Before we get started, I'd like to point out that this Hulu produced miniseries, one of the earliest original titles to premiere on the platform, is no longer on Hulu, but is currently streaming on Tubi. How's that for a sign of the times?
2025 was been a banner year for Stephen King projects, so I thought I'd catch up on one that I'd missed - the adaptation of King's time travel novel "11/22/63." Students of American history will recognize that this was the date when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. "11.22.63." follows the attempts of a man named Jake Epping (James Franco) to stop the assassination after he discovers a way to go back in time to the 1960s.
So, we have a popular "What if?" scenario being treated with a rare degree of seriousness, but this is still a genre show that requires some genre conventions. There are a lot of narrative shortcuts in play, such as much of the research being handed to Jake from the start by another, older time traveler named Al (Chris Cooper), who failed at the same mission. There's also the idea that the past resists being changed by pushing back against major disruptions in any way that it can. This means that one of the major villains of the piece is an unseen force creating literal deus ex machina plot twists every time the heroes get too close to accomplishing certain goals. A major new character was also created for the show, Bill Turcotte (George McKay), a young man who becomes Jake's ally in the past and gives him somebody to explain things to.
The major criticism of the show compared to the novel that I've seen is that it plays up the melodrama while being much less detailed in its examination of the Kennedy assasination. Initially Jake has to confirm a lot of information, such as whether Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber) was set up, whether he acted alone, and whether there was a conspiracy behind the assassination. However, the focus quickly shifts to interpersonal conflicts. The show wisely spends a good deal of time showing Jake's difficulties adjusting to life in the 1960s, and his romance with a librarian named Sadie (Sarah Gadon), who is in a troubled marriage. The pacing is good, however, and there's no issue with filling eight episodes, or coming to a satisfying conclusion.
"11.22.63." is at its best in its earliest episodes, where it's setting up the rules of the universe and following Jake's initial exploration of life in the '60s. This is also where we have the most involvement from Chris Cooper, who is easily the best actor in the ensemble. I like that the series immediately creates a sense of paranoia and discomfort about living out of one's time, even if Jake is well suited to his new life and finds certain aspects of the past better than 2016. While any supernatural elements are kept fairly low-key, and "11.22.63." avoids the tropes of many other Stephen King adaptations, it's still got enough of an unnerving sensibility that it feels of a piece with the rest of King's work.
James Franco has retreated from the spotlight since certain allegations came to light in 2019, and I'd forgotten how ubiquitous he was for a few years in the 2000s and 2010s. While I'm fairly cool on his performance here, he does fine in "11.22.63.," and the vague resemblance to James Dean certainly helps thematically. He manages to balance Jake Epping being an intelligent schoolteacher with also being a dramatic hothead who is prone to impulsive decisions. However, I was more impressed with Sarah Gadon, who doesn't usually get roles this prominent, and certainly makes the most of it.
Of all the Stephen King event miniseries, this is definitely one of the better ones. I recommend giving it a look, especially if you're apprehensive of King's usual horror stories. However, history buffs may want to stick to the book.
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