While restoring an old Iowa farmhouse, Sam and his brother discover a time portal in the storm cellar that transports him to 1919.

Do you remember the two seasons of Amazing Stories back in 1985-1987? Produced by Steven Spielberg and featuring directors like Scorsese, Eastwood and Zemeckis, it was a big deal. Well, it’s back for the 21st century on Apple TV, but you can’t help think that this is less of a prestige/event show now.

With all due respect to Dylan O’Brien (Maze Runner) or Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting of Hill House) they aren’t the sort of household names you’d line-up to herald this sort of return, and the story is also a bit of an old chestnut. It’s no Somewhere in Time, but a lot of this plot reminded me of the Christopher Reeve/ Jane Seymour 1980 romance based on Richard Matheson’s superior novel Bid Time Return, a traveller in time falling for someone from the past, and reaching out for them.

Amazing Stories was never intended to be The Twilight Zone – many of its stories didn’t have a twist ending and the fantastical element was often subtle. Unfortunately, if this wannabe-Outlander variant is a sign of what’s to come then the ‘Amazing’ in the series title might be better described as ‘Average’. It’s nice to hear John Williams’ theme music again though.

Verdict: An inauspicious start to a revival 33 years after the event. It just needs to do something memorable to give it an edge or USP in a crowded market of streaming services. 6/10

Nick Joy