Advance review:

The latest science fiction drama series from Fringe‘s J.H. Wyman and executive producer J.J. Abrams is an interesting mix of elements. In many ways, Almost Human is a classic police drama, following the tropes of that genre. Detective John Kennex (Karl Urban) is the quintessential maverick cop lead: He is talented, but a live-wire who continually bucks the system; he's suffered a traumatic on-the-job loss and now must fight to regain his former standing; and he is forced to partner with someone he does not respect. The twist of course, is that Kennex's unwanted partner is an android.

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Set in 2048, Almost Human paints a portrait of a future in which technology has advanced at an uncontrollable speed and the crime rate has increased by a staggering 400 percent. In order to combat the tide, the LAPD has mandated that every human officer team with a cyborg. The idea is that the androids will take on the most severe on-the-job risks and can make logic-based decisions that may ultimately save lives. Urban's Kennex is wary of the new tech and has a visceral distrust of, and disdain for, his non-human colleagues.The lone survivor of an ambush by a brutal crime organization known as The Syndicate, Kennex blames a "synthetic" cop for not fighting harder to save the life of his human partner. After a lengthy recovery, Kennex returns to work in a state of "depression, mental atrophy, trauma onset, OCD, PTSD and psychological rejection of his synthetic body parts.” Said synthetic part is a prosthetic leg to replace the one he lost in the attack. After a brief and unsuccessful partnership with the latest android model, the purely data-driven MX-43s, Kennex’s captain (played wonderfully by Lili Taylor) pairs him with an older DRN model known as "Dorian" (Michael Ealy). Discontinued after displaying erratic emotional responses, the Dorian model is both a student and reflection of human nature. This is where the science fiction portion of the tale comes in: Dorian is an android who is in part human, while Kennex is a man who is part machine.The relationship between Dorian and Kennex feels very familiar in some ways. We’ve seen the partners-at-odds who grow to respect one another play out in everything from Lethal Weapon to In the Heat of the Night. In this case, it’s more Kennex's task to expand his mind than it is Dorian's; which points to the thematic crux of the series. Dorian teaches us about the nature of humanity through his actions as well as his observations. He is the "other" who allows us to see ourselves more clearly. Just as when you travel you are able to gain a fresh perspective on your own culture by observing the differences and similarities to another.Dorian is designed to behave like man, to process information, make connections, and experience emotions as we do. In that way, we can relate to him, and can ask ourselves: what makes us – us? Is it that we were born? Have childhoods and age? Or is it that we are sentient? That we are self-aware? If an entity is able experience a connection with themselves, the world, and others, but was not born and did not have a childhood, then is it somehow "less than" we are. If so, why?The ways in which Dorian is unlike a human are equally important, though. Life hasn’t hardened him, he is an innocent in some ways and because of that, he may catch the things we miss or take for granted. He may notice how "normal human behavior" is often cynical and blinded by prejudice - as Kennex initially is with Dorian. Yet, like everyone with emotions, he has a breaking point, and because they have not been dulled by years of experience, his feelings can overwhelm him and are far closer to the surface. His "faulty nature" is what allows him to see things that others may not, though. The same is true of Kennex's unorthodox manner. It's a flaw in some senses, but it's what allows him to be extraordinary at his job.

J.J. Abrams Talks Almost Human

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There are some broad, but interesting themes at play in the here, some to do with what it is to be human, and some to do with the way our weaknesses also act as our greatest strengths. If Fringe is any barometer, Wyman will go deeper and play with them in both entertaining and thought-provoking ways as the series progresses. None of that is to suggest that this is a heavy-handed and dull, though, this is am engaging, action-packed, and ultimately just fun to watch premiere. The ideas are there, but Wyman isn't hitting you over the head with them.Visually, the pilot hearkens back to beloved sci-fi classics. The rain-drenched cityscape echoes Blade Runner, but there is also a specifically Wyman-esque touch. There is a sleek clarity to the aesthetic that lets us know that our time spent in this world will not be entirely grim. In general, world-building is always strength of Wyman's and Almost Human is no exception. He's able to integrate elements of our world with an unlikely, but entertaining version of what will be possible 35-years from now. This is a series that is meant to be enjoyable, and as much as it includes some very Fringe-y gore, one does not walk away with a bleak sense that all is lost.It's the performances that really bring Almost Human to life, though. Urban is, as ever, a gruffly charming lead. Equally important, he and Ealy have terrific on-screen chemistry. As for Ealy, he is the standout of the pilot; which is to take nothing away from the strength or Urban's performance and presence. The burden of the conceit working is on Ealy, though. We must be able to relate to him, sympathize with him, and yet see him as "other." Ealy delivers a nuanced performance in which we are able to believe that he is a creature unlike any we have ever seen.It’s very subtle, but he is almost unnervingly life-like. He really does read as 50 steps beyond the uncanny valley humanoid robots we’ve seen come out of conventions in Japan. We believe that Dorian is able to process unimaginable amounts of information instantaneously, that he is man-like, and yet does not possess the emotional baggage of a grown man, and, as such, has the (potentially) volatile emotional response system of a child. He's simply compelling to watch.

Almost Human: Karl Urban and Michael Ealy Interview

Additionally, Lili Taylor's Captain Maldonado is a refreshing new take on the relationship between the maverick cop and his superior, and she and Urban have a great rapport. In most cop shows there would be friction between the two as the disgruntled captain tries to reign the rogue cop in. There is warmth and a bond of trust between Maldonado and Kennex, though. The captain is certainly in charge, but there is a maternal element to her approach, in a "guiding-hand" sense, rather than coddling.There pilot is, of course, also sprinkled with a mythos which will no doubt serve the serialized elements of the show. There is the shadowy criminal organization, Syndicate, who is responsible for Kennex's injury and looks to be preparing to engage in an all-out war with the LAPD. A significant figure from Kennex's recent past is clearly going to be playing a larger role, and his former police-officer father is mentioned twice in the pilot, which we imagine was purposeful. Those who enjoy the enigma-wrapped-in-a-riddle storytelling that Abrams is known for may hook into this part of the tale. This isn't a Lost-sized mystery box, though, but rather a tease of an overarching villain that will carry through, in all likelihood, at least the first several episodes, if not longer.