Stephen King’s Time-Travel Sci-Fi Thriller Is So Good You’ll Want to Binge in a Single Day

Stephen King has had many of his books turned into films and shows, but 11.22.63 stands out as one of the best. Instead of squeezing a long and detailed story into a two-hour movie, the book was made into an eight-episode miniseries.

That gave the story time to breathe and allowed it to capture the detail and tension that King is known for. The best part is, it can be entirely watched in mere 8 hours.

The series is based on King’s 2011 novel 11/22/63 and mixes science fiction with historical drama. It follows Jake Epping, a recently divorced English teacher from Maine, played by James Franco.

Jake’s life changes when his friend Al Templeton, played by Chris Cooper, shows him a way to travel back to 1960. Al convinces Jake to take on a huge mission — stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.

Once Jake steps into the past, things don’t go as planned. He builds a life there, starts caring about people he meets, and risks getting too comfortable. His mission becomes a balancing act between gathering clues about the assassination and protecting the new life he’s created.

James Franco not only starred in the series but also helped produce it. According to Entertainment Weekly, Franco had read the book and even asked Stephen King about adapting it into a movie. King told him that J.J. Abrams already had the rights. Franco later wrote about the book for Vice, which caught Abrams’ attention. Producer Bridget Carpenter then offered him the role. Franco agreed, but only if he could direct part of the series.

The rest of the main cast included Sarah Gadon as Sadie Dunhill, Lucy Fry as Marina Oswald, George MacKay as Bill Turcotte, and Daniel Webber as Lee Harvey Oswald. Gadon said she wanted the part partly because it gave her a chance to work with Abrams.

When 11.22.63 premiered on Hulu in February 2016, it was well received. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has an 83% approval rating, with critics saying that “Though the execution feels almost as dated as the period it represents, 11.22.63 gradually reveals a compelling, well-performed series of events.” On Metacritic, it scored 69 out of 100.

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The series even won the Saturn Award for Best Television Presentation. It remains a fan favorite for its mix of suspense, romance, and time-travel drama, and at only eight episodes, it’s short enough to binge in a single day.

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