Nuha Hassan calls the science-fiction series Night Sky a beautiful and engaging series filled with mystery and danger.
Night Sky, produced by Amazon Studios and Legendary Television, follows a couple protecting a secret chamber leading to another world. Its existence changes their lives forever. The science-fiction drama series explores the themes of mortality, love, and family. It reveals moments of tenderness, allowing the audience to ponder the vastness of the universe. Blending the mundane and the magical, Night Sky dives into the beauty of aging in the corners of space and time.
Franklin (J.K. Simmons) and Irene York (Sissy Spacek) discover a secret chamber hidden in their backyard leading to a deserted planet. For 20 years, they guard the passage and keep it concealed from their granddaughter Denise (Kiah McKirnan). Their nosy neighbor Byron (Adam Bartley) witnesses the Yorks sneaking around the property at night and is suspicious of what is happening in their shed. When Irene’s declining health becomes problematic, she decides to visit the chamber on her own and leave Franklin behind for good.
Embarking on her final passage, she discovers a man named Jude (Chai Hansen) in the portal and welcomes him into their home, despite Franklin's many suspicions and protests. Meanwhile, in Argentina, Stella (Julieta Zylberberg) and her daughter Toni (Rocío Hernández) protect another chamber. The bizarre workings of the portals intertwine all their lives. They soon discover dangers outside of the world beyond the chambers. Family legacies and dynamics alter forever as the characters discover who they are and what sides they must choose.
Created by Holden Miller, the series does not center on the supernatural. It focuses on family dynamics and the epic adventure of Franlink and Irene. Family drama is at the heart of the series, as they process grief and the realities of their declining health. These elements are deeply grounded in reality and a universal feeling binding the two families together.
Night Sky is a character-driven narrative. Not many science-fiction serials present these complex themes. It’s an escapist fantasy keeping the series exciting and wholesome. Irene and Franklin spend most of the series pondering what the chamber means to them and why they are chosen as its guardians. Simmons and Spacek deliver incredible performances conveying Franklin and Irene’s shifting realities with emotion, warmth, and sincerity.
Night Sky isn’t for audiences who seek a series rife with aliens and spaceships. Instead, it is a beautiful and engaging story filled with mystery and danger. It’s bound to leave viewers contemplating the universe's secrets with its rich world-building and exploration of family dynamics. The series reminds us to cherish life’s adventures and the importance of love and family.
Night Sky is scheduled to premiere on May 20, 2022, on Amazon Prime Video.
