James Franco and Chris Cooper in 11.22.63From there, Jake begins his three-year mission to discover the truth about Kennedy's assassination. Alas, he's been diagnosed with cancer and tasks Jake with finishing what he started. This is all neatly explained by the diner's owner Al Templeton (played by the ever reliable Chris Cooper), who believes saving JFK will have a positive effect on the present. While 11.22.63 isn't all that concerned about the 'how' and 'why' of its time travel (a time portal in the backroom-closet of a diner) the rules are fast and simple: 1) Every journey through the portal transports the traveler to the exact same date and time in 1960 2) no matter how long the traveler stays in the past, only two minutes have elapsed in the present and 3) the past can be changed, but ensuing visits reset the timeline and erase any changes made during the previous trip. That said, the premiere hits the ground running. At times, 11.22.63 feels less like watching a narrative TV show and more like compiling research for a Nat Geo documentary. Carpenter's take on the material is compelling but also gradual and somewhat uneven. Still, Hulu is bucking the trend of releasing whole seasons at once and is instead parsing out 11.22.63 in weekly installments - which, having binged the entire miniseries myself, seems like a smart move. Not that King's novel is a light read - it's over 800 pages long - and some parts have been cut for time and clarity (most notably a crossover with one of King's other novels, It).

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