooper were electric as the pair discussed the ramifications of killing Oswald, and when he stepped into the past, he approached things with such a realistic sense of doe-eyed wonder and fascination that it’s hard to believe he wasn’t nominated for more awards.
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Then there’s the moral ambiguity aspect of things which examines the fact that, yes, murder is wrong, but if it’s for the greater good, then is it really that bad? Of course, one can argue whether saving Kennedy would have really changed things that much in the grand scheme of things, but that’s another trait that makes 11.22.63 worth a watch, as it sparks those interesting “what if?” conversations that lead to investigating the butterfly effect, and how saving his life would have affected the future.
As far as Stephen King adaptations go, there’s little doubt that 11.22.63 is one of the best, especially when it comes to those made for TV. Like we said, if you missed it the first time, it’s definitely one to add to your watchlist next month when it hits Tubi on November 1.
11.22.63 centers on Jake Epping, a young high school English teacher, who develops a plan to travel back in time and save John F. Kennedy from being assassinated. The Hulu mini-series was based on the 2011 novel 11/22/63 by Stephen King and stars James Franco as Jake Epping. Upon release 11.22.63 received mostly positive reviews.
- Release Date
- February 15, 2016
- Main Genre
- History
- Seasons
- 1
