Eddy Chen/The CW
The series centers on a woman who meets a free-spirited man who thinks the end of the world is nigh.
How long can No Tomorrow last?
Although the forthcoming CW hourlong comedy has yet to premiere, that was one of the first questions asked of the executive producers Thursday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour.
After all, the series centers on a risk-averse, straight-laced woman, Evie (Tori Anderson) who falls for a freewheeling man named Xavier (Joshua Sasse) who lives life to the fullest believing that the apocalypse is coming in roughly eight months because of a global warming-induced asteroid. Together, they set out on a quest to fulfill their individual bucket lists.
"We have a plan for what happens after May 22, absolutely," executive producer Corinne Brinkerhoff said. "Its just a function of when we want to reach that day within our show."
Brinkerhoff promised there will be "payoff" for what the clock is ticking down to. But while the original Brazilian format had a small running clock on screen, the writers haven't "necessarily landed on" just how time will be addressed on the show. "We don't necessarily want to put too fine a point on exactly where we are," Brinkerhoff said. "The idea is to stay in the moment, live in the moment. And that carries through regardless of whether we're at eight months or seven months or six months."
The executive producers were also coy about whether the series will even reach that fateful day during its first season. "We want to keep that under lock and key," executive producer Maggie Friedman said with a laugh.
Despite what Xavier believes, it's not necessarily a question of when the apocalypse will happen but if. Although Sasse explained that Xavier believes the eventual end of the world to be a "mathematical truth," Evie remains skeptical despite her obvious feelings for him.
"Is this guy crazy? Is he right? Is he both crazy and right? We're going to have a lot of fun teasing the audience and keeping them guessing as to his level of sanity," Friedman said. "But he might be the sanest one of all because he obviously knows the secret of life, which is that you do have to seize the moment."
Added Anderson: "It might be something she struggles with and grapples [with], but I think at the end of the day, he's so intriguing and captivating that she's drawn to him no matter what. You can't help who you fall in love with."
The idea of the world ending takes a backseat to this budding romance between the two. It's a way of life. It's a philosophy that she derives enjoyment from, so whether the math is all going to check out with every scientist sort of becomes secondary," Brinkerhoof said.
As one might glean from the description of the series and the network on which it airs — The CW — No Tomorrow is not a doom-and-gloom series like many other apocalyptic projects.
"There's certainly plenty of apocalyptical doom kind of shows, and we wanted an apocalyptical joy kind of show. As paradoxical as that might sound, I think that there's something that we all fundamentally understand and relate to about thinking, 'What if it's true and what if his math all really checks out?'" Brinkerhoff said. "What are we all needing to better seize the day and stay in the moment?"
No Tomorrow premieres Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m. on The CW.
No Tomorrow TCA | Television Critics Association
