11.22.63 (2016)
TV show · 2016 · Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy · English
Curator score: 5.5/10 (124.3K ratings)
Tagline: When you fight the past, the past fights back.
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.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 5.5/10
- IMDb: 8.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
- Metacritic: 69
- TMDB: 7.8/10
Created by: Bridget Carpenter, Kevin Macdonald
Production: Warner Bros. Television, Bad Robot, Carpenter B.
Cast: James Franco, Sarah Gadon, Chris Cooper, Daniel Webber, Lucy Fry, George MacKay
Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict: A polished, emotionally engaging time-travel miniseries that blends historical atmosphere, romance, and suspense. It’s strongest as a one-and-done prestige binge, even if it occasionally stretches its premise and softens the harder edges of the source material.
Best for: Viewers who like historical what-ifs with emotional stakes; Fans of limited-series prestige drama; People who enjoy time-travel stories with romance and melancholy; Binge-watchers looking for a self-contained miniseries
Skip if: You want rigorous sci-fi logic over emotional storytelling; You prefer fast, twist-heavy pacing throughout; You’re looking for a long-running series with multiple seasons
Overview: 11.22.63 is one of the more accessible Stephen King adaptations because it treats time travel less like a puzzle and more like a tragic opportunity. The 1960s setting is vivid, the central mission has immediate hooks, and the series does a good job turning a famous historical event into something intimate and personal.
Worth noting: James Franco is solid in the lead, and the show benefits from its strong supporting cast and period detail. The romance gives the story warmth, while the looming JFK premise keeps the tension alive. It can feel a little overextended in the middle, and some of the thriller elements are less sharp than the emotional ones.
Bottom line: As a limited series, it works best as a single binge rather than a sprawling saga. If you want a thoughtful, atmospheric alternate-history drama with mainstream appeal, this is an easy recommendation.
Recommended similar titles:
- Dark (2017 · Curator 6.9/10 (548.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
For viewers who want time travel with more complexity, dread, and interlocking consequences, while still rewarding binge viewing.
- The Man in the High Castle (2015 · Curator 5.2/10 (125.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix Standard with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads)
Another high-concept alternate-history drama that explores the emotional and political fallout of a changed past.
- From the Earth to the Moon (1998 · Curator 8.8/10 (14.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
For the historical texture and reflective tone, this miniseries offers a similarly immersive look at a defining era of American ambition.
- The Queen's Gambit (2020 · Curator 9.9/10 (666.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
Not sci-fi, but it shares the same polished miniseries feel, strong period atmosphere, and emotionally driven character arc.
- Outlander (2014 · Curator 7.6/10 (202K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Starz, Philo, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix Standard with Ads)
A time-travel romance with sweeping historical settings, emotional stakes, and a strong sense of place.
- The Americans (2013 · Curator 9.7/10 (124.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu)
For the 1960s-1980s period texture, emotional restraint, and the tension between private life and historical forces.
- Severance (2022 · Curator 9.9/10 (386.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Apple TV Plus)
If the appeal is mystery plus existential unease, this offers a sleek, bingeable version of that tension.
- The Leftovers (2014 · Curator 0.8/10 (1.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
For viewers drawn to grief, fate, and emotional mystery, this is one of the best prestige dramas in that lane.
- The Underground Railroad (2021 · Curator 8.1/10 (9.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Thirteen, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads)
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- For All Mankind (2019 · Curator 8.5/10 (86.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Apple TV Plus)
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Topics: time travel, alternate history, period drama, prestige miniseries, romantic drama, historical suspense, melancholic tone, 1960s, adaptation
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/tv-show/11-22-63/64464
11.22.63 (2016)
TV show · 2016 · Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy · English
Curator score: 5.5/10 (124.3K ratings)
When you fight the past, the past fights back.
Overview 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.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.5/10
IMDb: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 69
TMDB: 7.8/10
Created by Bridget Carpenter, Kevin Macdonald
Production Warner Bros. Television, Bad Robot, Carpenter B.
Cast James Franco, Sarah Gadon, Chris Cooper, Daniel Webber, Lucy Fry, George MacKay
Where to watch Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A polished, emotionally engaging time-travel miniseries that blends historical atmosphere, romance, and suspense. It’s strongest as a one-and-done prestige binge, even if it occasionally stretches its premise and softens the harder edges of the source material.
Best for
Viewers who like historical what-ifs with emotional stakes
Fans of limited-series prestige drama
People who enjoy time-travel stories with romance and melancholy
Binge-watchers looking for a self-contained miniseries
Skip if
You want rigorous sci-fi logic over emotional storytelling
You prefer fast, twist-heavy pacing throughout
You’re looking for a long-running series with multiple seasons
Overview
11.22.63 is one of the more accessible Stephen King adaptations because it treats time travel less like a puzzle and more like a tragic opportunity. The 1960s setting is vivid, the central mission has immediate hooks, and the series does a good job turning a famous historical event into something intimate and personal.
Worth noting
James Franco is solid in the lead, and the show benefits from its strong supporting cast and period detail. The romance gives the story warmth, while the looming JFK premise keeps the tension alive. It can feel a little overextended in the middle, and some of the thriller elements are less sharp than the emotional ones.
Bottom line
As a limited series, it works best as a single binge rather than a sprawling saga. If you want a thoughtful, atmospheric alternate-history drama with mainstream appeal, this is an easy recommendation.
Recommended similar titles
2017 · Curator 6.9/10 (548.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
For viewers who want time travel with more complexity, dread, and interlocking consequences, while still rewarding binge viewing.
2015 · Curator 5.2/10 (125.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix Standard with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Another high-concept alternate-history drama that explores the emotional and political fallout of a changed past.
1998 · Curator 8.8/10 (14.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
For the historical texture and reflective tone, this miniseries offers a similarly immersive look at a defining era of American ambition.
2020 · Curator 9.9/10 (666.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Not sci-fi, but it shares the same polished miniseries feel, strong period atmosphere, and emotionally driven character arc.
2014 · Curator 7.6/10 (202K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Starz, Philo, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix Standard with Ads
A time-travel romance with sweeping historical settings, emotional stakes, and a strong sense of place.
2013 · Curator 9.7/10 (124.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu
For the 1960s-1980s period texture, emotional restraint, and the tension between private life and historical forces.
2022 · Curator 9.9/10 (386.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Apple TV Plus
If the appeal is mystery plus existential unease, this offers a sleek, bingeable version of that tension.
2014 · Curator 0.8/10 (1.2K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
For viewers drawn to grief, fate, and emotional mystery, this is one of the best prestige dramas in that lane.
2021 · Curator 8.1/10 (9.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Thirteen, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads
A visually ambitious limited series that uses historical drama and speculative elements to explore trauma and destiny.
2019 · Curator 8.5/10 (86.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Apple TV Plus
An alternate-history series that starts from a single divergence and builds a compelling, long-form what-if world.
Topics
time travel, alternate history, period drama, prestige miniseries, romantic drama, historical suspense, melancholic tone, 1960s, adaptation
Open 11.22.63 (2016) on Curator TV