Looking for Alaska is an American teen drama television miniseries created by Josh Schwartz. It is based on the 2005 novel of the same name by John Green. After a film adaptation was repeatedly delayed at Paramount Pictures, Hulu finalized a deal and ordered an eight-episode limited series.^[2] It stars Charlie Plummer and Kristine Froseth in the two lead roles Miles Halter and Alaska Young, respectively. The miniseries premiered on Hulu on October 18, 2019.^[3] It received acclaim from critics as well as fans of the book, with praise going toward its writing, acting and faithfulness to the original source material.

Looking For Alaska tells the story of a teenage boy named Miles Halter who is obsessed with famous last words and seeking "the Great Perhaps", a concept inspired by the last words of poet Francois Rabelais. This desire leads him to enroll at Culver Creek Academy in Alabama, hoping to find something less boring and safe than the life he's always lived and gain a deeper perspective on life. At Culver Creek, he befriends his roommate Chip "The Colonel" Martin, who introduces him to Alaska Young, whom he later falls in love with, and Takumi Hikohito. Throughout his "new life" at the school, Miles learns many lessons about life, love, and the art of letting go.^[4][5][6]

Looking For Alaska was praised for its writing, performances (particularly from Plummer, Froseth and Love), visuals, soundtrack (with critics favorably comparing it to Schwartz's other series The O.C.), directing, and improvements upon its source material. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries holds an approval rating of 91% based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Bittersweet and beautifully performed, Looking for Alaska is the rare adaptation that deviates from its source material only to find something even better."^[25] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 10 critics.^[26]

Critics called the series Schwartz's finest to date.^{[citation needed]} Kathryn VanArendonk of Vulture called it a "rare adaptation that dismantles the original in order to build something that works better" and praised Love's charismatic performance as The Colonel.^[27] IndieWire's LaToya Ferguson graded the miniseries with an "A" and said, "Looking For Alaska is your standard, tried and true, coming-of-age story. And for that, it stands out from the rest." She also praised Plummer's performance as Miles, saying that he "captures the milquetoast nature of the character (both the funny and frustrating aspects of that), while also finding a way to make your heart break for him."^[4] The Guardian's writer Rebecca Nicholson gave the miniseries three out of five, and called the performances of the young cast "excellent" and Emmy-worthy (most notably that of Froseth, Love and Plummer), and further praising the characterization of The Colonel.^[28]

Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone gave the miniseries a four out of five and said, "It's a familiar coming-of-age story, but one executed at a high level and with far more thought than usual given to all the kids who were forced to grow up long before the main character has to". He also praised the cast as "exceedingly charming" and singling out the performances' of Froseth and Love.^[29] Variety's Caroline Framke also praised the cast (particularly Froseth and Love), while further highlighting the former's performance as Alaska, saying that "As Alaska, she has to portray a character alternately depicted as mysterious and vulnerable, flinty and fragile, wildly intelligent and crushingly naive. The series and Froseth take great and obvious pains to flesh Alaska out beyond the basic role of Miles’ first love, which could so easily flatten her into nothing at all".^[30] Petrana Radulovic of Polygon summarized the miniseries as "a messy, raw depiction of grief — ultimately, what the book was supposed to be about, and what the show captures better" and called Froseth's performance "brilliant".^[31] Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter praised the performances of Froseth and Plummer, calling the former "a marvel" and highlighting the latter's ability to nail "a tougher task" for playing Miles successfully.^[32]