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Extrapolations is a bracing drama from writer, director and executive producer Scott Z. Burns that introduces a near future where the chaotic effects of climate change have become embedded into our everyday lives.

Extrapolations is Green Porn with a great cast.

I watched a few episodes because this TV series was eagerly anticipated by swampies.  They felt that when people see how Climate Change impacts regular people, then…I don’t know, we will all join their church or something.

This is not a show to learn things, but to feel things.  They don’t preach, the cast is great and the show is absurdly engaging. 

Extrapolations was made for and by people who fear every man-made environmental catastrophic prediction.  All the predictions come true at the same time, and white men are the villains.   This show validates everyone.  Those people have their fears validated and the rest of us have our perceptions of them validated.   Something for everyone.

None of the disasters are explained, they just happen.  With all of the glaciers melting, whales should be doing great with all the extra water, but they are going extinct.  You might think that we ran out of oil or chemistry, so we need whale oil to fuel our lamps, but there is plenty of plausible futuristic technology.

To get us to feel that whales are endangered, an oceanographer has poignant conversations with a humpback whale through a computer translator.  They are both mothers without a mate, and doing the best they can.  The whale speaks with Meryl Streep’s voice, and has that Native American wisdom.  It would be touching if it wasn’t so outlandish.

Even though they live in a futuristic city, the cute and precocious children are burdened with “Summer Heart”.  It isn’t explained what that is, but it’s like if asthma was even worse.  They have air conditioning and splendid VR games.  Kids don’t play outside now, why would they in the future?  Summer Heart would be tragic if it wasn’t so absurd.

For some reason, the entire third episode does a deep dive into being Jewish.  The actress playing the mouthy Jewish teenager is very talented.  If she didn’t have so much charisma, she’d be tedious.

Extrapolations has a great cast used to good effect in ridiculous situations.  6/10