Tell-Tale TV Series Premiere Panels: No Tomorrow

What would you do if you found out the world was going to end? More importantly, what would you do if you found out the really hot rutabaga guy thought the world was ending?

No Tomorrow asks just that. Xavier believes the world is ending in 8 days, and so he quit his job and came up with an apocalyst (things he wants to do before the word ends).

Evie has to decide if Xavier is completely crazy, if there’s a chance that Xavier is onto something, or if it doesn’t really matter because he’s helping her to live her life to the fullest.

What did you think of the premiere? Join the discussion by leaving your thoughts in a comment below.

Our panelists are:

• Charles Dulaney, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Riya Verghese, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Irtesam Zaidi, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Sage Young from Head Over Feels
• Kim Rogers from Head Over Feels
• Lindsay MacDonald from ScreenerTV

Give it to me straight. What did you think of the premiere?

Sage: I have the same basic opinion of No Tomorrow as Xavier has of Evie: I think it’s charming and awkward, and I want to spend more time with it. As a girl who misses them at the movies, I support The CW’s decision to balance out its superhero programming with off-beat rom-coms like this.

No Tomorrow has two well-cast and impossibly attractive leads in Joshua Sasse and Tori Anderson. The pilot had some nice reversals, and I love that it ended on Evie holding her ground as the person in charge of her own life, even if Xavier is the spontaneity expert.

Lindsay: I’m less than sure about it. Comedies are so hard to judge, but I’m not sure No Tomorrow has the same flare that keeps swinging Emmys and Golden Globes for Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

I definitely like the chemistry of the actors, and I found myself laughing out loud a couple times, but I’m not sure it’s something I’ll spend my Tuesday nights watching with so much good TV out there to compete with.

Charles: I enjoyed it very much. Joshua Sasse and Tori Anderson had a lot of chemistry together as Xavier and Evie and it had some very funny moments through the episode. No Tomorrow feels like a spiritual sibling to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in a way.

I may not be able to watch No Tomorrow live, but I definitely will be DVRing it every week.

Kim: No Tomorrow was far and away my favorite pilot of the season. Everything about the show was delightfully unexpected for me, from its giddy sense of story to the smoking hot chemistry between the two leads.

I’m a Romantic Comedy junkie, and I applaud the CW for continuing to grow their brand in this way. I’ll take all the diminishing superhero spin-offs if it means we continue to get quirky lady-driven shows like this one.

Riya: I’m not sure that I will keep watching the show. There was a lot to like. The leads are charming and have great chemistry, and the premise is unusual, and there is definitely room for a good rom-com on TV.

But I don’t see how this can go beyond one season and still have interesting stories to tell. It feels like it should have been a limited part series.

Irtesam: I loved it. Everything from the premise to the chemistry between the leads is great. The show’s very promising, and it’s funny in a rather witty way. The atmosphere is great.

Evie and Xavier are very well written characters. I’m not really into romantic comedies but No Tomorrow feels like a great exception. I’m definitely going to keep watching and see where it goes.

What’s the show’s biggest problem?

Sage: The supporting characters at Evie’s office are fun, especially Hank, but I was weary of her family before that picnic scene was even over. They’re fairly one-note and ought to be used sparingly.

Lindsay: Side characters are definitely a problem. Outside of Evie and Xavier, everyone else is forgettable. Not a good quality for a supporting cast.

Charles: Evie’s family. Once they first appeared, I wanted them immediately off my screen. They were fine but definitely a weak spot of an otherwise very good pilot.

Kim: Yeah, we gotta work on that supporting cast. A romantic comedy FILM can get by on the charm of its two leads but can a television show? There’s potential in Evie’s co-workers (I echo the love for Hank), but the whole family harping on the singleton is TIRED.

Also what about people in Xavier’s life? Is he just a wandering-magical-hot-as-hell-DREAM MAN? (That’s entirely possible.)

Riya: Like everyone said, the supporting cast is really weak. The office shenanigans feel old and repetitive, and the family is very one-note. Also, they make it look like it’s really easy to just quit your job and have a ton of fun.

How can Xavier afford to do that? He was an editor, right? Not a millionaire.

Irtesam: I agree with everyone about the supporting cast, but a romantic comedy doesn’t really benefit much from a good supporting cast. It’s the chemistry between the leads that seems to matter. A better supporting cast might benefit the show in the long run, though.

Also, my chief concern is Evie/Xavier turning into Ted/Robin or Ross/Rachel. That’s usually around the time I stop watching unless the show is really good.

What/Who do you want to see more of?

Sage: Obviously, the Apocalyst adventures. From what we saw in Xavier’s book, we know that they’re a mix of small acts and big leaps; the mixture will keep the show fresh and make its “live in the moment” thesis feel more achievable to the audience.

I’d also say that Sasse should keep taking his shirt off, but, since his naked torso is essentially the third main character, I don’t think I need to ask (In all seriousness, network comedy is lacking in genuinely FIRE hook-ups, so Evie and Xavier’s first night was a welcome dent in the status quo).

Lindsay: I kind of want to know more about Xavier. We got a small peek into his life — mostly through Evie’s point of view — and it wasn’t quite enough for me. Right now, he’s the secret ingredient to the show in my eyes.

Charles: I like to see more of the little adventures in Xavier’s book being accomplished by Xavier and Evie. There sounded like some very interesting ones: “Talk to Dad” being one I would really love to see in a future episode.

Kim: Apocalyst adventures big and small. I love the concept of Evie and Xavier switching off, and I definitely think their choices of adventures will reveal a lot about their characters.

A request: when they do psychedelics, that episode HAS to be a musical, right? THEY CAN BOTH SING.

Riya: It seems like there is more to Xavier than meets the eye. There’s the unresolved issues with his dad, and I feel there are more under the cheerful surface. So that would be interesting to delve into.

Evie feels more straightforward, there doesn’t seem to be to too much more to explore with her past.  

Irtesam: I want the show to explore Xavier’s backstory. Everything about him just seems too good to be true. I know this is a rom-com, but Xavier should definitely have some dark and disturbing secrets. And more Apocalyst adventures are always welcome.

What was your favorite moment/quote?

Sage: Joke-wise, I’m going with Hank’s stash of emergency gummy candy. It me. And my hand-on-heart gasp came with the flashback to Xavier being so taken with Evie at the farmer’s market. It tells us that she’s as special as he is, and also hints that the series is going to switch perspective on occasion.

Lindsay: The note from Xavier in the hospital that just said “Well, that backfired.” When you can work such dry wit into a classically funny show, you’ve got real talent.

Charles: I agree with Sage that one of my favorite moment was Xavier seeing Evie at the farmers market. It was such a beautiful moment and very very lovely.

I also laughed very hard at the end of the episode when Jesse, Xavier’s convict cousin shows up busted out of prison. The look on Evie’s face was priceless.  

Kim: I loved the karaoke scene. Though if I had been Evie, I would have kept quiet until he was completely naked (Sorry, my thirst for Joshua Sasse is overtaking this).

Riya: The note in the hospital was funny and in keeping with Xavier’s character. He’s not going to take anything seriously for the next 8 months, not if he can help it!

Irtesam: The Russians will destroy the world! Hank may be an underdeveloped character, but he can be quite funny. Other than that, I loved the karaoke scene.

No Tomorrow airs Tuesday at 9/8c on The CW.