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Now Apocalypse

Now Apocalypse is an American comedy television series that aired for one season of ten episodes from March 10 to May 12, 2019, on Starz. The series was written by Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino. Araki also was director and executive producer alongside Steven Soderbergh and Gregory Jacobs. Starz canceled the series after one season on July 26, 2019.

Now Apocalypse
GenreComedy
Written by
Directed byGregg Araki
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producers
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time29–32 minutes
Original release
NetworkStarz
ReleaseMarch 10 (2019-03-10) –
May 12, 2019 (2019-05-12)

Premise

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Ulysses, his friends Carly and Ford, and Ford's girlfriend Severine navigate love, sex, and fame in Los Angeles. Troubled by sinister, premonitory dreams, Ulysses wonders if the end of the world as we know it is coming, or if he is simply suffering some kind of marijuana-fueled delusions.

Cast and characters

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Main

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  • Avan Jogia as Ulysses Zane, Carly's best friend
  • Kelli Berglund as Carly Carlson, the best friend of Ulysses, who also happens to be a struggling actress and cam girl. According to Uly, Carly also suffers from anxiety.
  • Beau Mirchoff as Ford Halstead, Ulysses' straight roommate
  • Roxane Mesquida as Severine Bordeaux, Ford's girlfriend

Recurring

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Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"This Is the Beginning of the End"Gregg ArakiStory by : Gregg Araki
Teleplay by : Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino		March 10, 2019 (2019-03-10)0.147[1]
Ulysses finally meets Gabriel, the attractive guy he has been texting. They hook up in an alley, and are both affected by the encounter. Online sex worker Carly is bored with Jethro, the actor she is dating. Aspiring screenwriter Ford is approached by a producer, Barnabas. He wants to be exclusive with astrobiological theorist Severine, but she prefers an open relationship. Ulysses finds himself at the scene of his recurring nightmare, in which a homeless man is being raped by a reptilian alien.
2"Where Is My Mind?"Gregg ArakiStory by : Gregg Araki
Teleplay by : Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino		March 17, 2019 (2019-03-17)0.124[2]
Trying to make sense of his vision, Ulysses reads about an alleged conspiracy involving reptilian aliens infiltrating Earth society. Barnabas takes Ford to a film premiere, where he meets famed director Otto West. Severine lures Ford into a threesome with Daphne, but Severine prefers to watch. Jethro finds Carly's stash of sex toys, and agrees to let her spank him.
3"The Rules of Attraction"Gregg ArakiStory by : Gregg Araki
Teleplay by : Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino		March 24, 2019 (2019-03-24)0.091[3]
Ulysses is bewildered by Gabriel's disappearance. Otto convinces Ford to pose for him. Severine's investigation continues. Carly's acting teacher Frank comes on to her. Ford is upset when Severine has sex with her ex, Mustafa. Ulysses gets a middle-of-the-night text from Gabriel, and reluctantly agrees to meet him.
4"The Downward Spiral"Gregg ArakiStory by : Gregg Araki
Teleplay by : Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino		March 31, 2019 (2019-03-31)0.082[4]
Ulysses has sex with a straight, married delivery guy. Ford takes Ulysses to a men's support group. Severine suspects she is being watched and followed. Carly interviews new roommates. Ford tells Severine that he was upset when she slept with Mustafa, and she suggests that they try only having sex with other people together.
5"Stranger Than Paradise"Gregg ArakiStory by : Gregg Araki
Teleplay by : Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino		April 7, 2019 (2019-04-07)0.085[5]
Ford takes Severine, Ulysses, and Carly to a lavish celebrity party in Palm Springs. Ulysses has brusque encounter alien conspiracy theorist Mitchell Kent. Severine rushes back to LA for a work emergency. Carly is attracted to Leif, a sculptural artist with cerebral palsy, but resists having sex with him because of Jethro. Ulysses has sex with a waitress from the party. When a despondent Ford passes out, Ulysses catches Barnabas molesting him.
