For me it wasn't the easiest thing to start watching Hulu's new miniseries '11.22.63' about the John F. Kennedy assassination. I didn't think I would be able to watch a show that wouldn't be historically accurate or truthful.
That is because I had read that the book that series was based on didn't get its facts and research right. I knew that the series would make the false claim that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman and that there was no conspiracy.
Yet, since I had felt bored lately and didn't have anything better to do, I managed to give the show a chance. I thought that the series couldn't be that bad and that there probably had to be at least some redeeming qualities about it.
So after having seen the first three episodes of '11.22.63', I have to say that my initial thoughts were somewhat wrong. For me it has actually been rather interesting to watch this time-travel series about the Kennedy assassination.
Among other things, the mini-series looks really good and has surprisingly good production values. It's fascinating to be able to go back in time to an era when things were a lot different than they are today.
The show is good at showing how people back then weren't the same as they are today. It's fascinating, although a bit difficult to watch how women, blacks and other minorities were treated so differently only fifty years ago.
Another good thing about the series is that it is so well cast. The producers of the show have paid a lot of effort to casting talented, capable actors for the roles, which is something that has to be appreciated.
Even though it's true that Chris Cooper is probably the best actor on the show, James Franco has also been surprisingly believable in his role. There's no sign of 'Seth Rogenism' here, which of course is a great thing.
As a somewhat serious student of the assassination, I have also enjoyed the show for its real-life characters. It has been pretty cool to watch characters like Jack Ruby, George de Mohrenschildt, General Walker and Lee Harvey Oswald so far.
When it comes to the storylines in '11.22.63', some people have complained that there's too much filler after the first episode. Too much time is wasted on other storylines, like Franco's character meeting the girl of his dreams.
That is because I had read that the book that series was based on didn't get its facts and research right. I knew that the series would make the false claim that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman and that there was no conspiracy.
Yet, since I had felt bored lately and didn't have anything better to do, I managed to give the show a chance. I thought that the series couldn't be that bad and that there probably had to be at least some redeeming qualities about it.
So after having seen the first three episodes of '11.22.63', I have to say that my initial thoughts were somewhat wrong. For me it has actually been rather interesting to watch this time-travel series about the Kennedy assassination.
Among other things, the mini-series looks really good and has surprisingly good production values. It's fascinating to be able to go back in time to an era when things were a lot different than they are today.
The show is good at showing how people back then weren't the same as they are today. It's fascinating, although a bit difficult to watch how women, blacks and other minorities were treated so differently only fifty years ago.
Another good thing about the series is that it is so well cast. The producers of the show have paid a lot of effort to casting talented, capable actors for the roles, which is something that has to be appreciated.
Even though it's true that Chris Cooper is probably the best actor on the show, James Franco has also been surprisingly believable in his role. There's no sign of 'Seth Rogenism' here, which of course is a great thing.
As a somewhat serious student of the assassination, I have also enjoyed the show for its real-life characters. It has been pretty cool to watch characters like Jack Ruby, George de Mohrenschildt, General Walker and Lee Harvey Oswald so far.
When it comes to the storylines in '11.22.63', some people have complained that there's too much filler after the first episode. Too much time is wasted on other storylines, like Franco's character meeting the girl of his dreams.
Yet, at least in my case that hasn't been that much of a bad thing. Just about anything that keeps me from paying attention to the factual mistakes (for example, Jack Ruby was not a fan of JFK and that Oswald-Walker confrontation never happened) is a good thing.
In any case, if I had to rate the mini-series based on the first three episodes that have aired, I would be more than willing to admit that so far '11.22.63' has been surprisingly good, entertaining and informative.
I mean, I do know that the show is probably going to get worse later on, when the facts of the case are going to matter more. The writers are likely going to get in trouble once we get closer to the actual assassination.
At the same time, I'm genuinely hoping that in the end this won't be the case with the mini-series. If only Hulu's '11.22.63' could keep its quality high and could entertain and keep us interested all the way till the end.
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