Hit or Sh**: The CW’s NO TOMORROW
In this Crossfader series, our intricate and complex rating system will tell you definitively whether new television pilots are worth your valuable time. We call it: HIT OR SH**.
NO TOMORROW shouldn’t have even had a today in the first place, and yes, it really is that cheesy. It’s the classic “you’re going to die so you better start living” story. It’s a rom-com set in an idealistically chirpy world, a TV interpretation of an exhausted formula that adds absolutely nothing new. The characters are reduced to every cliche imaginable, and their defining features are their so called “quirks” as opposed to their actual personalities.
Evie (Tori Anderson) is every adorable blonde you’ve seen on TV before (am I the only one who thinks she bears a striking resemblance to Melissa Benoist from SUPERGIRL?) Her main thing is that she’s “awkward,” and I don’t mean that in the way that’s she’s an actual vulnerable young woman who’s at times uncomfortable in her own skin. No, she’s TV awkward, meaning she falls off pogo sticks, stutters a little when she’s nervous (because of course no one’s ever done that before), and is too weak to lift heavy boxes, because somehow that’s adorable?
I would’ve liked to be this kind of awkward in middle school.
Her love interest, Xavier (Joshua Sasse), is her perfect compliment in every way. He’s charming, British, and so handsome he even makes the lumberjack beard look good. He also happens to think the apocalypse is coming in eight months and 12 days. But never mind the psychological issues surely associated with that delusion, because it really only makes him more appealing. He’s so committed to living in the moment that he has an “apocalyst” of things to do before the earth’s inevitable demis, saying and doing whatever he wants with little consequence. He doesn’t even pay parking tickets. In short, he’s a catch.
Xavier tells Evie it’s time to stop doing things out of obligation, and to start doing more of what will make her happy. He makes a strong case for himself, and inspires Evie to step out of her comfort zone, seize the day, and live life to the fullest — you know how it goes.
Hipster and Hipster gone wrong
Source: Screenshot from NO TOMORROW
NO TOMORROW goes through all the motions. Their meet cute was at a farmers market sometime in the recent past. She stumbled her way through a brief interaction, yet he never forgot her. Cut to the present, when they reunite and form a typical mismatched pair. She’s responsible while he’s reckless; he has a witty response ready while she absurdly flails for words. They cross a few items off his “apocalyst”; they fight. She conquers her fear of singing (and somehow becomes a full blown rock star by the end of the song); they make up. Evie confides in her work friends, who seem to only exist to talk about her life and make quippy remarks. Her family seems to pop up whenever it’s convenient, and they get along all of the time. All of these things happen, but there’s nothing that stands out, and nothing that makes me even want to care.
I really like her sweater — my main takeaway from a key scene
Source: Screenshot from NO TOMORROW
NO TOMORROW is grounded in nothing real. I’m not in any way saying that a show needs to present a realistic version of reality in order to be worthwhile. JANE THE VIRGIN is also on the CW, and it’s an absolutely delightful spoot of a telenovela. Gina Rodriguez’s performance is a breath of fresh air, as she’s hilarious and heartbreaking all at once. I am completely invested and stand behind the ridiculous premise because the emotions come from a place of honesty.
But NO TOMORROW is not this. It’s trying too hard to be adorable, and its sunny world is not substantiated by a believable emotional arc. No, it’s not the worst show in the world. Xavier and Evie have good chemistry, and some of the lines are cheeky-cute, but this isn’t nearly enough to stick around. In an era over populated with quality content, NO TOMORROW comes across as overdone, banal, and completely unremarkable. There’s no reason to watch it.
Verdict: Sh**
NO TOMORROW airs on Tuesdays on The CW
April French
April is a guest contributor for Crossfader Magazine. She believes cold brew coffee holds the answers to life.
