Watch Now Apocalypse

Now Apocalypse is a science fiction comedy-drama series that explores the lives of four young friends in Los Angeles as they navigate through their reflexive perceptions of love, sex, and fame. With Avan Jogia and Kelli Berglund as the lead cast, the show revolves around their characters, Uly and Carly, respectively, and their relationship complications as they struggle to find meaning amid the absurdities of their world.

Ulysses Zane, portrayed by Jogia, is a bisexual-identified aspiring screenwriter who has recurring dreams of an apocalyptic nature. As he struggles to balance his creative pursuits and love life, Uly also wrestles with his lucid dreams and some unusual conspiracies that happen to occur in his life. Meanwhile, Carly, played by Berglund, is Uly’s best friend and roommate, and she makes a living as an actress while also navigating her way through LA's dating scene.

The other two main cast members are Ford Halstead and Severine Brey, played by Beau Mirchoff and Roxane Mesquida, respectively. Ford is an aspiring actor who works as a server at a local diner, and Severine is a French stylist who has a complicated romantic relationship with Uly.

Throughout its ten-episode run, the show touches on themes such as sexuality, gender identification, and identity crises. We see the characters spiral through confusing moments at nightclubs, hook-up websites, relationships, and everyday existence, all while experiencing some bizarre phenomena beyond the limits of rationality.

Now Apocalypse is very much an indulgence in the aesthetics and ephemera of the current LA lifestyle. The city’s beautiful sunsets and neon lights comprise the show's establishing shots, while its storylines feature a vibrant portrayal of life inhabited by young adults with vast aspirations of making sense of their somewhat delusional realities.

Through the lens of the relatively niche genre of science fiction, Now Apocalypse manages to serve its purpose, which is to showcase the perspectives of modern youth culture grappling with the existential dilemmas of the human experience while still incorporating the fantastical and supernatural elements brought about by the genre.

One of the series' standout elements is its disjointed yet lyrical storytelling method, which is reminiscent of the stream-of-consciousness technique employed by modernist authors such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, amongst others. Disparate narrative threads come together to form a broad, cohesive message that speaks to the anxieties and fears that plague contemporary human existence.

In essence, the show is a sustained exercise in absurdity as it takes us through a world where characters talk about looking for true love while grappling with alien conspiracy theories and unclear dreams of impending doom.

Overall, Now Apocalypse is a beautifully stylized series that manages to encompass a range of topics from sex positivity to global conspiracies. Its blend of science fiction aspects and tongue-in-cheek humor may not appeal to everyone, but for fans of the genre or those seeking a unique viewing experience, this show is worth checking out.

Now Apocalypse is a series that ran for 1 seasons (10 episodes) between March 10, 2019 and on STARZ