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A truly wonderful, beautiful and mesmerising show that manages to be artful without being pretentious and pulls off the incredible trick of being both heartbreaking but life-affirming. Having read the book I am only more impressed with what the creators and writers of this show did with the source material, creating a story that is quite different in its direction but retains the spirit and originality of the novel. It’s a shame it’s release date and subject matter (post-apocalyptic pandemic) came uncomfortably close to the real pandemic and I felt The Last of Us overshadowed Station Eleven somewhat, but Station Eleven is a far better adaptation of source material than the Last of Us. It is a thoughtful show that takes its time, examining how to live and thrive in the wake of the end of the world. If you want action and something that is consistently fast-paced, this won’t be for you. However if you prefer your post-apocalyptic dramas more cerebral and affecting, you won’t see anything else quite like it.

Starts out with an original premise and leaves you excited and curious about the next episode. However as the series goes on, it leans on increasingly familiar time travel devices (see the show Dark, for example) and predictably ends with a non-ending. This is becoming an increasingly familiar scenario with time travel shows; the time travel paradoxes allow for some creative plot scenarios but because the science doesn’t really make any sense no one can end these shows properly/with any sense of closure. It’s a show that thinks it is very clever but the irony is that you have to turn off your brain to enjoy it.