This is a quaint and curious opening premise for a sci-fi story about the wonder of such a partnership, and yet “Night Sky” (created by Holden Miller) proves to have few standout ideas of its own afterward. It’s the kind of twisty, sentimental series that yearns for the intrigue of a J.J. Abrams-grade mystery box narrative with its portal, but bungles an essential strategy to that—“Night Sky” doesn’t inspire a certain degree of confidence in the storytelling to make you think there’s something worthwhile inside.
“Night Sky” concerns themes of caring for loved ones, and experiences with loss and aging, at least initially with Franklin and Irene’s tender story, which could have been something like a Sundance indie on its own. But the wonder of the Yorks’ secret is distracted from in order to include different supporting characters in its sketched-out world-building: their granddaughter Denise (Kiah McKirnan) comes home from Chicago with her own crisis, wounded by the grief of losing her father Michael (Angus O’Brien) years ago, and an uncertainty of what to do with her life. Meanwhile, a nosy neighbor named Byron (Adam Bartley) has his own frustrations about trying to make something of himself in their small town of Farnsworth, Illinois while struggling to earn the respect of his grumbling neighbor Franklin. These are emotional journeys that, of no fault to the actors, take away from the series’ power instead of adding to it.
The Yorks’ lives are put into danger when strange things suddenly happen worldwide: another man named Jude (Chai Hansen) enters the picture, having his own association with the portal. His true background feels hazier and hazier, even when he finds himself being taken care of inside the York home. And somewhere else in the world, a mother, Stella (Julieta Zylberberg) and her daughter Toni (Rocío Hernández), also have a similar situation, with their own kept secrets related to this phenomenon. “Night Sky” toys with a connectivity for everyone, in a way that only picks up speed in the second-to-last episode of season one.