‘Frequency’ and ‘No Tomorrow’ at Paley Fest

The CW Network showed off its two new fall additions at this year’s Paley Fest last weekend, Frequency and No Tomorrow. We caught up with the leads of both on the red carpet to see what we could learn about their upcoming premieres.

Frequency, the time-travel mystery based on the 2000 movie of the same name, stars Peyton List as NYPD Detective Raimy Sullivan, Riley Smith as her father Frank, and Mekhi Phifer as their fellow cop Satch DeLeon. All three actors were on hand to gush about the series and praise each other’s work.

Peyton List (The Tomorrow People, The Flash) said she felt like the script was written specifically for her. One of the more interesting aspects for her as an actress is discovering the different ways Raimy deals with new challenges every episode. She also has a lot on her plate keeping track of different timelines and realities, but both she and the writers have a specific plan to keep themselves and the audience from being confused. What she finds most “terrifying and exciting,” though, is not knowing who Raimy will be in any given timeline.

Riley Smith (Nashville, The Messengers) agreed that the script of Frequency was its primary selling point. Because the father-daughter dynamic between Frank and Raimy is such a central part of the story, he and Peyton work really hard to make it realistic. His age makes 2016 scenes an interesting challenge, but it also makes 1996 scenes a fun blast from the past. Any audience members old enough to remember using brick phones, typewriters, and pagers will probably get a kick out of those scenes as well.

Even though the premise of Frequency requires Raimy to lose her mother in the process of saving her father, Riley assures us that Julie (played by Devin Kelley) remains a strong presence in the show. Whether Frank will learn details of the timelines Riamy is aware of, however, is a mystery left for later episodes.

Mekhi Phifer (Divergent, 8 Mile) is a fan of the original Frequency movie, but he’s more excited about developing it into a television show on a network like the CW. He feels that the family drama is the real heart of the show, so it’s a sci-fi story that’s centered in reality. His character Satch is close with both Raimy and Frank, which means that the altered timeline deeply affects his relationships with both. If Raimy’s father never died, then Satch never had to be her surrogate father. “I’m more the fun uncle,” he jokes.

Meanwhile, No Tomorrow is a romantic comedy mixed in with the apocalypse. A young woman named Evie meets the love of her life, Xavier, only to find out he’s convinced the world is ending. Will she let him teach her about seizing the moment, or will she write him off as too much? And how did the the minds behind Jane The Virgin manage to blend together yet another mix of the real and the fantastical so effortlessly? We asked executive producers Brad Silberling and Maggie Friedman, as well as stars Tori Anderson and Joshua Sasse, to find out.

Executive Producer Maggie Friedman talks about the universal issues that Evie deals with, which make her and the series all the more relatable. Brad Silberling adds that No Tomorrow makes romantic comedies “safe waters” for male viewers, as well. They also discuss the balance between romance, workplace comedy, and the zaniness of apocalyptic adventures. “It works on a lot of levels,” Maggie declares. We will also see a lot of Hank and Kareema, Evi’s coworkers, because it’s an ensemble as much as it is a romance.

Joshua Sasse (Galavant) discusses how empowering Xavier’s philosophy of living in the moment is. That being said, Evie has plenty of things to teach his character as well. “She’s showing him things he hasn’t explored,” Joshua explains. The push and pull between the two leads is like “yin and yang,” according to him. He couldn’t praise his costar and her work ethic enough, so we’re definitely looking forward to seeing their dynamic play out this fall.

Tori Anderson (Open Heart, Killjoys) talks about lucking out when it comes to her chemistry with her co-star. “It’s naturally there or it isn’t,” and for the two of them, the sparks certainly managed to fly onset. Despite getting along so well, though, he did not give her any tips when it came to Evie’s big karaoke session on the show!

No Tomorrow starts Tuesday, October 4th at 9pm eastern after The Flash, and Frequency starts Wednesday, October 5th after Arrow. Catch them all on the CW!