Almost Human [Fox - US]

Patty O Furniture

Deleted User wrote: »

Richard we all know that tonight is the series finale, it's not as if you're the first person to come to that conclusion. Just because most shows get a back 9 does not mean that this show was intended to be a 22 episode series. Personally I think that a more compact and focused 13 episode series would suit Almost Human far better than a dragged out 22 episode one. Sleepy Hollow is a perfect example of a show that over 22 episodes would most likely have shed its audience but thanks to the shorter episode order it excelled.

I wouldn't write Almost Human off just yet, the viewing figures are decent and it's got a pretty big DVR/ streaming audience so there's a good chance it'll return.

I hope so too, as it's probably got a small but loyal fanbase & steadily growing. I've zoned out myself of Sleepy Hollow, will probably watch it again on demand.
Btw who's Richard

pixelburp

Yeah, showing old colours there; the obsession with cancellation, renewal, viewing figures etc. doesn't really contribute much beyond being a TV Statto.

22 episodes of 'generic future-science crime of the week' would have got old, fast. Even a close cousin like Fringe abandoned that concept - more or less - halfway through its first run. Overall, you look at the landscape of TV and many series, particularly the critically acclaimed stuff, are putting out shortened seasons as opposed to 20+ slogs. No doubt there's budgetary & financial reasons for this, but in the right hands it focuses minds and tightens scripts to give better, more focused drama. You shouldn't need 22 episodes to tell your story.

Almost Human didn't really manage that, its muddled episode order also didn't help but the penultimate episode was quite decent and showed the show was really finding its groove, even if the episode didn't really contribute to any of the arcs, or as a lead-in to the finale. What was most heartening was it belatedly gave Stahl something to do beyond being attractive; and the fact her beauty turned out to be part of her backstory was a neat twist. The 'chrome' subplot has been increasing in focus so I suspect it'd play into future arcs - if there are any.

JP Liz V1

irishmover wrote: »

Cracking show! Hope it doesn't get cancelled...

Karl Urban is quality... Perfect role for him really.

I hope it is renewed too

Mr E

Standard episode, no cliffhanger. I think I was expecting more.....

squonk

Havent' watched yet but I too hope it's renewed. I think the show wasn't marvellous in terms of a first run but has certainly paid it's dues, ins spite of the muddled episode order. I know SciFi shows can take a while to bed in and all I ask really for a first season is that the storyline remains engaging and the time is taken to put the building blocks of future arcs in train. I think AH has pretty much accomplished that and I definitely want to see more.

I never warmed to Sleepy Hollow. It struck me as the most stupid show I've seen in a while. Kind of like National Treasure but while that was a 21 hour movie, that show hung around for 10 odd hours. Stupid things like Crane refusing to change costume and blend was only the start. The plots were unbelieveable and overall it struck me as the poor man's Grimm. Grimmis a fine show.

FreudianSlippers

Mr E wrote: »

Standard episode, no cliffhanger. I think I was expecting more.....

In fairness it was the most satisfying way they could have wrapped for the season and/or series. I hope it gets renewed, but I'd hate a nasty cliffhanger that never gets solved.

Smiles35

On Episode 10, only two episodes to go for me. I hope

that the story regarding his ex-girlfriend gets resolved somewhat and we get a look behind that big wall? It's probably Mad Max meets Morrocco but meh

Patty O Furniture

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

In fairness it was the most satisfying way they could have wrapped for the season and/or series. I hope it gets renewed, but I'd hate a nasty cliffhanger that never gets solved.

Same here, i enjoyed it as it was a fitting end to the season/series &

had a touch of Bladerunner with the soundtrack near the end & sitting at the mobile Chinese take-away

I hope so too that it gets renewed.

Although tvguide thinks differently

jenjenten

Patty O Furniture wrote: »

Same here, i enjoyed it as it was a fitting end to the season/series &

had a touch of Bladerunner with the soundtrack near the end & sitting at the mobile Chinese take-away

I hope so too that it gets renewed.

Although tvguide thinks differently

^ a move to Friday could be the only thing to save it!, a 1.5 could get you renewed....but i'd expect a severe budget cut if it does get renewed for 13 and moved to Friday.

But on a Monday a 1.5 is dismal...the fact Fox messed the episode order means imo they will just cut their losses on this show. Maybe Fox thinks its got too many problems to be saved for a second season?

tallaghtmick

Typical I end up with a great sci fi and the ****ers cancel it Its terra poxy nova all over again :mad:

Patty O Furniture

jenjenten wrote: »

^ a move to Friday could be the only thing to save it!, a 1.5 could get you renewed....but i'd expect a severe budget cut if it does get renewed for 13 and moved to Friday.

But on a Monday a 1.5 is dismal...the fact Fox messed the episode order means imo they will just cut their losses on this show. Maybe Fox thinks its got too many problems to be saved for a second season?

Arent Fridays now a graveslot for shows, although it might be saved that going by the ratings.

FreudianSlippers

jenjenten wrote: »

^ a move to Friday could be the only thing to save it!, a 1.5 could get you renewed....but i'd expect a severe budget cut if it does get renewed for 13 and moved to Friday.

But on a Monday a 1.5 is dismal...the fact Fox messed the episode order means imo they will just cut their losses on this show. Maybe Fox thinks its got too many problems to be saved for a second season?

I missed you Richard :hugs:

Patty O Furniture

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

I missed you Richard :hugs:

This reminds me of a film 'What Richard Did'

squonk

tallaghtmick wrote: »

Typical I end up with a great sci fi and the ****ers cancel it Its terra poxy nova all over again :mad:

Ah come on! I think many round these parts were happy when Terra Nova was put out of it's misery.

