Hello Tomorrow!

The people giving this a low rating seem like they don't understand the whole concept of a tv show- this is make-believe, guys- chill. This isn't a documentary about space travel or the possibility of jet-packs existing at the same time as cartoon driven UPS style trucks with no tires. This is just a made up setting. It's so funny how people complain about wanting something new and different, but then complain when it's different in a way that they don't like. Here they are, rolling the dice on something new! Give it a chance or we'll end up with nothing but true crime reenactment series (The staircase, Dahmer, 10 more in the works! Ugh) and scooby do spin-offs and you'll have no one but yourselves to blame! Now that we got that out of the way....

I only saw the first episode, so here's my take so far. This show had the style and set design of that 1964 world's fair "We're capable of anything and everything is great!" vibe. I couldn't help being taken with it. Floating robot waitresses? Why not? It's the type of stupid and unnecessary but "futuristic and cool" things people back then thought we'd have by now. It's fun and different, and just adds a little levity to what seems to be a show that's pretty heavy, topic-wise.

People keep comparing it to the Jetsons, which I get because of the futuristic style, but that's far as the comparisons go. The vibe of the show doesn't match it at all. It reminded me of something the whole time and I couldn't quite put my finger on it until I started writing this- Pee Wee's Playhouse. I know, it sounds like an odd comparison, but it has the same over the top characters and even acting style to show the "innocence of the time" in a tongue in cheek way. It's obviously not as zany, but it has the same surface level silliness. It's hard to explain, but it's definitely a big part of the first episode. It was just the vibe, though- not AT ALL what the show was actually about, so no worries of secret word of the day or any of that. It may pull back as episodes go on to reveal the true meat of the show, which is "slick salesguy is selling the perfect American Dream as his own life is down in the dumps" which we've all seen time and time again. The acting is great and I believe that this guy believes that he's doing right by people. I like his sales team, and potential of seeing them interact more in the future. His son has the "aw gee, mister!" thing going on, which will probably change as more is revealed. I'm going to keep watching because I'm intrigued by how the storyline, setting, and acting style are all going to work together as we get out of the pilot episodes and see if everything still holds up once the scenery is no longer the star of the show. I think it's definitely worth a shot!

This is my review after two episodes. It may change, but I'd be surprised if it goes down. This is the world of the Fallout games before the bombs hit -- 50's aesthetics, hover cars and robot assistants. If you're a video gamer, this setting might already have a place in your heart.

However, we also have Billy Crudup. He's one of those people whose delivery is so engaging that you just have to listen to what he's saying. If you've seen the Morning Show, you know what I mean. Other actors I'd put in this category are Jack Nicholson and Manny Patinkin.

Despite the fact that this is science fiction, the situations are believable, realistic human problems. Shady salespeople, family secrets and people learning lessons later in life.

I was very intrigued by the show's retro-futuristic aesthetic. I was expecting something like a live-action Jetsons and hoping for a For All Mankind -like exploration of alternative history.

What we get is a very simple show about a con man trying to reconnect with his son. That's it. The fact that he's selling property on the moon or that the bartenders are floating robots is absolutely inconsequential.

Compare it to For All Mankind. That show is a generational drama that explores an alternative reality and even though the technology and politics are in the background, you can still understand how that future came to be and its implications and ramifications, which are often fascinating.

Or take Severance, another Apple show, so simple on the surface, and yet so intriguing, because, besides the mysteries, it explores how the procedure affects the characters and society as a whole.

None of these are present in Hello Tomorrow. The retro-futuristic look quickly becomes just an overused visual (compare it to Gattaca, where they were very smart in getting just a whiff of retro, enough to create an unique style, but not so much as to overshadow the story). Even Loki put this aesthetic to better use.

What we are left with are a bunch of characters that are not even lovable like the protagonists of Paper Moon, the '70s movie about a con man and his daughter.

I normally don't give shows a 10, because let's be real. Even Game of Thrones (first 5 seasons) was like a 9.5 at best. This show is legitimately at least a 9. But IMDb ratings (as of February 18, 2023) are a 6.7? Wow.

I don't know what's more mind blowing- this show, or that people don't seem to get it. It's almost the perfect show. It's the 1950s vision of the future with Billy Crudup and Hank Azeria (and an absolutely incredible supporting cast); but moreover- it's not the 1950s, but it's a vision of what our world would look like today, had we kept the 1950s vision of things. They still have incredible technology... it's a little creepy like Pleasantville... but it's so right on the money. They nail the 1950s culture, they nail the sales culture, and they absolutely nail the father longing for a son's love dynamic. The acting is superb and the production design is the highest level. The music is off the charts and the cinematography is also off the charts.

If you're not entertained by this show, you have a sad life.

Pretty solid for an Apple TV series there's better ones but I'm glad the credit sequence is nominated it is impressive! Not fully sure why this wasn't appreciated more it's well made, plus I've loved Billy Crudup since he played Dr. Manhattan in Watchman and I loved him in Almost Famous. I absolutely love anything Sci-Fi even though Hello Tomorrow isn't top notch it's nice, Billy is a genius at his pitches in any type of business cinema, and I've seen much sadder shows so I'm not sure about that one I would easily recommend this! I would say some moments are awkward the acting is a little off.