11.22.63

[A] little bit of bloat hardly slows down a slick production that, while transporting us back in time, stakes Hulu’s claim as a serious streaming player of the future.

Franco dials down his signature smarm, and as Sadie Dunhill, the vibrant small-town librarian whom Epping courts in the small Texas town in which he waits outs Oswald, Sarah Gadon is a real find. Their stirring romance carries with it the same whiff of doom as Epping's visits to Dealey Plaza, and gives what could be merely an interesting and handsomely-made take on the conspiracy thriller genre more texture and depth, resonating across the ages.

If the moral of the series, at once trite and completely undeniable, is that we must accept the things we can not change, it's one that it vividly brings to life by looking beyond the clichés of genre and at the ways life's smallest disruptions test our faith.

The pursuit of answers feels both rewarding and enjoyable.

11.22.63 is sprawling and rather leisurely, to an extent that might prove a deal-breaker for some.... But the net effect is ultimately intoxicating if you accept that the digressions are the point of the story, and are in fact inevitable given the sort of person Jake is.

Featuring fine supporting performances by an evil Josh Duhamel, a perverse T. R. Knight, and a sly Cherry Jones in addition to the aforementioned Cooper and Gadon, 11.22.63 is the kind of fantasy realism that any sort of viewer can latch onto and find something to be intrigued and moved by.

The series has an impressive feel and period look to it. The first episode directed by Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland”) deftly opens up mysteries and invites you into the strangeness. Adapted by Bridget Carpenter, 11.22.63 isn’t for everyone. You have to like what-if fantasy stories. But like many of King’s stories, once you’re in, you’re in. Enjoy the trip.

An absorbing eight-episode show based on King's best-selling 11/22/63 and produced by J.J. Abrams.

Masterfully textured and compellingly told, 11.22.63 is a smart and stylish take on Stephen King's sprawling novel.

It's totally far-fetched, but the roles are so well-cast and the 1960s texture so evocatively re-created (Jake goes from starry-eyed nostalgia to shock when he sees segregated bathroom signs) that 11.22.63 makes the trip back in time both suspenseful and enjoyable.

King’s work doesn’t always happily travel through the portal connecting the page to the TV screen, but Hulu scores with an impressively stout-hearted, eight-part adaptation of “11/22/63.”

11.22.63's aesthetics are tantalizing, the acting compelling, and the twists and supernatural elements are genuinely shocking.

JFK assassination conspiracy theorists won’t be disappointed with King’s whodunit premise in “11/22/63,” although they might argue with it. Likewise, the miniseries has something for fans of science fiction, romance and thrillers in general.

Without giving anything away, the series has subtly tweaked King’s ending while still delivering on its emotional impact. 11.22.63 is sometimes a bumpy ride, but the destination is ultimately worth the journey.

Even without enough of the Jodie scenes to provide emotional support to the thriller plot, the miniseries' concluding hour is very strong, and actually improves on a few aspects of the book.

The story does meander from time to time, especially in the early episodes, but 11.22.63 eventually finds its way.

A capable adaptation of Mr. King’s 2011 best seller, appealing enough to snag a general audience and yet different enough from the book to give hard-core King fans plenty to grouse about.

Most of all, there's the road-not-taken poignance that underlies 11.22.63. Whether you buy the Camelot version of history or not, 11.22.63 channels our collective longing for a moment when everything could have been changed for the better, a sense that so much wrong and hurt could be erased if we could just alter the flow of time for a split second.

Much about this eight-part series, based on a novel by Stephen King and adapted for television by Bridget Carpenter, is, in addition, fraught with both little and not-so-little comprehension problems.... But there is much here that has undeniable appeal, most of it having to do with the impressive period detail of the early ’60s.

11.22.63 is a satisfying and smartly developed work that marks yet another step forward for streamer Hulu, which has been featuring increasingly notable series including “Casual” and “Difficult People.”

Pretty much all of the success in 11.22.63 comes from Franco being able to take the concept from bizarre to believable, with a major assist from Cooper, who combines with Franco in the early episodes (and flashbacks) to give this series its much-needed dramatic believability.

Despite its flaws, 11.22.63 ends up closing the deal in a way that for the most part makes it a long, strange time travel worth taking.

There's enough substance to the novel that what's left in the miniseries ends up feeling less like a truly successful adaptation and more like a sketch of a great one.

While the construction of 11.22.63 holds it back from greatness, Franco deserves credit for really committing to the high concept of it all.

Eight episodes, here, is too many; the series goes down several blind alleys before it gets to Dealey Plaza. But its best moments thrum with tension, as when the past rebels against our hero, trying to repel him.

11.22.63 reaches some thoughtful, moving conclusions, but oh, what coulda been with a more engaged star. If only there were a time machine to fix that mistake.

That the limited series squeaks by as just entertaining enough is a disappointment considering the pedigree of everyone involved and the reputation of its source material.

There is so much original programming out there that famous names, shiny plots, and a solid twist may be enough to keep a show from getting trampled, but they are not enough to keep it from getting lost in the fray--especially when a show, as with 11.22.63, is awkward and flat, never matching the promise of its premise.

It moves at a steady clip, is stuffed with cheese, and remains compelling enough to fill an afternoon. But it's also easy enough to leave behind once you have to get back to the real world.

If it never rises above the artificial, it is not entirely without entertainment value--artificiality itself has its pleasures. It may not be worth the price of the subscription, if you don't already have one, but that is a decision you will have to make for yourself, viewer.

Intentionally or not, what you end up with is two movies that don’t always happily coexist: A fantasy version of 24, complete with that series' sometimes annoying time-wasting obstacles, paired with a star-crossed romance. And to make matters worse, Franco is only convincing in the love story, where he does his best work.

King's immersive page-turner is condensed in such a way, including an ill-considered two-year time jump in the '60s, that it feels both rushed and draggy when Jake keeps confronting obstacles in his crusade to stop Lee Harvey Oswald. [15-28 Feb 2016, p.17]

Although there are moments of suspense when Jake gets close to major historical events, nothing (including the obligatory twist ending) is quite enough to shake the feeling that the series is just a really, really long Twilight Zone episode.