What I Loved and Hated About The Premiere of ALMOST HUMAN

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A lot of you watched the premiere of Almost Human last night. Who wouldn't want to see J.J. Abrams launch another TV series given his track record of LOST and the cult hit Fringe? I eagerly watched and, for the most part, enjoyed the show. I will definitely be tuning in tonight for the second part of the premiere. The following is a list of what I loved and hated in the opening hour of Almost Human.

What I Loved...

• Karl Urban and Michael Ealy - You gotta love Karl Urban for being Karl F****** Urban. The opening sequence had my buddy and I screaming "I AM THE LAW" with every take down, headshot, and explosion. No, he's not the emotionless Dredd we've seen before, but the action hero is still there. The brooding, anger, and never say die attitude though was what I expected, and I was not disappointed.  Urban's character only seemed to shine brighter when next to Michael Ealy. Ealy's character Dorian in my opinion was the perfect companion to the brooding of detective John Kennex (Urban). The scene that most exemplified this in my mind was the interrogation scene. Kennex is beating the hell out of the suspect and as opposed to immediately stepping in and showing his disapproval, he shades the glass and lets it continue until he has an opportunity to try things his way. I also loved the dialogue between these two and thought it was the best part of the show.
• The Phenomenal Soundtrack- Selecting The Crystal Method for this series brings the perfect sound to this crime-filled future. There were sequences in the show where I had to stop and audibly say, "damn this is a good track." It may because I tend to pay attention to those things, but there's something to be said about having a well known electronica duo score your show.
• References to Blade Runner- I can't be the only one who noticed the scenery in the "black market medical district". The use of blue, the rain, everyone having umbrellas? I almost expected Rick Deckard to come rounding the corner in a self monologue. I'm completely cool with the similarities though. Almost Human is a cop drama set in the future that plays heavily into Androids. The comparisons are already going to be there so why not play into them?

What I Hated...

• The Jerk's Name- The antagonist is named Richard...making him a "Dick." I cringed the moment I heard his name. Of course I expected there to be someone in the precinct who wasn't cheering on the astonishing improbable comeback of our lead character, but did the writing team have to spell it out for us? I don't think the name was a coincidence given that his first few lines were ridiculously cruel and then we heard his name. Alan is a great name for a jerk guy. So is Sebastian. Anything but Richard.
• Depeche Mode in 2048?- A song that peaked at 13 on the US Hot 100, ranked 368 in Rolling Stone's 500 greatest songs of all time and came out 2 months before I was born is still listened too? It's not entirely impossible that we listen to nearly 60 year old songs, so lets take it in context of today. If you were to take the top 13 song of 1953 and played it in a lab it would be....

Pretend you're happy when you're blue It isn't very hard to do And you'll find happiness without an end Whenever you pretend Remember anyone can dream And nothing's bad as it may seem The little things you haven't got Could be a lot if you pretend You'll find a love you can share One you can call all your own Just close your eyes, she'll be there You'll never be alone And if you sing this melody You'll be pretending just like me The world is mine, it can be yours, my friend So why don't you pretend?

Okay that would sound awesome, but that's Nat King Cole. Depeche Mode is no Nat King Cole. Not now, not ever.

• The Time Slot- It was a geeky fun fest for Sunday night television being able to watch Almost Human with The Walking Dead right after. The problem? The Simpsons has held that time slot for many years and Fox is not going to change that for a new sci-fi show. Almost Human will regularly air on Mondays. I'm not saying it wouldn't do better in any other slot, but putting it right before The Walking Dead would set us up with two hours of great television, and ensure solid ratings for this thus far solid show. 
• The Sex Robot Episode- We are at episode 1.5 and there is already talk of sex robots? I realize this is a cop drama, but damn. Just damn. 

That's all I got. Obviously the hates are much more nitpicky, and the loves far outweigh them, but that's because I loved the show. I can't wait to see how this series develops. Hopefully I'll be sticking with it for a long time.