'No Tomorrow' Is A Must-See

While it begins with a meet-cute over rutabagas at the farmer's market, No Tomorrow may actually be the most philosophical rom-com the CW has created to date. Functioning on the plot twist that the world will end in eight months, No Tomorrow brings control-freak Evie and cavalier cad Xavier together to cross to-do's off the latter's "Apocalyst" and, in the process, possibly—but definitely—bring them together romantically just in time for everything to go up in celestial smoke. So, why watch No Tomorrow when it feels like the biggest reveal has already happened? Like The Good Place , No Tomorrow poses a few philosophical questions that open the floodgates for some interesting narrative possibilities. Do we have free will or is everything determined by fate? What would you do with the time you had left on Earth in the face of an impending apocalypse? And, crucially, is there any value in living spontaneously versus living by societal norms?

Framed by these questions, No Tomorrow risks feeling fatalistic in nature. Yet it's the refreshing quality of existential dread and borderline-saccharine charm from its rom-com elements that makes No Tomorrow the kind of show worth tuning in every week for. For comparison, we took a similar plunge with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend last year and look where we ended up. The charm and comedy come from our classically mismatched leads, Evie and Xavier. Xavier has no job, seeks adventure, and is able to swan about going against societal expectations. Evie presents as a fairly typical person: hard-working (if not a little bit of a slave to work-related anxiety), quiet, and is not a risk-taker by an stretch. Within the confines of the rom-com formula, they're a match made in heaven. But when you throw in an impending apocalypse, the stakes (romantic, psychological and even physical) rise considerably.

There are cheeky nods to the philosophy of the show: Xavier drinks beer called Carpe Diem and the first line of dialogue in the pilot is Evie attempting to rev up her co-workers at her Amazon-esque company by shouting, "There's no time to waste! Every moment counts." No Tomorrow makes no bones about the fact that yes, we will see these characters getting pushed out of their comfort zones, but that's half the fun. While it's thrilling to watch if only to see whether Xavier is in indeed correct about the end of the world, it's also immediately apparent that this show is more concerned with the journey and those existential questions simmering just beneath the surface of the fun being had living in the face of catastrophe.

No Tomorrow, then, is asking us to take a leap of faith in watching it. It opens up the possibilities in terms of what to-do's Evie and Xavier will cross off their lists from week to week. No Tomorrow is also asking us some very big questions about what we consider valuable in our own lives, what is worth giving up, worth pursuing, worth holding on to and whether or not any of it really matters when we know that it will all come to an end one day.

I don't mean to get grim on you, folks. Hardly. Rather, No Tomorrow is wrapping up some big ideas in a very appealing package (philosophy into romantic comedy) and all I know is that I am here for it. One-hundred per cent here. For. It. Are you ready to take that leap alongside Evie and Xavier?

Images: Diyah Pera, Katie Yu/The CW