[New Show] Almost Human

Once again, FOX has managed to developed a show with RAW potential. Almost Human stars Michael Ealy (Underworld Awakening and Sleeper Cell) plays a DRN Android name Dorian and Karl Urban (Star Trek and Dredd - Just in case you didn't see DREDD because you just KNEW like me it would SUCK he was also BLACK HAT in the movie Priest) plays Detective John Kennex. Not really sure how they came up with that lastname because it is a tad strange but it works. The show is about in the future where human cops must work with an Android partner.  Right off the bat, this show start in your face and rough--gun battle, cop being tough headed (well duh! Without a hard-nosed cop who isn't afraid to break the rules to get the job done, the show wouldn't work). The one thing that bothered me at the beginning was they explained why the detective dislikes Android in the first few minutes. If you don't pay attention you could quite possibly miss the reason but its there.

Anyways, Detective Kennex wakes up after about a year and a half in a coma. They went into a bust, turns out it was a trap and his whole team gets whacked, including his partner who he blames an Android for leaving them there to die.  Anyways, he wakes up and they tell him he MUST get a partner--an ANDROID partner. He is not pleased and the first partner met with an...er...untimely demised after he took a dive out of a speeding car. They then gave him a new Android partner since no other Android partners were available and it is one of the "crazy ones" as Kennex called them--a DRN model. These were made to be as HUMAN as possible. Which meant they can process feelings, has free will (to certain degrees). Apparently the DRN Dorian went buck while a while back and some bad shiz happened.

Now I waited until after two episodes to write this and even after then I was on the fence about writing it yet. I wanted to wait until after the third episode. But I decided to write this since I have to PVR the next episode because I might be working.  Anyways, here is what I think.

Almost Human has REAL potential. This show had me laughing so hard sometimes I find I had a tear in my eyes; especially when Kennex say things like "Never scan my balls again!" But the show also has heart-break and sadness and evil - I know it's only two episodes in but trust me. If you like this kind of look at the world--at what would happen if we gave over total control to robots - I mean these Androids make decision based on calculations and not heart - hence why Kennex's partner died. Think of the iRobot effect and the three laws. Only, these robots don't seem to have those three laws.

The first time I saw the commercial for this show, I wasn't entirely sold on Karl Urban. Let's face, it I don't remember him doing a TV show before and the first time I ever took notice of him was in Star Trek (though I loathe to acknowledge the existence of this movie). But he plays Bones in it then again in PRIEST and in that I wanted to strangle him because he was  bad guy. Karl Urban - Detective Kennex - is great as the tall, dark, handsome and deeply flawed character. I rather enjoy is brooding, his snappy come-backs and his bad-boy, rouge cop attitude. His has a leg that keeps talking and I wish he'd finish charging the thing, at least to make it shut up lol. Watch the show--you'll see what I'm talking about.

Michael Ealy - Plays Dorian-the first time I saw this man I couldn't help thinking what beautiful eyes he has. To be quite honest, he was the one character in the commercials that drew me to the show. The first time I noticed this actor was in Barbershop as Ricky Nash. And then from time to time I would be watching something like The Good Wife or Hawthorne and he'd pop up and I remember him but didn't really know what his name was until I used him as inspiration for a

novel I am currently working on. He plays a fan-tabulous DRN and I was pleasantly surprised how well he plays off Karl Urban.

Okay, so he makes a great DRN like I said. He seems to put Kennex in his place and that is something that comes as a fresh air and is needed. He isn't stuffy but for some reason just brings off an air of authenticity that I never expected.

All in all, I am enjoying Almost Human. There is something very, utterly original about the whole thing. The casting is great. While the captain is a woman, and I dig that - I am not wild about her. She has no personality and is a little stiff. Though she is written as a no-nonsense woman with a heart, it doesn't really come off because her smiles don't seem genuine.

So I will be keeping my eyes on him.

Minka Kelly (Gabby in Parenthood) is in it as Detective Stahl - I think she's going to be Kennex's love interest--I think...so far, I am not sure what I think of her character. I have to wait a few more before I can size her up.

So, yes, that was a little on the long side but I am enjoying this new show. Let's hope FOX keeps it around, but we have to wait and see.

Hugs,
Kato