You, Me, and the Apocalypse

(2015-16)
Created by Ian Hollands
Starring Matthew Baynton, Jenna Fischer, Joel Fry, Gaia Scodellaro, Rob Lowe, Megan Mullally, Pauline Quirke, Karla Crome, Patterson Joseph, Kyle Soller, Fabian McCallum
IMDB Entry

There are clearly some anglophiles at NBC.  Years ago, they attempted to bring British shows like Dame Edna and Spitting Image to American TV.  They were critical success, but flops in the ratings.  This year, NBC decided to do it again with the end-of-the-world comedy/drama You, Me, and the Apocalypse.

There series follows many stories in a world where a comet is about to strike Earth and end all life there.  Jamie Winton (Matthew Baynton) is a bank manager is Slough* who is suddenly arrested as a terrorist.  Jamie is still getting over his abandonment by his wife Layla, and starts to discover he had a twin brother Ariel, who is with her and who is head of a group of hackers.  Meanwhile, Rhonda McNeill (Jenna Fischer), who is going to jail for hacking the NSA.  She’s innocent but wants to protect the real culprit, her son Spike (Fabian McCallum)as a hacker to protect her son Spike.  In jail, she befriends the white supremacist Leanne (Meagan Mullally).

At the same time, Sister Celine Leonti (Gaia Scodellaro) is asked to work at the office of the Devil’s Advocate at the Vatican, led by the rather unpriestly Father Jude (Rob Lowe).

And then the word gets out:  a comet is about to hit Earth.  So things get a bit complicated.

The story starts out as a black comedy with some serious elements, but as it goes on, it becomes a serious film, with overtones of religious faith and straight-on adventure.  It constantly surprises as characters do things you never thought they’d do

The cast is, of course, excellent.  Mathew Baynton is especially excellent as both Jamie and Ariel, switching from lost and decent, to pure evil.  Meagan Mullally’s Leanne is so different from her role in Will and Grace that you wonder if it’s the same actress.

The show just finished its first season on NBC with a cliffhanger.  Unfortunately, the ratings were not great, so there’s doubt there will be a second season.  At the moment, it can be watched on the NBC site and also on Hulu; give it a look.

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*A town about 20 miles from London