“Human history is the story of one terrible catastrophe after another.” This line from the Extrapolations trailer shows what Apple TV’s new miniseries is supposed to be about. Fires, floods, famines are imminent for humanity due to climate change. The drama explores how all the chaos of the bleak vision of the future, which takes place between 2037 and 2070, also affects the lives of individuals on a personal level.
One of the characters asks something like, “What makes you think the world will get better?” Another explains that all there is to know about global warming is that by the end of the century everything will go to waste. But the miniseries should also give hope in a way, at least that’s what the writer, executive producer and director Scott Z. Burns (60), known for the thriller “Contagion” from 2011, hopes. “I hope that people will each can find emotion in it, including hope,” Burns said in a YouTube clip for the miniseries. For him, those series are science fiction that assume that the climate in ten or fifteen years will be the same as it is today.
“Extrapolations” tells eight individual stories, which are, however, interwoven. “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington (36), who plays a tech billionaire, serves as the central character that ties the whole thing together. The first three episodes can be seen on the Apple TV streaming service from March 17th, the other episodes should always appear on Fridays.
In addition to Harington, there are so many high-profile figures from the entertainment world that some series fans will find it hard to believe. For example, Sienna Miller (41) plays the daughter of Hollywood veteran Meryl Streep (73) in “Extrapolations”. Other performers include: Edward Norton (53), Forest Whitaker (61), Indira Varma (49), Diane Lane (58), Tobey Maguire (47), Marion Cottilard (47), Heather Graham (53) and Gemma Chan (40).
Also there are Keri Russell (46), Yara Shahidi (23), Daveed Diggs (41), David Schwimmer (55), known from “Friends”, and Murray Bartlett (51), who recently played roles in “The Last of Us” and “The White Lotus” caused a stir.
Despite the numerous stars, the production has so far received rather mixed reviews. According to the tech portal “The Verge”, which has seen three episodes so far, “Extrapolations” takes itself so seriously that the production just seems silly in some places. The film magazine “Empire” also judges cautiously and writes of a dystopian vision, which is occasionally “shaky” implemented, but pursues “honorable intentions” – between fascinating and silly future concepts. The entertainment portal “Collider” meanwhile speaks of an “ambitious science fiction story” that also leaves room for “more intimate moments of humanity”. The series makes it clear what is at stake – and why it is worth fighting for.
