“11.22.63” is a great TV series: FLASHBACK

It’s time for another entertainment recap and this week we have “11.22.63.”

I’ve been posting a recap every week and readers seem to really enjoy it, so with that in mind, it’s probably safe to say we’ll be continuing to do so for the foreseeable future.

This brings us to the legendary Hulu miniseries based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.

“11.22.63” is an absolute must-see on television.

Basic facts about “11.22.63”:

• Cast: James Franco, Chris Cooper, Sarah Gadon, Lucy Fry, George MacKay, Josh Duhamel and Nick Searcy
• Number of episodes: Eight
• Original premiere date: February 15, 2016
• Network: Hulu
• Plot Description: Jake Epping (James Franco), a recently divorced English teacher from Lisbon, Maine, is given the chance to travel back in time to 1960 by his longtime friend Al Templeton (Chris Cooper). He is persuaded to join in to prevent the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. However, he is stuck in his life in the past, which could mean the end of the mission. He must find a way to secretly gather information about the people and events that led to the assassination, while building and maintaining a new life to avoid suspicion.

Now that we’ve got the basic facts out of the way, let’s get into why 11.22.63 is such a great show. Not only is the cast outstanding – Sarah Gadon is a criminally underrated talent – but the story itself is a hell of a ride as viewers watch Jake Epping try to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 in Dallas.

When Jake first sees the time portal, he is as incredulous as anyone else. Eventually, however, he agrees to take on the task of saving Kennedy from being assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. The premise doesn’t seem all that complex at first glance, but as with everything by Stephen King, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.

There are two things about the story that make it great. First, Jake learns that the more you try to change the past, the harder it will hit back. The past doesn’t want to be changed. It doesn’t want to be changed at all. Whenever Jake gains ground, the past always manages to find a way to push back even harder to make sure nothing changes. This creates a fascinating dynamic and leads perfectly to the second part of the show, which is so great.

Jake falls in love with Sadie (Gadon) in the past and begins to prioritize her over the mission to save JFK. Since Sadie and Jake never met in the original timeline, the past is not willing to allow this relationship to emerge with joy and happiness. There is a lot of pain and suffering that Jake must endure and balance against saving the President.

Without giving too much away, the show also forces viewers to think hard about whether changing the past guarantees a better future. There are so many variables that can’t be predicted, and that’s a bitter pill to swallow.

I’ll also say, without giving too much away, that 11.22.63 has one of the best endings in television history. One of my buddies says it’s the only ending to a TV series that made him cry. I’m not saying you should shed tears, but it’s a punch in the gut.

Gadon and Franco are excellent, it’s a quick eight episodes and the plot will grab you and not let go. I really highly recommend 11.22.63 if you haven’t seen it yet. Do yourself a huge favor and fire it up on Hulu and then let me know what you think. [email protected].