by Mike Lunsford, Editor
Stephen King’s 11.22.63 premiered on Hulu on President’s Day and it certainly lived up to the lofty expectations the novel set. Even if you have not read the book, the series is completely approachable because everyone knows, at the very least something about that date. It also asks the question we’ve all asked ourselves, “if you could go back in time and change history, would you?”
The series stars James Franco (127 Hours, Pineapple Express) as the main protagonist, Jake Epping. Jake is a high school English teacher. He frequents a diner run by Al Templeton, played by Chris Cooper (American Beauty, Adaptation). Jake meets his ex-wife at the diner where the two sign divorce papers. When Al returns after allowing the two some privacy, he has aged considerably and is now coughing blood. He reveals to Jake a secret: there’s a time portal in the storage closet of his diner that takes you back to 1960. When you enter the portal, it is always the exact same day, the exact same time and the exact same place. Regardless of how long you spend in the past, once you return; only 2 minutes will have passed. At first, Jake doesn’t believe Al until he tries it himself and is stunned. After Jake returns to the present, Al tells him why he seemed to age rapidly, in what seemed to be only a matter of minutes; he had spent 3 years in the past trying to stop the assassination of John F Kennedy of November 22nd, 1963. He was unable to complete his mission as he was diagnosed with cancer in 1962 and had to give up. He pleads with Jake to take up his mission to save JFK and potentially change the future (their present). He warns Jake about the biggest obstacle to changing the past. The past is obdurate; it does not want to be changed. It will throw up road blocks and attempt to stop you at every step. The bigger the change, the more it will try to stop you. It certainly sets the tone for a formidable opponent.
If you have read the book, then you were psyched when you heard they were bringing 11.22.63 to the small screen (and seriously, if you haven’t read it, you need to get on that. Like…now. Here, I’ll help you. Click here and buy it). The series takes some different turns, which is very common with Stephen King adaptations. I’m not a purist in the sense that I expect and demand any interpretation to be exactly the same as the novel. Sometimes, for the sake of television or movies, you have to deviate. Mr. King was involved in the production, so this has his stamp of approval.
I thoroughly enjoyed the opening episode of the series. It was action packed, it set the tone for the entire series and leaves you wishing that you could binge-watch all 8 episodes. And by having a different story than the book, a la The Walking Dead, you end up being intrigued to see how the show and the source material will differ. The pacing was quicker than its predecessor, too. As a book, 11.22.63 was nearly 1800 pages and there were times where it dragged. The series seems to have taken care of this, but it’s only been one episode and time will tell (no pun intended). Not to say that I would be hooked whether this was a good first episode or not, but I intended to see this through regardless the outcome. The book was that good. With James Franco leading the series, JJ Abrams as an executive producer, and Stephen King himself overseeing the project, I have the utmost faith in their vision for 11.22.63 on Hulu.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives 11.22.63 4.5 out of 5 time-travelling Francos.
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