Earth Abides

EDIT: After now having finished the season, I need to change my rating from 1 star to 5 stars. I would still never recommend the series to anyone, though. But should you choose to watch it, bear in mind that the story was published in 1941, long before any of us were born. It was written in a completely different time, where the world was so much smaller, and we had much less knowledge about anything. Furthermore, the author wasn't a skilled, experienced survivalist. No, as novelist George R. Stewart was probably more of a philosopher, it seems. My advice is to regard the series as a theater play. It would have worked much better as such, I think. But as a TV-series, the narrative is just too slow, with too little drama and too little action for today's world.

I'm at the end of episode 6 and realized, oh, this is it?

This could've been really great with, at least, six more episodes. They give you just a little bit of what was probably a whole lot more, in the book, I imagine. Why make a show that gives you only just a little, from the book?

Right when something new happens, it's so short and vague. Then, years to by and something else happens, which is short and vague. I mean, did they want to sell more copies of the book? It's like they made a show from the cliff notes. But, if you want to know the whole story and elaborate on those short, vague happenings, then we have to read the book?

Was this a small filler series? It could've been great, but it fell wantingly short.

I actually like this show. It has small plotholes, but it holds together and I want more!

Sure, the behavior of some people at the outset of this is strange, but nonetheless they all do stuff that I could imagine some would.

The pain and loneliness of the main character is interesting and believable. Where he is coming from is also plausible.

My mind is full of questions, and the anticipation of what will happen is still strong enough. What will he do? What will anyone do?

It is good that it hasn't too much of over the top CGI backdrops and I like the overall feel of it.

It's also refreshing that this is NOT another zombie outbreak. We don't need every survival drama to be about that. The suspension is alive and kicking here, so keep it up!

I just hope all the childish and negative reviews doesn't kill this series. It has my support!

Looking forward to the next episode!

Going into this as an avid apocalypse fan, I was excited to see a long a fruitful world building into the narrative which upon learning it was only a mini series then left me "insert cliche" of wanting more. The main characters are left with shallow to no back story preventing the watcher to become invested in them emotionally which for the genre is a grip factor.

Failing that the entire story feels rushed and at times outlandish, a specific scene seems utter nonsense in reality .

When it came to wrap up of the series , I was left feeling as though it was quickly scrubbed together . A brilliant performance from the leading cast let down but rushed screen time and shallow writing .

As someone who read Earth Abides 20-25 years ago, and remember the book fondly, I was pleasantly surprised to see a show being made.

There's always a bit of trepidation when this happens, as you hope they stay true to the book and meet your visual expectations, aware that it's hard for a movie or show to match what you have imagined when reading.

-With that in mind, I'm watching the first episode with a bit of bias, but trying to see this both as a "new" story as well as a welcome reminder of one of my favourite books in the "Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic" genre.

The book was written and set in the 1940s while the show is a modern take so the technology and general "feel" of the environment is different from the book. After Covid there's a place for a good pandemic narrative

Pacing is naturally brisk and notably rushed to fit character development and main plot into the first episode of a mini-series.

Episode 1 successfully sets up an engaging story that looks to honor Stewart's themes. It invites both fans of the book and new viewers to contemplate humanity's place in a changed world. The acting so far is good, production and effects look decent, maybe a bit on the sparse side (You'd expect pile-up of cars etc.).

Looking forward to the rest.