Carol & the End of the World

Carol & The End of the World (stylized carol & the end of the world) is an American adult animated apocalyptic comedy drama television miniseries created by Dan Guterman for Netflix. Produced by Bardel Entertainment, it was released on December 15, 2023.

Premise
With a mysterious planet hurtling towards Earth, extinction is imminent for the people of the world. While most feel liberated to pursue their wildest dreams, one quiet and awkward woman, Carol, stands alone—lost among the hedonistic masses.

Director Dan Guterman described the show as "a love letter to routine. A show about the comforts of monotony. An animated existential comedy about the daily rituals that make up the gaps that make up a life."

Main

 * Martha Kelly as Carol, a middle-aged woman who has no desire to seize the day as the world is ending
 * Beth Grant as Pauline, Carol's mother
 * Lawrence Pressman as Bernard, Carol's father
 * Kimberly Hébert Gregory as Donna Shaw, Carol's co-worker who becomes friends with Carol. She is the mother of 5 now adult children and used to run a nail salon.
 * Mel Rodriguez as Luis, Carol's other co-worker who lives in the same building as Donna. He is a gay man who spent most of his life traveling.
 * Bridget Everett as Elena, Carol's adventurous sister
 * Michael Chernus as Eric, a stranger who shows romantic feelings towards Carol after spending a night together
 * Sean Giambrone as Steven, Eric's teenage son
 * Laurie Metcalf as HR lady

Recurring

 * Delbert Hunt as Michael, Bernard's nurse who is also in a relationship with Pauline and Bernard
 * Megan Mullally as Janette, Carol's old friend
 * Gillian Jacobs as Lisa, Carol's old friend

Release
The 10-episode miniseries was released on December 15, 2023, on Netflix.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10, based on 17 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "With the tone set by Martha Kelly's dour wit, Carol & the End of the World is a clever and surprisingly approachable spin on the apocalypse." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 79 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Jenna Scherer of The A.V. Club gave the series an A− and said, "Carol & The End Of The World is funny, yes, and there's plenty of absurd slapstick; but at its core, this is a patient, meditative series about what it means to be a person living among other people".