Now Apocalypse

Los Angeles is the city of angels, but wherever there are angels, there is sinning. That’s what Ulysses (Avan Jogia, King Tutankamun in 2015 period drama Tut) is discovering as he tries to navigate LA, his friends and the current state of society, complete with sex, drugs, rock ’n roll and fame. And he’s doing it while high on his beloved marijuana.

So yes, Now Apocalypse is a stoner comedy. Ulysses thinks that the world is ending when he’s high and that he’s at the centre of the devastation.

You’re getting crude humour, lots of sex, a good few laughs, loads of stereotyping and more sex – not exactly the kind of thing you’d expect from Steven Soderbergh, who executive produced medical period drama The Knick and Academy Award-winning 2000 thriller movie Traffic.

Now Apocalypse doesn’t shy away from what it is: cheap laughs. And that’s a good thing. That makes it more enjoyable, knowing from the first scene that it’s borderline parody-esque. It’s not a family sitcom with serious messages. It’s not a buddy-cop comedy with action scenes thrown in.

Instead, it’s best described by Vulture as “a mixed bag – but an original mixed bag. Now Apocalypse is part satire, part relationship drama, part science fiction, and all goofball punk comedy. There is so much originality and audacity on display that even when the series isn’t working, it’s working.” And Now Apocalypse works.