There aren’t a whole lot of perfect sci-fi TV shows, butStation Elevenon HBO Max may be worthy of the 10/10 score.Science fiction TV showscan be difficult to pull off perfectly. The problem is that there are endless possibilities when it comes to science fiction. A TV show can always go in any direction.
At first, this might sound like a good thing. With endless possibilities, there should come endless story directions, but this can also end up making a show unwieldy, and plenty of science fiction TV shows eventually go off the rails. Some don’t, however, and stick the landing, like this HBO series, for instance.
Station Eleven Is A 10-Episode Sci-Fi Show That Is Perfect From Start To Finish
Station Elevenis a 10-episode miniseries that premiered in 2021 and ran from December through January 2022. The show is set 20 years after a pandemic wiped out most people on Earth, with many more dying afterward as systems and other institutions of the world collapse.Station Elevenalso jumps to the events during and soon after the pandemic.
We primarily follow Kirsten, played by Mackenzie Davis in the main timeline, and Matilda Lawler 20 years earlier. After losing her family, Kirsten found a home and a life with a traveling troupe of actors who travel from town to town performing Shakespeare plays, offering a rare moment of culture and leisure in an otherwise difficult existence.
Station Eleven’s Topical Premise Was Not On Purpose
Station Elevenis a wildly overlooked seriesthat deserves much more attention. One of the possible reasons for people scrolling right by it could have been its timing.Station Elevencame out right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, when real-world lockdowns were affecting people planet-wide.
The series may have been a little too familiar for viewers. Surprisingly,Station Elevenwas not made with that premise intentionally. It was actually an adaptation of a 2014 novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel. While she couldn’t predict a pandemic, Mandel could predict how society might react to such a destabilizing event.
Station Eleven Is The Perfect Post-Apocalyptic Show For A Binge Watch
Beyond its incredibly engaging and moving story, as well as its fantastic ensemble of actors,Station Elevenis also a breath of fresh air in the post-apocalyptic dystopian setting. There are no infected like inThe Last of Us, no ghouls collecting bodies for bounties; the dangers inStation Elevenare fairly mundane.
Society has collapsed, so the world certainly isn’t safe, but it’s rebuilt itself into a kind of pseudo-feudal mirror of what it once was. It may be dangerous to travel the road alone, but people look out for one another. There are plays and friendships. Life is hard inStation Eleven, but it’s still life.
