Though the HBO hit series It: Welcome to Derry is fresh in everyone’s mind following the epic conclusion to Season 1 back in December, it’s not the best Stephen King TV show in recent memory. Sure, it had its moments, and we’re certainly looking forward to seeing where the story of Pennywise the Dancing Clown goes in Season 2, but for our money, the best series of the last 20 years that was based on King’s work remains a 2016 hidden gem that just made a massive comeback on streaming thanks to Netflix.
Titled 11.22.63, the eight-episode sci-fi thriller centers around a time traveler who goes back to 1960 in order to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Premiering on Hulu a decade ago, the miniseries has bounced around various streaming platforms over the years, but recently made its way to Netflix in the United States for the first time ever. As such, it’s experiencing a massive resurgence, and is currently the third most popular TV show on the streaming service.
Starring the likes of James Franco, Chris Cooper, Sarah Gadon, Josh Duhamel, Gil Bellows, Lucy Fry, George MacKay, and Daniel Webber, 11.22.63 is one of the most faithful adaptations of a King novel ever made. It took everything we loved about the gargantuan, 849-page book, and brought it to life with stunning accuracy. Every detail was meticulously poured over, so much so that even King himself called it one of his favorite shows that was based on his vast body of work. The official synopsis reads:
“Jake Epping (Franco), a recently divorced English teacher from Lisbon, Maine, is presented with the chance to travel back in time to 1960 by his long-time friend Al Templeton (Cooper). He is persuaded into going in an attempt to prevent the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963; however, he becomes attached to the life he makes in the past, which could be the mission’s undoing. He must find a way to secretly gather information about people and events leading up to the assassination while also creating and maintaining a new life to avoid suspicion.”
‘11.22.63’ Is Rated Higher Than ‘Welcome to Derry’
While some might question the validity of 11.22.63 being better than Welcome to Derry, one only has to look to Rotten Tomatoes to see that the proof is in the pudding. Yes, the HBO series does have some commanding and well-deserved high scores, but it ranks slightly lower than the 2016 time-traveling thriller. Critics gave the new HBO series a score of 81%, and audiences ranked it slightly higher at 82%.
By contrast, pundits awarded 11.22.63 a critical score of 83%, while fans gave it overwhelming positive reviews, thus propelling it to an 88% rating on the Popcornmeter. Of course, tastes vary, but if we’re judging things by metrics, then it’s clear that 11.22.63 is the better series based on numbers alone.
For those that have yet to see this incredible mash-up of science fiction, suspense, drama, and even romance, you can check out all eight episodes of 11.22.63 streaming now on Netflix.
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