If You Love ‘I, Robot,’ Watch Karl Urban’s Very Underrated Sci-Fi Crime Series

Several years before The Boys became a breakout smash hit for Prime Video, Karl Urban starred alongside Michael Ealy in a super–cool, slick, and underrated sci-fi crime drama, Almost Human. Set in the year 2048, Almost Human takes place in the high-tech, futuristic New Pittsburgh. In the future, science and technology have evolved at such a rapid rate that crime rates have skyrocketed. As a result, the police force has a new policy where every human police officer must be paired with a humanoid combat android. Love Will Smith’s sci-fi action film from 21 years ago? Almost Human is for you.

‘Almost Human’s Premise Had So Much Potential

Image via Fox

Although most human officers are partnered with the more commonplace MX-43 models, veteran police detective John Kennex (Urban) rejects his MX model, and he’s instead partnered with the more unique and rare DRN android, nicknamed Dorian (Ealy). The DRNs were modeled and programmed to more closely emulate humanity and emotions as much as possible, utilizing a “synthetic soul” program. Together, Kennex and Dorian form an unlikely, unconventional crime-fighting duo to bring justice to New Pittsburgh. The show possessed all the elements of a great series. Unfortunately, it was ahead of its time and had a very short-lived run. What went wrong?

‘Almost Human’ Was ‘Blade Runner’ Meets ‘Lethal Weapon’

Dorian and John Kennex talking — John Kennex observes Dorian in Almost Human.

With its high-tech, dystopian future setting and the presence of lifelike, humanoid androids, Almost Human featured a premise and episodic plots that resembled cyberpunk tales such as Ghost in the Shell and Blade Runner. However, through John and Dorian’s relationship, it combined the cyberpunk themes of high-tech/low-life with the buddy cop style of films like Lethal Weapon. Additionally, the cyberpunk setting mixes well with the show’s episodic format, with the lone season modeled more like a typical network television police procedural. Every week saw an exciting new case or adventure for John and Dorian.

The case of the week format also benefited Almost Human by allowing for deeper exploration of the sci-fi premise. The show interestingly drew upon futuristic concepts to explore human issues, such as human trafficking, cloning, genetic experimentation, utilizing technology for military use, and the ethics of science and technology. Almost Human does not serve as a commentary against technological breakthroughs or A.I., but the series does convey the importance of not taking such scientific advancements lightly. In the world of Almost Human, technology has evolved so rapidly that it’s almost impossible to regulate, making it far more prevalent in the criminal underworld.

The series takes an interesting turn with its exploration of genetic profiling and engineering. Minka Kelly‘s character, Valerie Stahl, is a Chrome, a genetically engineered human designed for peak beauty, excellence, and success. In 2048, human children are routinely genetically tested to see if they are predisposed to criminal or undesirable behavior. Failing the genetic profiling tests as a child means one can be marked or “red-listed” for psychopathic tendencies, affecting one’s standing and prospects for life. One victim of the new form of genetic profiling is Michael Costa (William Stewart), a person diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorder who was wrongfully convicted of the “Straw Man” murders that he did not commit. The government, society, and correctional system have abused breakthroughs in genetic testing and discoveries of the human genome, using them as a form of bias and abuse against the lower classes and the mentally ill.

Dorian and Kennex’s Relationship Is the Highlight of ‘Almost Human’

The special sauce for Almost Human comes in the form of John and Dorian’s amusing relationship dynamic. They grow into quite the odd couple throughout the season, forming a profound bond as battle-tested partners. Urban and Ealy exhibit tremendous chemistry throughout the series, and their car chats and banter stand out as the highlights of every episode. Almost Human effectively leans into the buddy cop dynamic through John and Dorian, but Dorian, an autonomous android, puts a fascinating sci-fi spin on the oft-used formula. Their relationship makes Almost Human fare more entertaining because John and Dorian’s interplay provides some much-needed levity and humor in each episode. The episodic plots were fairly serious business, but the show usually found its humor through John and Dorian’s relationship.

Throughout the series, John and Dorian maintain each other’s confidence. In the series finale, “Straw Man,” John humorously reveals he did not share some of the more bizarre acts Dorian performed during their partnership that would have negatively affected the android in his peer review evaluation. Case in point: when Dorian body-scanned Kennex and evaluated his body for sexual activity, or when Dorian exposed his anatomically correct lower torso to John. John and Dorian are like the sci-fi television version of Riggs and Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon or a cyberpunk variation of Starsky & Hutch. Although the partners have an unconventional relationship, their close-knit bond is built on mutual trust and respect, and they routinely put their lives on the line for one another.

‘Almost Human’ Was a Sci-Fi Series Ahead of Its Time

Almost-Human-cast-group-shot — The main cast of the sci-fi series Almost Human.

Unfortunately, Almost Human was cancelled by Fox after only one season due to low ratings and high production costs. The show had so much going for it, and it could have continued exploring interesting angles in future seasons, such as the mysterious death surrounding John’s father, Edward Kennex (John Diehl). The current conversations around artificial intelligence and generative AI that are dominating the public consciousness and conversations make Almost Human more relevant than ever. Through Dorian, the series explores what defines humanity and the soul. Does one have to be human to have a soul? Is Dorian operating beyond his programming capabilities? Does he achieve true sentience? John’s relationship with Dorian appears symbiotic because John teaches Dorian more about humanity, and Dorian helps John become less biased against synthetic androids and cybernetic augmentations.

If Almost Human had been made in the 2020s for a streaming platform, it probably would have performed better on Netflix, Prime Video, or Apple TV+. Other sci-fi shows, such as Netflix’s Altered Carbon and Murderbot on Apple TV+, explore similar themes and ideas to Almost Human and saw greater success on streamers. Nevertheless, Almost Human was a fun and exciting series that packed a lot of action, mixed with sci-fi and even a little comedy every week.