NEW YORK (CNS) — The CW television network has earned a reputation for programming that ranges from the offbeat to the otherworldly. Think comic-book series such as “Arrow,” “The Flash” and now “Supergirl” (who has flown over from CBS) — as well as the aptly titled drama “Supernatural.”
Two of the network’s new series this season embrace similar themes but in wildly different ways.
“No Tomorrow,” Tuesdays 9-10 p.m. EDT premiering Oct. 4:
Adapted from a Brazilian TV show, this romantic comedy is based on a most unusual premise. Xavier Holliday (Joshua Sasse) is convinced the world is going to end from a massive meteor strike in just eight months. So he compiles an “Apocalyst,” a tally of everything he wants to accomplish before he dies, such as learning to speak Swedish and running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.
Predictably, perhaps, Xavier also wants to have as much sex with as many hot chicks as possible.
Enter Evie Callahan (Tori Anderson). She and Xavier meet cute at the farmers’ market over a display of rutabagas. Before you can correctly pronounce that root vegetable, they tumble into bed.
Evie, a control freak stuck in a mindless job, is fast converted to Xavier’s devil-may-care lifestyle. Together they decide to enjoy themselves (and get naked) while they can.
Evie conquers her fear of singing in public, and fulfills a long-cherished dream by blowing up a microwave oven.
Needless to say, it’s all very self-centered and hedonistic. The last thing on any of these characters’ minds is the state of their soul or the proper spiritual preparation for death and the afterlife. At least that’s the case in the first episode screened for review.
“Frequency,” Wednesdays 9-10 p.m. EDT beginning Oct. 5:
This compelling drama is based on the 2000 feature film about a man who discovers he can speak to his long-dead father via a magical ham radio, and whose bid to alter the past has unexpected results.
In this update, the son is now a daughter, Raimy Sullivan (Peyton List). Following in the footsteps of her father, Frank (Riley Smith) — a police officer who was killed 20 years ago when she was eight — Raimy has grown up to become an NYPD detective.
Raimy’s live-in boyfriend, Daniel (Daniel Bonjour), finds an old ham radio in the garage of the family home and reconnects it. During a lightning storm, the radio springs into action, and Raimy discovers that the voice at the other end of the line is her deceased dad’s.
Miraculous? Certainly, although God is never mentioned. Once the shock wears off, Raimy seizes the opportunity to warn Frank about his assassin, and he successfully cheats death. But, as on the big screen, the consequences of tampering with history turn out to be tragic.
As the life she knew and loved disappears, Raimy resumes her conversation with Frank, hoping to revise the past again and limit the collateral damage. Based on the first episode, she has a lot to learn about the dangers of playing God.
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McAleer is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.
