The 13-Episode JJ Abrams Cult Hit Hailed as ‘1 of Sci-Fi’s Hidden Gems From the Broadcast Era’

JJ Abrams was the king of sci-fi and broadcast TV after the success of shows like Lost, Fringe, and more. While he has now moved on to producing and reviving franchises, one hidden gem from him as an executive producer in the broadcast era keeps popping up under the radar. The show is Almost Human.

The series paired a battered detective with a synthetic partner in a near-future Los Angeles overrun by crime and automation. Despite its short run, the show has earned a reputation among genre fans as a buried treasure of network television, a series that tried something ambitious inside a format built for procedurals.

JJ Abrams’ Underrated Series Blends Buddy Cop with Sci-Fi

Karl Urban and Michael Ealy in Almost Human | Credits: Fox

Almost Human is set in 2048 and follows detective John Kennex, who wakes up from a 17-month coma with a missing leg. In the show, due to increased crime rates, human detectives and police are paired with an android combat model. Kennex, played by Karl Urban, is dismissive of this model because of his past trauma.

When Kennex is called back to the force and assigned a humanoid robot called Dorian, the duo begins to go on police adventures of their own. The show has a familiar buddy cop structure while blending the sci-fi element of an AI bot. In true JJ Abrams style, the show balances between genre tropes and commentary on technological advancements.

The show ran only for a season of 13 episodes and received mixed reviews from critics. On the Tomatometer, the show has a critical score of 69%. Audiences, however, have been more receptive to the show, with the Popcornmeter scoring 83% (via Rotten Tomatoes, as of September 21, 2026). Almost Human had a distinct visual style and a willingness to go beyond procedural ambition.

Ratings never caught up with the reviews, and Fox pulled the plug after one season, leaving several dangling storylines unresolved. That incompleteness has become part of its appeal. Fans often describe watching it as glimpsing a much larger show that never got the chance to fully unfold.

Almost Human Is Still Relevant With Its AI and Policing Themes

JJ Abrams | Credits: YouTube/Brian Penny

Almost Human is hardly the first show to question the ethics of robot usage in spaces like law enforcement. Many sci-fi shows, like Star Trek, have extensively discussed AI, robots, and the dangers of human dependence on technology. But JJ Abrams’ Almost Human was speculative in a way that applies today.

The show explored what happens when policing becomes dependent on artificial intelligence, when officers answer to machines meant to reduce risk, and when synthetic beings begin to develop something resembling a conscience. These ideas feel more urgent now, as discussions about AI ethics, surveillance, and automation become commonplace.

The show also had a solid emotional backbone with Karl Urban’s character. Not only is his backstory relevant to how the audience is supposed to feel about robots like Dorian, but the show actually spends a considerable amount of time on the psychological effects of his injury and his mental state. For a show from 2013, it was quite considerate.

The show only had one season, and many of its plot threads seem incomplete. It is still a pretty good watch. For anyone exploring the broadcast-era catalog of Abrams productions, it remains a strong argument for what network science fiction could accomplish when given room to think.

Are you a fan of Almost Human? Comment your thoughts below.

Almost Human is available to buy on Apple TV.