Mr E

Terra Nova wasn't great, to be fair. Almost Human is a more grown-up show (not a child actor in sight).

jenjenten

Mr E wrote: »

Terra Nova wasn't great, to be fair. Almost Human is a more grown-up show (not a child actor in sight).

+1....the only interesting thing was the twist in the finale....very poorly written/acted....the CGI was laughable.....that fishing scene :o

tallaghtmick

squonk wrote: »

Ah come on! I think many round these parts were happy when Terra Nova was put out of it's misery.

I loved it

Tried to get into Terranova but much like Falling Skies there wasn't a while lot to it. There were interesting ideas a s some good characters but the writing was poor and characters were so stupid at times that I doubt they could tie their own laces.

We really need a smart sci-fi show for adults. Something in which ideas are at the front and not the same generic mystery of the week nonsense and technology that pops up to do bad and is never seen again. Don't get me wrong, I love easy to watch filler as much as the next person but watching Almost Human and each week I long for a little more substance to it. There's such a rich world the writers can build and explore and the city should be a character not just a back drop. The best shows make their surroundings part of the show, Miami Vice, Homicide, The Wire, etc yet with modern sci-fi the world is generally little more than a hodgepodge of borrowed ideas.

tallaghtmick

I don't think there's much future for sci fi at the moment, and if a decent show is aired the minute I like it it's gonna be cancelled :pac:

Sat down to watch the final episode and to my surprise discovered that I had two episodes to watch. Episode 12, Beholder is by far the best the show has been in its short run. For the first time I felt like the world was a character and the technology was actually interesting and not just an afterthought thrown in for the sake of it.

The show has thus far survived on the charms of Kennex and Dorian who were the only thing in it that felt real. Beholder actually allowed us to invest in the supporting cast and the different social classes is something I want to see explored. It's an interesting and somewhat backward future where not all are created equally.

Had Beholder aired earlier in the shows run it could have really helped its survival chances.

FortuneChip

I've enjoyed the show for what it is, a buddy cop show.
I think it's a long way from being sci-fi. There's a load of neon lights, technical jargon with acronyms etc, but it all seems like light fluff.

One thing that does annoy me, the opening credits. They're far too serious "Man & machine join together to protect us all". From what? A guy that kills genetically enhanced people so as to keep himself looking young? Or a mother that seeks revenge on some school kids that got her kid messed up in stuff? It's the sort of stuff Jessica Fletcher would be called up on if she were a little more tech savvy.
Aside from Terminator Carano I don't think there's been any threat that's not common now, save "sci-fi" terminology.

Long story short, I think the show would do better to sell itself on it's strengths which is the John Dorian dynamic.

pixelburp

I thought the last episode made sense, if indeed it was to be the last ever. As mentioned already, there was little point throwing a cliffhanger into the mix as potentially it may never have been resolved, thus leaving the series forever in a limbo.

This ending felt like a decent emotional pay-off; the serial killer was a mcGuffen really, the meat was Dorian & Kennex coming to an understanding and inevitable realisation they both like and need each other; all in the classic mould of the buddy-cop formula of course, but it still worked. The last little scene at the noodle house rounded everything off nicely. My only complaint might be the sudden revelation that - oh yeah - Kennex's da was also a cop, AND he died, AND he was hunting dirty cops, AND trying to clear a man falsely accused of being a murderer. That last episode certainly takes the award for best/worst clumsy, 11th hour infodumps I've seen in years.

It was chewing gum for the brain and I ranted on more than one occasion about its terrible worldbuilding, but I enjoyed Almost Human for all its faults & given the latter episodes showed decent character progress, I'd been keen to keep watching. I'd only ask they tighten up & pull back on the cheap future-visions.

JP Liz V1

tallaghtmick wrote: »

I don't think there's much future for sci fi at the moment, and if a decent show is aired the minute I like it it's gonna be cancelled :pac:

Not on Fox anyways

jenjenten

well its chances have seriously shrunk now....raising hope cancelled and not on the renewed list. not looking good imo, but maybe it might move to fridays.

jenjenten

tallaghtmick wrote: »

I don't think there's much future for sci fi at the moment, and if a decent show is aired the minute I like it it's gonna be cancelled :pac:

depends on the channel, continuum is doing grand as is falling skies. there is no hope for sci-fi on syfy, they have cancelled everything since BSG....

sci-fi has been flogged to death for the past 40 years, i think we have seen it all. personally i'd love to see a cable show with the scale and deep mythology of star wars, but it would cost too much.

i still want a starship troopers tv series.......:(

squonk

I liked that last episode. I think there was a depth to that that earlier episodes lacked and it felt like the show had finally found it's stride, both visually, themeatically and sonically. Visually the city and technology somehow seemed more integrated and more natural. I thought the buddy cop premise was handled better here than in previous episodes and the soundtrack was very 80's balderunneresque which really didn't hurt at all. It felt like a completely different show to the point where I really started to like and pay atention.

If I was a betting man, I'd say the show is probably no more and, in that context, the ending was great. If they do renew it however I hope they continue as they left off. Early on I wasn't too convinced by the show. The fact that police cars in the world of 2049 are camouflaged Ford Mondeos (or Fusion as the new Mondeo replacement that we haven't gotten yet is called in the US) seemed jarring. Once Igot past that though I thought the show had quality but it took a while for that sense of quality to build up. Sadly I think they've found their stride now but it might just be too little too late.

I'd love to see the show come back though.

mafaa

Almost Human Cancelled By Fox

Tom.D.BJJ

Cock

SherlockWatson

ah tits

tallaghtmick

**** sake, sci fi is dead only vampires and **** now