6"She's Lost Control"Gregg ArakiStory by : Gregg Araki
Teleplay by : Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino		April 14, 2019 (2019-04-14)0.080[6]
Ulysses helps Carly shoot her web series, Sluts. Ford is unhappy that Severine is spending so much time at work. Carly's agent drops her. Ford explodes when Ulysses warns him about Barnabas and Otto.
7"Anywhere Out of the World"Gregg ArakiStory by : Gregg Araki
Teleplay by : Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino		April 21, 2019 (2019-04-21)0.052[7]
Severine takes Ford to a lavish sex party. Ford is horrified to discover that Otto has used his photos for underwear ads plastered all over LA. Ulysses is smitten with social worker Isaac.
8"Unknown Pleasures"Gregg ArakiStory by : Gregg Araki
Teleplay by : Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino		April 28, 2019 (2019-04-28)0.093[8]
Carly takes Jethro to a BDSM club. Severine surprises Ford by arranging a threesome with a man he said was attractive, but Ford cannot go through with it. Ulysses and Isaac are very into each other.
9"Disappear Here"Gregg ArakiStory by : Gregg Araki
Teleplay by : Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino		May 5, 2019 (2019-05-05)0.069[9]
Isaac tells Ulysses about an increasing epidemic among the local homeless population in which they have delusions of being sexually assaulted by aliens. Carly runs into Leif, the guy who tempted her in Palm Springs. As they have frozen yogurt together after their exercises in the park, they begin discussing what counts as cheating on someone since Carly is still with her boyfriend Jethro. But unfortunately during the conversation, the subject matter causes Carly to have an anxiety attack so Leif tries to help her. Once she relaxes, Carly reveals to Leif that the talk of cheating made her feel quite unusually anxious. Ulysses and Isaac officially become boyfriends, and Isaac gives Ulysses a key to his apartment. Ford is upset when Severine is summoned to Roswell, New Mexico indefinitely for work. Jethro discovers Carly's side job as a camgirl when he inadvertently solicits her on the website. As Ford rips up the phone number he received from another woman, Severine has a threesome with her twin coworkers, Lars and Klaus.
10"Everything Is Gone Forever"Gregg ArakiStory by : Gregg Araki
Teleplay by : Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino		May 12, 2019 (2019-05-12)0.064[10]
Ulysses's relationship with Isaac implodes when Isaac learns about his intense past connection with Gabriel. Carly and Jethro argue about her cam job. Ford is devastated when Severine breaks things off with him, and is unwilling to have sex with another woman, Cleopatra. Carly takes a meeting with a producer who turns out to be one of her cam clients. Ulysses questions the homeless man from his dreams, who claims to have been repeatedly raped by aliens. He admits that "about six months later, the babies come out", and begs Ulysses to kill him. He refuses, but the man is electrocuted anyway by a live wire. Ford wakes up to find Cleopatra in his bedroom. Gabriel reappears to Ulysses. Carly breaks up with a drunken Jethro, who is subsequently raped by an alien.

Production

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Development

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Gregg Araki was inspired to do television by the mystery series Twin Peaks, which he called "so ground-breaking and artistic and unusual and just its totally own thing". He directed episodes of several television series, but was hesitant to run his own show until he thought about the story potential of life in Los Angeles. Araki presented the idea to writer Karley Sciortino, who started working with him on the script. Gregory Jacobs, who had worked with Araki on Red Oaks, joined the project and brought in Steven Soderbergh. The production designer, costume designer, and director of photography have previously worked on other projects with Araki.[11]

On March 26, 2018, it was announced that Starz had given Now Apocalypse a series order for a first season of ten episodes. The series is written by Araki and Sciortino, and directed by Araki. The series is executive produced by Soderbergh, Jacobs, and Araki.[12][13][14][15][16][17] On December 10, 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on March 10, 2019.[18] On March 22, 2019, the eight remaining episodes of season one were released online and on demand. They also continued to air weekly.[19]

