‘Stunning’ sci-fi show with 98% on Rotten Tomatoes hits streaming next week

From the director of Widow's Bay, the HBO show features a great Irish actor in one of the lead roles.

First released in the US in 2021, the 10-part miniseries is based on the acclaimed 2014 novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel.

Spanning multiple timelines, the story follows the survivors of a devastating flu that led to the collapse of civilisation as we know it.

This is as the survivors "attempt to rebuild and reimagine the world anew while holding on to the best of what's been lost".

One of these plotlines takes place 20 years after the pandemic and focuses on a nomadic group of actors (led by Lori Petty and Mackenzie Davis) who perform William Shakespeare plays.

While travelling, the group encounters a violent cult led by a man whose past is unknowingly linked to a member of the troupe.

Watch the trailer for Station Eleven right here:

Station Eleven earned rave reviews from critics upon release, and currently holds a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

In particular, it was praised for its ambitious narrative structure, its stylish and cinematic direction, and its more human-focused and hopeful take on the post-apocalyptic genre.

You can read some of these glowing write-ups below:

Deadline: "One of the most moving depictions of the resilience and sheer depth of feeling of human beings I have ever seen."

Empire: "Its stately pace and pandemic subject matter won't be for everyone, but Station Eleven is an achievement of the tallest order, full of tenderness, experimentalism and captivating design."

Film School Rejects: "Yet everything coheres brilliantly over time. The final result is one of the most emotionally engaging, and visually and formally stunning, series of the year."

Financial Times: "For all the horrors of the premise, you can't help but be comforted by a series driven by the faith that humanity's creativity and kinship will always endure."

The Guardian: "Station Eleven is a slow burn. The first few episodes look beautiful but move at a stately pace. If you can stick with it, you will be rewarded."

Observer: "Like the 2014 novel on which it's based, Station Eleven is not about a pandemic, not really-it's about the way art, community, and family endure even after the end of civilisation as we know it."

RogerEbert.com: "There's an incredibly moving undercurrent of hope that pulses throughout this production."

How to watch Station Eleven in Ireland and the UK

Station Eleven premiered in 2021 in the US on HBO Max, a streaming service that was not available in the UK and Ireland at the time.

As a result, the post-apocalyptic sci-fi was never consistently available on a streamer this side of the pond.

When HBO Max was finally introduced to the UK and Ireland in March of this year - included as part of the service NOW - we had hoped Station Eleven would be one of its new offerings available at launch. Alas, it was not.

NOW, however, has since confirmed that the series will finally be added to the service on Friday, 24 July.

The first two episodes will air on Sky Atlantic that day at 9pm, while the entire show will be available to stream via NOW.