The most amazing phenomena in the supernatural sci-fi streaming series “Night Sky” is the chemistry between Sissy Spacek and J.K. Simmons as a retired married couple who are so comfortable together it’s as if they’re extensions of each other. When Spacek’s Irene urges Simmons’ Franklin to get out of the house and go to the local pub and he protests that he falls asleep after one beer these days, when Frank expresses concern over Irene’s lack of appetite and decreased mobility and she tells him to stop fussing over her—we nod in recognition and empathy. It’s just pure bliss to watch two of our finest actors as they create a fully formed, three-dimensional, utterly believable long-term marriage dynamic.
At times it takes all of Spacek’s and Simmons’ superpowers to keep us invested in the more fantastic aspects of this Prime Video drama from Holden Miller and Daniel C. Connolly, which has some resemblance to another recent Amazon series, “Outer Range,” in that both stories are set on rural properties containing a mysterious, seemingly otherworldly portal. Over the course of eight episodes, Season One of “Night Sky” has a tendency to meander and to get bogged down in the occasionally murky details while serving up one cliffhanger after another—but we remain involved mainly because of the opportunity to enjoy Spacek and Simmons at the top of their respective games.