Starz canceled the series after one season on July 26, 2019.[20] Araki later stated that he was shopping the series to other networks.[21]

Casting

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In June 2018, it was announced that Avan Jogia, Kelli Berglund, Beau Mirchoff, and Roxane Mesquida had joined the main cast and that Evan Hart, Taylor Hart, Tyler Posey, Jacob Artist, Chris Aquilino, Desmond Chiam, RJ Mitte, and Grace Victoria Cox had been cast in recurring roles.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28] On July 2, 2018, it was reported that Kevin Daniels and Avra Friedman had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.[29]

Filming

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The ten episodes of the series were shot in 40 days.[30]

Reception

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Critical response

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On Rotten Tomatoes the series holds an approval rating of 78% based on 32 reviews, with an average score of 6.42 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Marrying filmmaker Gregg Araki's frisky style with heady conspiracies and literary allusions, Now Apocalypse's bodacious aesthetics and philosophical pondering may prove too deliberately offbeat and garish for some."[31] Metacritic assigned the series a weighted average score of 64 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[32]

Ratings

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Viewership and ratings per episode of Now Apocalypse
No. Title Air date Rating
(18–49)		 Viewers
(millions)		 DVR viewers
(millions)		 Total viewers
(millions)
1 "This Is the Beginning of the End" March 10, 2019 0.04 0.147[1] 0.055 0.202[33]
2 "Where Is My Mind?" March 17, 2019 0.02 0.124[2] 0.037 0.161[2]
3 "The Rules of Attraction" March 24, 2019 0.02 0.091[3] 0.008 0.099[34]
4 "The Downward Spiral" March 31, 2019 0.02 0.082[4] 0.020 0.102[35]
5 "Stranger Than Paradise" April 7, 2019 0.02 0.085[5] 0.021 0.106[36]
6 "She's Lost Control" April 14, 2019 0.02 0.080[6] 0.032 0.112[37]
7 "Anywhere Out of the World" April 21, 2019 0.01 0.052[7] 0.014 0.066[38]
8 "Unknown Pleasures" April 28, 2019 0.01 0.093[8] 0.045 0.138[39]
9 "Disappear Here" May 5, 2019 0.01 0.069[9] 0.012 0.081[40]
10 "Everything Is Gone Forever" May 12, 2019 0.01 0.064[10] 0.028 0.092[41]

