Building on the success of post-apocalyptic fare like The Walking Dead and The Leftovers, Fox is embarking on a new thought experiment: What if people didn’t have to sleep anymore?
That’s the basic concept behind Nod, a new drama currently in development and based on the novel by Adrian Barnes. The story revolves around an “inter-somnial” couple, Tanya and Paul, in a world where most of the population suddenly and mysteriously loses the need to sleep. (Some, like Paul, still slumber at night; all share the same, possibly prophetic, dream.) Humanity’s new productivity seems like a blessing at first, but when the self-proclaimed “Awakened” begin to show signs of psychosis, the world quickly devolves into chaos.
It’s way too early for casting or director announcements for Nod, but Fox has hired Jason Richman—creator of ABC’s Detroit 1-8-7 and co-creator of the swiftly canceled Lucky 7—to write the script. And if this doesn’t work out, they can always make a similar show, like a world without food or maybe one where suddenly tabby cats (and only tabby cats) can talk.