11.22.63

This Hulu-aired miniseries based on Stephen King's titular 2011 bestseller centers on a Maine teacher who travels back in time in an effort to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Executive produced by J.J. Abrams, the series necessarily indulges in some abbreviation (the book is one of the author's major doorstops), but overall does it justice. James Franco brings his somewhat dazed persona to the central role of Jake, the man who discovers that tinkering with time can produce unintended consequences (and that even bad things might have happened for a reason). Of course, not all of Jake's time in the 1960s is taken up with his investigation of Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber) and possible conspiracies to kill the president; there's also a romantic possibility with a librarian (Sarah Gadon), who unfortunately has a dangerous ex-husband. 11.22.63 has a rather old-fashioned feel—which fits well with the many miniseries made from King's earlier books—and viewers must often be willing to suspend logic, but while not in the same league as HBO's best series, this one does show that Hulu is capable of producing original programming that is worth watching. Presenting all eight episodes of this 2016 miniseries, extras include a “making-of” featurette. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)