New Show Watch: FOX Unveils Almost Human

Take a peek at the first full-length trailer and story details for FOX’s new sci-fi drama about human and android police detectives.

Set in the year 2048, Almost Human stars Karl Urban (Star Trek Into Darkness) as John Kennex, who returns to the LAPD after a 17-month coma following a terrible battle.  In this world humans and androids fight side-by-side, and Kennex learns that during his time away it has become mandated that all officers ride with an android partner.

He rejects the advanced (and by-the-book) MX model, but finds someone who may be a real partner in “Dorian” (co-star Michael Ealy) — the decommissioned DRN android model engineered to express human-like feelings.

FOX will premiere Almost Human late this fall, likely in early November after baseball season is finished.  It will air Mondays at 8/7c, taking the place of Bones when that show goes on break.  Both shows will be paired with another genre newcomer, Sleepy Hollow (9/8c).

Here’s the extensive, three and a half-minute preview:

And the network’s description of the show:

Starring Karl Urban (“Star Trek”) and Michael Ealy (“Sleeper Cell,” “Common Law”), the new series is an action-packed police drama set 35 years in the future, when police officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids. The year is 2048. Meet JOHN KENNEX (Urban), a cop who survived one of the most catastrophic attacks ever made against the police department. After waking up from a 17-month coma, he can’t remember much – except that his partner was killed; his girlfriend, ANNA MOORE (guest star Mekia Cox, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.,” “Undercovers”), left him after the attack; and he lost one of his legs and is now outfitted with a highly sophisticated synthetic appendage. Suffering from depression, mental atrophy, trauma-onset OCD, PTSD and the “psychological rejection of his synthetic body part,” John returns to work at the behest of longtime ally Captain SANDRA MALDONADO (Emmy Award nominee Lili Taylor, “Six Feet Under,” “Ransom”).

By mandate, every cop must partner with a robot. And despite his passionate aversion to androids, John is paired up with a battle-ready MX-43. But he abruptly terminates his partnership after the robot discovers incriminating information about him. So technician RUDY LOM (Mackenzie Crook, “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise) introduces John to DORIAN (Ealy), a discontinued android with unexpected emotional responses. Although such responses were deemed flaws, it is in these “flaws” that John relates to Dorian most. After all, John is part-machine now, and Dorian is part-human. John and Dorian’s understanding of each other not only complements them, it connects them.

As he adjusts to working with his new partner, John also must learn to get along with his new colleagues, including the eager and somewhat starstruck Detective VALERIE STAHL (Minka Kelly, “Friday Night Lights,” “(500) Days of Summer”) and the distrustful Detective RICHARD PAUL (Michael Irby, “Law Abiding Citizen,” “The Unit”), who does not welcome John back with open arms. ALMOST HUMAN will follow the week-to-week missions of John and Dorian, as they fight crime across this futuristic landscape, while the mysteries surrounding his attack and the larger mythology of this new world unfold.

Almost Human is created and written by J.H. Wyman (Fringe), with J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk (both of whom count among their credits LOST, Star Trek, Person of Interest, Fringe, Alcatraz, Revolution, and more) joining as producers. Lili Taylor, Minka Kelly, Mackenzie Crook, Michael Irby, and Mekia Cox also star.

This is one of the new shows we are most excited about, so stick with SciFi Stream for on-going coverage and the roll-out of our full Almost Human show guide later this year!

Are you looking forward to Almost Human as much as we are? Post a comment below!