| Extrapolations | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Scott Z. Burns |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editor | Greg O'Bryant |
| Running time | 45–58 minutes |
| Production company | Media Res |
| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | March 17 – April 21, 2023 |
Extrapolations is an American anthology miniseries created by Scott Z. Burns for Apple TV+. The series premiered on March 17, 2023.[1][2]
An anthology series that depicts the effects of climate change on the planet through various different points of view through interconnected stories.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "2037: A Raven Story" | Scott Z. Burns | Scott Z. Burns | March 17, 2023 | |
| The world has come to a breaking point regarding the effects of climate change. Demonstrations, politics, and private enterprise factor in a decision of whether or not to contain the annual global temperature rise to under two degrees celsius per year. | |||||
| 2 | "2046: Whale Fall" | Scott Z. Burns | Scott Z. Burns | March 17, 2023 | |
| Technology in 2046 allows Rebecca to communicate and befriend a humpback whale, who is inquiring about the whereabouts of another whale that can be heard. | |||||
| 3 | "2047: The Fifth Question" | Gregory Jacobs | Teleplay by : Ruby Rae Spiegel and Gregory Jacobs & Scott Z. Burns Story by : Scott Z. Burns | March 17, 2023 | |
| Rabbi Zucker is faced with multiple challenges: maintaining his Miami synagogue, preparing an inquisitive new young girl for her bat mitzvah, and bracing for an upcoming storm. | |||||
| 4 | "2059: Face of God" | Ellen Kuras | Teleplay by : Scott Z. Burns Story by : Dave Eggers | March 24, 2023 | |
| Ecoterrorist or Ecosaviour? Gita Mishra has a fleet of planes filled with calcium chloride flying in the sky as she threatens to release their payloads as a way to solve the earth's climate crisis one way or another. Her ex-husband Jonathan, advising the President of the United States during this crisis, watches in horror as he notices his own son actively assisting with Gita's plan. | |||||
| 5 | "2059 Part II: Nightbirds" | Richie Mehta | Rajiv Joseph | March 31, 2023 | |
| In Mumbai, Neel and Gaurav take on a potentially dangerous mission to transport a secret item that could help save the planet. Assassin Olivia Drew's mission is to intercept them. | |||||
| 6 | "2066: Lola" | Scott Z. Burns | Teleplay by : Sarah Nolen Story by : Scott Z. Burns & Sarah Nolen | April 7, 2023 | |
| Ezra, last seen in episode 2, is now an adult, making a living responding to paid on-line requests to impersonate characters for people who are in difficult situations. The current global climate conditions further compound the whole situation with Ezra having to deal with his own issues involving Lola. | |||||
| 7 | "2068: The Going Away Party" | Nicole Holofcener | Bess Wohl | April 14, 2023 | |
| Anna finds work as a maid for an intimate New Year's Eve party hosted by couple August and Sylvie, inviting their good friend Nicolas and his plus one, Elodie. The night turns out to be one to remember involving reduction of the carbon footprint as a way to overcome the current climate crisis. | |||||
| 8 | "2070: Ecocide" | Michael Morris | Teleplay by : Dorothy Fortenberry & Diane Ademu-John and Scott Z. Burns & Ron Currie Story by : Scott Z. Burns & Dorothy Fortenberry | April 21, 2023 | |
| Nick Bilton is sent to The Hague to stand trial before the International Criminal Court for his actions as Alpha CEO on the charge of ecocide. The world is aghast with his offering as a way to influence the outcome. | |||||
It was announced in January 2020 that Scott Z. Burns had been developing an anthology series about climate change that had been nearing a series order from Apple TV+.[4] It would officially be greenlit in December for a ten-episode season.[5]
Filming for the series had begun by October 2021 in New York City under the working title Gaia, with Burns serving as writer and director, and Meryl Streep, Sienna Miller, Kit Harington, Tahar Rahim, Matthew Rhys, Daveed Diggs, Gemma Chan, David Schwimmer, Adarsh Gourav, Forest Whitaker, Marion Cotillard, Tobey Maguire, and Eiza González cast to star. The series would now only run for an eight-episode season.[6][7][8] In November, Edward Norton, Indira Varma, Keri Russell, Cherry Jones and Michael Gandolfini were added to the cast.[9] In January 2022, additional castings were announced including Murray Bartlett, Yara Shahidi, Diane Lane, Heather Graham and Judd Hirsch.[10] It was announced in February 2022 that Ellen Kuras would participate in the directing of the series.[11]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes has reported a 43% approval rating with an average rating of 5.8/10, based on 27 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus says:
"Extrapolations' civic-minded storytelling is so sprawling that it never coheres into a satisfying whole, although its sheer star power and good intentions make for a mildly intriguing lecture."[12]
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, has assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]
In a review published by the Los Angeles Review of Books, Aaron Bady criticized the show for primarily featuring the experiences of "Rich Americans".[14] Bady also criticized the show for not "focusing" on fossil fuels.[14]
