Imagine what the world would be like if there was a global collapse of civilization after the pandemic. At the risk of oversimplifying, that’s pretty much what the series “Station Eleven” is about — it’s a post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction that takes place two decades after a flu-like pandemic breaks out. Starring Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, David Wilmot, and created by Patrick Somerville, the 10-episode miniseries premiered in 2021 on HBO Max. It has a 98% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 75% score from users, putting it in the ranks with some of the greats. Over on IMDb, it achieved a score of 7.6 out of 10, with reviewers calling it “surreal and enigmatic,” and “utterly engrossing and unexpected.”
The story follows a traveling troupe of performers who make their living by entertaining survivors in the ruined world. It’s slow, calculated, and devoid of high-octane action, unlike most post-apocalyptic stories — but if you wait it out, it’s worth it. “Station Eleven” certainly “gets better with time,” per one viewer’s account, described as “a trippy series that rewards the patient.” There may or may not be a cult involved, reminiscent of the cult from “Silo,” a show that also has an excellent critics’ score at a perfect 100%. Honestly, sci-fi TV fans are eating good right now. “Pluribus,” from the creator of “Breaking Bad,” is another must-watch sci-fi series that’s almost done with its first season.
If you want to watch “Station Eleven” you can do so on HBO Max, or any of the major streaming services with an HBO Max subscription or add-on.
What’s so chilling about Station Eleven’s story?
The series is actually based on a novel by the same name, written by Emily St. John Mandel. Although, the book’s story plays out a little differently, the show is fairly close. Both involve a flu-like pandemic that breaks out, wreaks havoc, and is quite similar to what the world experienced with COVID-19. The book was published in 2015, but the series came out, coincidentally, in 2021, pretty darn close to the height of the real world pandemic. Told through time hops and flashbacks, the series does have some chilling parallels to COVID’s initial spread. Of course, the emphasis on a traveling group of entertainers, while surely plausible, also sets the scene for the rest of the story.
If you enjoy watching dystopian fantasies, “Station Eleven” falls right in line with many other post-apocalyptic shows you can stream, including “Fallout” which is seeing its second-season run currently.
