11.22.63
Series, 2016, The 2000s and 2010s, Set in Back to 1960
11.22.63 is #23 of 42 in release order and #14 of 42 in chronological order in the Stephen King Universe.
The story
An English teacher travels back in time to prevent the Kennedy assassination, but discovers he is attached to the life he has made in a bygone era.
11.22.63 recap
11.22.63 (2016) is an eight-episode Hulu miniseries in which an English teacher travels back to 1960 through a diner closet to stop the Kennedy assassination. Bridget Carpenter develops it, with J.J. Abrams among the producers. Divorced Maine teacher Jake Epping (James Franco) is recruited by diner owner Al Templeton (Chris Cooper), who is dying of cancer and has spent years trying the mission himself. Every trip lands at the same moment in 1960 and every return resets the past. Taking the name Jake Amberson, Jake learns that the past pushes back when someone tries to change it. He picks up a young sidekick, Bill Turcotte (George MacKay), and settles in Texas to watch Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber) and his wife Marina (Lucy Fry), while trying to establish whether Oswald acted alone. Working as a teacher in Jodie, he falls in love with librarian Sadie Dunhill (Sarah Gadon), whose violent ex-husband threatens them.
11.22.63 ending explained
11.22.63 ends, in the finale "The Day in Question", with Jake saving Kennedy and giving up Sadie. Jake stops Oswald at the Book Depository, but Sadie is shot in the struggle and dies. Back in 2016, he finds a ruined, war-torn world, so he returns to 1960 to reset everything, and this time stays away from Sadie to keep her safe. Back in the present, he looks her up and finds her, aged 80, honoured by her town; they share a dance.
Where to watch 11.22.63
11.22.63 is streaming on Netflix in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.0/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Mist, before The Dark Tower.
- Chronological order: after The Mist, before The Dark Tower.
What to watch before 11.22.63
In release order, 13 Stephen King Universe essentials come before 11.22.63 (2016), from Carrie (1976) to The Mist (2007).
Cast
- James Franco as Jake Epping
- Sarah Gadon as Sadie Dunhill
- Chris Cooper as Al Templeton
- Daniel Webber as Lee Harvey Oswald
- Lucy Fry as Marina Oswald
- George MacKay as Bill Turcotte
- Kevin J. O'Connor as Yellow Card Man
- Cherry Jones as Marquerite Oswald
- Jonny Coyne as George de Mohrenschildt
- Nick Searcy as Deke Simmons
- Tonya Pinkins as Mia Mimi Corcoran
- Josh Duhamel as Frank Dunning