Almost Human may not have counted as a sci fi TV classic in its short run, but it definitely showed potential and deserved better than the treatment it received from FOX.
[Updated]
What Is It?
This sci-fi police procedural is set in a near-future world where human cops are paired with highly advanced android partners. The series follows Detective John Kennex, who is assigned a synthetic android, Dorian, after his previous partner is killed, as they work together to solve crimes while navigating the complexities of human-robot relationships and the ethical dilemmas that arise from artificial intelligence.
Aired: FOX, 2013-14, 1 Season Totaling 13 Episodes
Starring: Karl Urban, Michael Ealy, Minka Kelly, Mackenzie Crook, Michael Irby
Created By: J. H. Wyman
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Why Was It Cancelled?
Almost Human premiered to decent numbers when it debuted on a Sunday night in late Fall bolstered by a lead-in from NFL Football. But its ratings took a sharp drop almost immediately when it moved to its regular Monday 8 PM EST timeslot and they continued to fluctuate through the rest of its run. And while this show did not receive widespread acclaim from critics and fans upon its arrival, it did develop a notable following and had the potential to become a sleeper hit for the genre. Unfortunately, its network seemed to be working against it almost from the beginning.
It had a late start, airing most of its initial episodes at the beginning of the holiday season as television viewing was dropping off across all of the broadcast networks. When it returned in January, it actually pulled relatively decent numbers and started building up its audience. But the network preempted it (first for the two-hour Sleepy Hollow season finale then for a repeat of The Following), then it aired the series directly against Olympics coverage at a time when most of the networks were running repeats instead of hurting their show’s ratings. To make matters worse, FOX aired the episodes out of order making the story arc somewhat confusing to follow (déjà vu all over again, Firefly fans). In addition, the show ran in the 8 PM EST “family friendly” hour which did not fit well with its subject matter. Despite all this, Almost Human’s ended up with a relatively decent ratings average for its run, out-performing FOX’s high-profile crime drama The Following which took over its timeslot and did receive a renewal nod.
Almost Human was certainly expensive to produce because of its reliance on special effects, and series creator J.H. Wyman commented at one point that it would need high ratings to survive. Though I’m thinking Kevin Bacon’s paycheck for The Following was pretty hefty and there could not have been that much of a cost difference between shows. AH also suffered from production delays that in part led to its late start and that may have irritated network execs. But it still managed to scrape out decent ratings despite FOX’s scheduling hi-jinks and it started to develop some buzz as it progressed. Fans attempted to save the show and it seemed like a decent candidate for another network to pick up because it demonstrated that it could hold an audience. But nothing came of that and Almost Human has since become yet another of the truncated shows that has fueled fan-hate toward FOX from the sci fi community like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Firefly.
Can the Show Be Saved?
A second fan effort kicked off a few years back with a new online petition, but it never picked up much steam. Michael Ealy currently has a recurring role on the Hulu drama Reasonable Doubt, and Karl Urban is busy with The Boys on Amazon, but that will be wrapping up with its next season. If a fan campaign can get some traction, perhaps one of the streaming services or cable channels would have an interest in reviving the show if it could get both the main actors onboard. Almost Human certainly had potential and it is not impossible that it could get revived, but it would take a loud Call to Action from fans to make it happen.
Where Can You Watch It?
This show has been released on DVD, but it has not received the Blu-ray treatment. It is not currently steaming on any of the major services, but you can purchase it VOD from Apple TV.
Did you watch Almost Human and would you support efforts for a revival? Chime in with your comments below.
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