References

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  1. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 12, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.10.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 12, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Pucci, Douglas (March 22, 2019). "Live 3 Weekly Ratings: Project Blue Book Season Finale Runner-Up in Overall Raw Lifts Among Scripted Cable". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (March 26, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.24.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 2, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.31.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 9, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.7.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 16, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.14.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 23, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.21.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (April 30, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.28.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (May 7, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.5.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Metcalf, Mitch (May 14, 2019). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.12.2019". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  11. ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (March 12, 2019). "Gregg Araki on How David Lynch Inspired His Sexy Starz Show Now Apocalypse". Indiewire. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  12. ^ Malone, Michael (March 26, 2018). "Starz Orders Comedy Now Apocalypse". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (March 26, 2018). "Starz Greenlights Now Apocalypse Comedy Series From Kaboom's Gregg Araki & Steven Soderbergh". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  14. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 26, 2018). "Starz Greenlights Comedy Series Now Apocalypse From Gregg Araki, Steven Soderbergh". Variety. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  15. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 26, 2018). "Starz Orders Steven Soderbergh Comedy Now Apocalypse". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  16. ^ Greene, Steve (March 26, 2018). "Gregg Araki's New Starz Show is a Great Move for a Network That's Giving Indie Creators New Life". IndieWire. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  17. ^ Hemmert, Kylie (March 26, 2018). "Starz Greenlights Comedy Series Now Apocalypse". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  18. ^ Petski, Denise (December 10, 2018). "Now Apocalypse Comedy Series Sets Premiere Date On Starz; Unveils Teaser Art". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  19. ^ "Starz Just Dropped The Entire First Season Of Its Surreal, Sex Positive, Apocalypse Comedy". Bustle. 24 March 2019.
  20. ^ Otterson, Joseph (July 26, 2019). "Now Apocalypse Canceled After One Season at Starz". Variety. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  21. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (July 28, 2019). "Gregg Araki Hopes Canceled Starz Series Now Apocalypse May Live Again at 'a New Home'". IndieWire. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 5, 2018). "Now Apocalypse: Avan Jogia To Topline Starz Comedy Series From Gregg Araki & Steven Soderbergh". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  23. ^ Hipes, Patrick (June 7, 2018). "Now Apocalypse: Kelli Berglund, Beau Mirchoff, Roxane Mesquida Join Starz's Coming-Of-Age Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  24. ^ Otterson, Joe (June 13, 2018). "Starz Comedy Now Apocalypse Adds Evan Hart in Recurring Role". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  25. ^ Petski, Denise (June 14, 2018). "Now Apocalypse: Tyler Posey Joins Starz's Coming-Of-Age Comedy In Recurring Role". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  26. ^ Petski, Denise (June 19, 2018). "'Now Apocalypse': Jacob Artist & Chris Aquilino Set To Recur On Starz Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  27. ^ Petski, Denise (June 20, 2018). "Now Apocalypse: Desmond Chiam & Taylor Hart Set To Recur On Starz Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  28. ^ Petski, Denise (June 28, 2018). "Now Apocalypse: RJ Mitte & Grace Victoria Cox Set To Recur On Starz Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  29. ^ Petski, Denise (July 2, 2018). "Now Apocalypse: Kevin Daniels & Avra Friedman Set To Recur On Starz Comedy Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  30. ^ White, Peter (February 12, 2019). "Gregg Araki Calls Now Apocalypse A 'Crazy, Wild Ride' As Cast Open Up About Sex On Screen". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  31. ^ "Now Apocalypse: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  32. ^ "Now Apocalypse". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  33. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 15, 2019). "Live 3 Weekly Ratings: 'Shameless' Season Finale (Emmy Rossum's Last Episode) Runner-Up in Demo Lifts Among Scripted Cable". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  34. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 29, 2019). "Live 3 Weekly Ratings: 'Into The Badlands' Season Premiere Runner-Up in Raw Viewer Gains Among Scripted Cable". Programming Insider. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  35. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 5, 2019). "Live 3 Weekly Ratings: 'What We Do In The Shadows' Series Premiere Runner-Up in Overall Raw Gains Among Scripted Cable". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  36. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 13, 2019). "Live 3 Weekly Ratings: 'Billions' on Showtime Leads Scripted Cable Fare in Raw Gains Among Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  37. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 22, 2019). "Live 3 Weekly Ratings: Initial Telecast of 'Game of Thrones' Eighth Season Premiere Runner-Up to 'Grey's Anatomy' in Raw Gains Among Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  38. ^ Pucci, Douglas (April 26, 2019). "Live 3 Weekly Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Leads All Telecasts — Broadcast or Cable — in Raw Adults 18-49 Lifts". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  39. ^ Pucci, Douglas (May 4, 2019). "Live 3 Weekly Ratings: 'Billions' on Showtime Runner-Up in Raw Viewer Gains Among Scripted Cable Telecasts". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  40. ^ Pucci, Douglas (May 11, 2019). "Live 3 Weekly Ratings: 'When Calls the Heart' on Hallmark Runner-Up in Raw Viewer Gains Among Scripted Cable Telecasts". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  41. ^ Pucci, Douglas (May 18, 2019). "Live 3 Weekly Ratings: 'Game of Thrones' Runner-Up to 'The Big Bang Theory' in Raw Adults 18-49 Gains Among All Telecasts". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
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