TV: Almost Human

[Animeniax]

I just saw the pilot and I think this show has promise. I like the concept of android/synthetic beings among us, as I think that's where we are headed as a society, depending heavily on them. With Minka Kelly and Gina Carano in the show, there's plenty of eye candy, and Karl Urban is likable as the hard-nosed cop on a mission. Michael Ealy playing Dorian does a good job of being a human-like machine.

Spoilers:

The story established in the pilot is kinda cliched, particularly if it turns out his ex is involved. Maybe his memories are mixing and getting confused and she's not actually behind the ambush.

I thought Kennex was too accepting of his bot partner too soon. Without the mistrust, Dorian will just be a typical partner but with special abilities, instead of a foil or source of yin/yang-iness. Though I guess they could still explore the ages old concepts of synthetic beings, such as the value of a synthetic's life, discrimination, and dreams of being human.

[Sapphire]

One of the only good shows on right now! Worth a watch for the banter alone.

[Penner]

Aye, been watching this from the moment it started, i love me some futuristic/sci-fi stuff :P

I also like most of the cast, the only one i kinda dislike is the lady who plays police captain Maldonado, maybe she gets better later on...

[Animeniax]

What's not to like about her? I've only seen the first 2 episodes but she seems level-headed and amenable to Kennex and her people. If not for her, Kennex would never have been partnered with Dorian. A less agreeable captain would have forced him to use one of the new model android partners.

[Penner]

I don't really dislike the character Maldonado, it's more the actress playing her... but i can't even pinpoint exactly what it is that makes me dislike her, maybe i've seen her in something before and didn't like her then, and that is just stuck in the back of my mind or something... i don't even know lol

[Animeniax]

Yeah I get what you mean. When I see her I always think of her character from the movie Ransom where she plays one of the kidnappers. She also reminds me of the cleaning lady from the movie Dune, but that's definitely a different actress.

edit: seen 3 episodes now, and they really need to give Stahl a bigger role besides just HQ support in a white t-shirt.

[Penner]

Yeah, and the actress who plays her (Minka Kelly) is so fucking gorgeous it's crazy.

I also want more of Rudy the tech guy, i always liked that actor (Mackenzie Crook).

He's the guy who played the pirate Ragetti in Pirates of the Caribbean (the one with the fake eye), and he also played that wildling guy Orell in Game of Thrones.

The dude is awesome :P

[Munsu]

Really enjoy this show. The bad news, its ratings suck. The good news, it's on FOX and all the shows they're carrying have shitty ratings, so it might survive. It seems like an expensive show to make, in particular with the effects and the acting talent they've put together.

Aside from that, just a fun show to watch with good banter. But man the Detective Valerie Stahl character is a complete waste on this show, like what the fuck does she even do for this show? What a waste of the highly popular Minka Kelly.

[Animeniax]

Yeah hopefully they give Stahl a bigger role, but it'd have to be a secondary investigation, as she'd be a third wheel in the Kennex/Dorian relationship that is the focus of the show. They do it often in other cop shows where there's a primary investigation and a secondary one for the lesser detective characters.

Gina Carano will be on the show (or has she already made a full appearance?) so let's hope the show survives until then at least. She might help ratings, though I don't think she's big enough to save it if it's ratings are that bad.

[Munsu]

Yeah hopefully they give Stahl a bigger role, but it'd have to be a secondary investigation, as she'd be a third wheel in the Kennex/Dorian relationship that is the focus of the show. They do it often in other cop shows where there's a primary investigation and a secondary one for the lesser detective characters.

Gina Carano will be on the show (or has she already made a full appearance?) so let's hope the show survives until then at least. She might help ratings, though I don't think she's big enough to save it if it's ratings are that bad.

Yeah, I thought early on she was going to be doing her own thing and that her investigation would often cross path's with his, and so on, but that she would have been doing something independent regardless.

Don't know, I'll wait and see... but just a minor thing at this point.

[Animeniax]

Yeah, and the actress who plays her (Minka Kelly) is so fucking gorgeous it's crazy.

I have to reply to this just to reinforce this fact. I love how they've made her character a "chrome" or "crome" or whatever. It's the only explanation how someone can be so perfectly gorgeous.

Just finished the first season and I like how they pay homage to Blade Runner in the final scene. I hope the show is renewed, but I also hope they darken the series and make things grittier, maybe with more anti-android sentiment. The entire first season, each episode has ended a little too cleanly. That may be because they weren't sure they'd get a second season, and they do have the bigger story about Kennex's ex betraying him, but I would like to see multiple episode arcs that make you want to keep watching.

[Penner]

God damnit..

'Almost Human' Cancelled

[Animeniax]

Kinda figured this would happen. I liked the show, but didn't love it. There was something too formulaic and unconvincing about it. I'd like to see it revived on Syfy or another channel, and given a grittier theme.

[Ryllharu]

I'd be pretty happy if they just made a Dredd sequel.

This always felt like the project Karl Urban fell back on after some big wig decided not to fund a sequel for the movie the same big wigs abysmally failed to advertise correctly.

[Animeniax]

Well there's a Raid sequel so maybe there will be a Dredd sequel now that they have source material.

Just kidding, Urban's Dredd movie was good for what it was, and beyond the building combat theme, was its own movie.

[Shadow Skill]

I really enjoyed this series. Wish it had a second season. Fox seems to enjoy cancelling good shows and renewing crappy shows.

[Animeniax]

I really enjoyed this series. Wish it had a second season. Fox seems to enjoy cancelling good shows and renewing crappy shows.

Unfortunately viewership is what determines whether a show is good or crappy and whether it's worthy of renewal or not. This show was too scifi and not enough story or drama. It was also character driven but the characters didn't have enough time or room to grow. I definitely see a place for such a show on SyFy, TNT, or TBS. Some of the lead actors may not go with it though.

[Shadow Skill]

I know that lol. Plus it was only shown at 11PM here on the Fox station that I get. I wouldn't mind Scyfy picking it up if either companies would allow it. Scyfy is Sony based I think so I wouldn't expect much in any form of development if they picked it up.

[Animeniax]

Sorry didn't mean to be a dick. I guess what I was saying is that more people watch the crappy shows so Fox renews them. So my statement was a slam on the masses who watch the garbage on TV and let the shows with potential or real meaning get cancelled.

[Shadow Skill]

Very true.