Earth Abides - MGM+

After watching the seasoning ending of the psychological suspense horror series From, I discovered another jewel from MGM+ that television series watchers may not have had a chance to check out.  The sci-fi drama series is Earth Abides, a series that creates a paradoxical conundrum.  I was pleasantly surprised and disappointed at the same time due to the finality of it all.  But maybe this is the future of episodic television. A limited series with finality after the six, eight, or ten episodes; no cliffhanger for the following season because there is not one.  Maybe it is for the best, then we can get on with our lives without wondering or anticipating when the series will come back the following year or two years from the last episode.  Let’s explore.

Earth Abides star Alexander Ludwig (Cato from the Hunger Games), Jessica Frances Dukes (special agent Maya Miller from Ozark), and Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll.  After Earth has succumbed to a mysterious virus, Ish (Ludwig) wakes up to a world of desolation and isolation.  Trying to find any resemblance of humanity, he meets Emma (Dukes), a woman who has lost a great deal, but somehow, they form a relationship that gives humanity hope.  Still, as the title implies, the Earth will tolerate and remain stable or fixed.

Although this series is filled with tension, it is not your typical Apocalyptic series with dead zombies trying to consume everyone they encounter.  It strives to deal with the drama or reality of starting over, not knowing where to begin, who to trust, or the uncertainties of the future.  Unfortunately, it is only six episodes and could have been a series of many seasons.  Truthfully, each episode could have been made into a six-series season.  Because of this, although intriguing, the storylines felt rushed, leaving out details that could have enhanced the series, getting viewers more involved in its characters and content.

But on the flip side, is there something refreshing and rewarding about knowing that the series is over at the end of the season?  Viewers do not have to be disappointed by one season not living up to the next, characters being killed off, or actors leaving the series due to boredom of playing the same roles after several years.  Or new writers that change the essence of the series.  Do not get me wrong, I like several seasons, not just one, but somewhere in the back of my mind, deep into my streaming essences of subconsciousness, it was kind of fulfilling knowing that I did not have to worry about the next season.  But what if the series was not enjoyable or had an insufficient or fragmentary finale?  What then?