"I'm gonna tell you something that's gonna seem crazy. You go through there, it's 1960. I need you to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy."

That's all you really need to know to set up 11.22.63, an upcoming eight-part series from J.J. Abrams' company Bad Robot, based on the similarly named / differently punctuated novel by Stephen King (11/22/63) and starring James Franco.

The project is Hulu's biggest bet on original programming yet (no offense, Deadbeat and Casual) after picking up The Mindy Project from Fox. It's certainly coming at an important time for the streaming service, as it's reportedly looking for new investments while at the same time competing for exclusive streaming rights on major shows (it's previously secured Empire and South Park, as well as secured a deal with Epix for film).

Though Netflix rode to success syndicating studio content, for the last several years it's focused heavily on original series like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. Hulu has managed to provide next-day streaming for many popular shows, although that might become increasingly challenging in the year ahead. Projects like 11.22.63 help Hulu make the case as its own entity.

11.22.63 premieres February 15th, 2016.