The TV pilot Automata is set in an alternate-history Prohibition-era New York, where it is not liquor which is outlawed but rather the production of sentient robots or “automatons.” The show follows private detective Sam Regal (Basil Harris) and his automaton partner Carl Swangee (Doug Jones from Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy), who are hired to spy on a prominent businessman’s spouse and, following her unexpected murder, find themselves wrapped up in an investigation filled with increasing intrigue and deception. The pilot also stars Jen Taylor.