TV viewing can get a little slow in the summer, especially for drama lovers — many networks and streamers don’t launch their big, prestigious shows until fall.
That makes August the perfect time to catch up on series you may have missed — like Station Eleven, a fantastic drama that some of us on the Watch With Us team skipped when it debuted in 2021. (The show is about a pandemic, and at the time, it hit a little too close to home.)
But we highly recommend watching this limited series on HBO Max in August 2025 — here’s why.
It Depicts a Post-Apocalyptic World That Feels Real
Station Eleven takes place in two timelines — at the very beginning of a flu-like pandemic and 20 years later. The virus is similar to COVID-19, causing cold and flu-like symptoms and spreading rapidly — but unlike what we all experienced, there are no mild strains. By the time the narrative picks up 20 years later, the only people alive are those with natural immunity.
The show, based on the 2014 novel by Emily St. John Mandel, eerily seems to predict elements of COVID-19. Though real-world losses were devastating, Station Eleven imagines how much worse it could have been — without resorting to zombie-virus dramatics like The Last of Us. It’s realistic, not sci-fi — and that’s what makes it so scary. Watching it might make you reflect differently on how society came through the pandemic.
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It’s a Story About the Importance of Storytelling
The main character, Kirsten Raymonde (Mackenzie Davis), was a child actress appearing in a production of King Lear on the first day of the pandemic alongside famous actor Arthur Leander (Gael García Bernal). Leander dies of a heart attack onstage — ironically unrelated to the virus spreading out of control that very night. The combination of these two events changes Kirsten’s life forever. (The young version of Kirsten is played by Matilda Lawler.) Twenty years later, she’s part of a theater troupe called the Traveling Symphony, performing Shakespeare in towns across the Great Lakes region. How survivors — and those born after the pandemic — respond to these performances shows how vital stories are.
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There’s also another story binding the characters: a graphic novel called Station Eleven, given to Kirsten by Arthur before he died. Her knowledge of it and its creators becomes key to her survival.
‘Station Eleven’ Is One of the Best ‘Dual Timelines’ Shows Ever
Station Eleven handles flashbacks and time jumps seamlessly, moving between the pandemic’s onset, the twenty-years-later timeline, and glimpses of life before the outbreak. This extra context makes the stories more impactful — especially for Jeevan (Himesh Patel, who was nominated for an Emmy for his performance), an audience member at King Lear who ends up caring for young Kirsten when the world falls apart.
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The flashbacks also deepen the arcs of Miranda Carroll (Danielle Deadwyler, one of our favorite underappreciated actresses), Arthur’s first wife, and Elizabeth (Caitlin FitzGerald), his second. These relationships could easily get lost in the time jumps, but strong performances and sharp production design keep the story crystal clear. With its equally strong storylines spanning decades, Station Eleven shows how past, present and future are connected — and how our own stories can change the world.
Watch Station Eleven on HBO Max.
