Why Was Almost Human Cancelled and Can It Be Revived?

[Updated]

Almost Human premiered on FOX in the Fall of 2013 and delivered the tale of a near-future world where human police officers are required to work with combat-ready androids because of extremely high crime rates.  Karl Urban plays the wayward cop who does not get along with androids but who is paired with a non-standard model that replicates human emotions (played by Michael Ealy).  The show premiered to decent numbers when it debuted on a Sunday night in late Fall bolstered by a lead-in from NFL Football. But its ratings took a sharp drop almost immediately when it moved to its regular Monday 8 PM EST timeslot and they continued to fluctuate through the rest of its run.

While Almost Human did not receive widespread acclaim from critics and fans upon its arrival, it did develop a notable following and had the potential to become a sleeper hit for the genre.  Unfortunately, its network seemed to be working against it almost from the beginning.  It had a late start, airing most of its initial episodes at the beginning of the holiday season as television viewing was dropping off across all of the broadcast networks. When it returned in January, it actually pulled relatively decent numbers and started building up its audience. But then the network preempted it (first for the two-hour Sleepy Hollow season finale then for a repeat of The Following), then it aired the series directly against Olympics coverage at a time when most of the networks were running repeats instead of hurting their show’s ratings. To make matters worse, FOX aired the episodes out of order making the story arc somewhat confusing to follow (déjà vu all over again, Firefly fans). In addition, the show ran in the 8 PM EST “family friendly” hour which did not fit well with its subject matter. Despite all this, Almost Human’s ended up with a relatively decent ratings average for its run which was above FOX’s high-profile crime drama The Following which took over its timeslot and did receive a renewal nod.

Almost Human was certainly expensive to produce because of its reliance on special effects, and series creator J.H. Wyman commented at one point that it would need high ratings to survive. Though I’m thinking Kevin Bacon’s paycheck for The Following was pretty hefty and the cost difference between the two shows could not have been that much.  AH also suffered from production delays that in part led to its late start and that may have irritated network execs.  But it still managed to scrape out decent ratings despite FOX’s scheduling hi-jinks and it started to develop some buzz as it progressed.  Fans attempted to save the show and it seemed like a decent candidate for another network to pick up because it demonstrated that it could hold an audience.  But nothing came of that and Almost Human has since become yet another of the truncated shows that has fueled fan-hate toward FOX from the sci fi community like Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and FireflyAH may not have counted as a classic in its short run, but it definitely showed potential and deserved better than the treatment it received from FOX.

A second fan effort kicked off a few years back with a new online petition, but it never picked up much steam.  Michael Ealy currently has a recurring role on the Hulu drama Reasonable Doubt, and Karl Urban is busy with The Boys on Amazon.  But if a fan campaign can get some traction, perhaps one of the streaming services or cable channels would have an interest in reviving the show if it could get both the main actors onboard. The show certainly had potential and it is not impossible that it could get revived, but it would take a loud Call to Action from fans to make it happen.

Did you watch Almost Human and would you support efforts for a revival? Chime in with your comments below.



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19 thoughts on “Why Was Almost Human Cancelled and Can It Be Revived?

  1. Why does anyone deal with Fox for these tv series…they are idiots! Fox also cancelled Firefly….aired it out of sequence just like Almost Human. I repeat…they’re idiots. Some jerk as a personal vendetta or something against someone on the crew for this to happen to these shows that have a cult following….so the low ratings thing is just bull. I HATE FOX for that reason! Firefly and now Almost Human….Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles…another one….The X Files for goodness sake….they need to sack the person or people responsible for cancelling some of the best shows ever!

  2. One of the most technological advanced look into the future I’ve seen in a television TV series especially relating to crime. I like the futuristic technology being used in the show because I’m sure it already exists and by the year 2048 without a doubt it will seem ancient. I think the show is absolutely ahead of its time I accidentally came across it internet channel TUBI. The graphics are amazing looks almost 4K. And the city is very futuristic every now and then you see old modern technology vehicles if you look close enough. And the Android policeman plays his role better than most Android I’ve seen humans played in other TV series and it is more realistic. I’m actually sitting here been watching the first season and only season from what I’m reading in the comments and the article

  3. Just watched it again on Roku, and enjoyed it even more! I love the combo of sci fi and crime drama, as I love both genres. Do some more for us please? It’s clean enough to be Pg and interesting enough to keep our interest, and a lot better than most shows I’ve seen lately.

  4. I just found this show and it’s AMAZING. I can’t move on to anything else until I get through the episodes and that’s unusual for me. I am 100% shocked this show was dropped. Especially for other shows I could care less about. Bad call Fox. I’m quote sure this would of been a huge hit if given the proper opportunity.

  5. I have just now watched season 1 and found it almost impossible to leave for an episode.I truly didn’t know of this series but found it most addictive. I hope that they bring the show back it was great to watch and the casting was perfect.Truly hard to find a great show and to not revive it would be an incredible injustice of great Scifi.

  6. I think the series was too early for its time if they were to release season one now I believe it would be in the top five series and I also believe that it would have minimum of seven seasons before it got canceled again I hope someone takes his concept and brings it back because I truly believe it was premature and its release

  7. I’m watching the DVD set again now. I’d love to see it come back, there were storylines to expand on and Michael Ealy and Karl Urban wew great together.

    1. I don’t know how many people will ever get to see Almost Human’s debuted season. I am very disappointed at what appears to be the deliberate sabotage of what clearly could have been a successful scify police show. It definitely seemed to have the potential to reach similar success numbers as any CSI, NYPD Blue, or Hill Street Blues. Of course, those weren’t Science Fiction, future fantasy type shows just cop fiction loosely based on reality. Yet it should be said that the loss of this show before it had a chance, was the same kind of short sighted views that was cast at the original Star Trek, or even The Dresden Files. It would apper that if it doesn’t appeal to the folks that control the bottom line, then it’s gone period. No effort will be expended to save it such as promotional advertisements outside the network, to bring awareness to the new show. I for one never even knew the show existed until now some 10 years after the fact. Just slate it as an embarrassing failure and move on.
      I wonder if any comparable actors could even be found to recapture the flow and feel of the series that Karl and Micheal’s chemistry achieved. It certainly would be worth the effort to find out.

  8. Sci fi is my favorite genre. But it is so hard to find a sci fi series that would check all the boxes that I have for a good series. Almost Human was the best! I didn’t hear about the TV show in 2014, so I couldn’t save it back then. Oh, I wish I could get answers to all the questions that appeared in my head while I was watching.

  9. Yes, I love watching the show and then I would watch a season 2 maybe it should be revived on Netflix where it might stand a chance maybe but I don’t know I think it’s a little too late now for another season of the show but I could be wrong

  10. Wow! What a great a show! Just watched it for the first time. 10 years later as it’s more believable today and raises some real life concerns moving forward. Ticks all the boxes and would love to see another season. Kudos.

  11. My God I just watched the first season and I thought it was one of the best sci-fi show I ever watched I was so disappointed it was canceled after the first season, what a big mistake. That actors were excellent and the writing was pure genius. Maybe it wasn’t a good time slot or maybe they fail on the marketing of the potential series. But the first season was outstanding. I hope someone will pick it up and give it the proper attention it deserves.

  12. One of the best put together Sci Fi Flicks in a long time! This is was absolute stupidity! on a large scale. The actors that were selected were excellent! This show easily should have had 5 seasons before really thinking about canceling it?

    Sometimes I wonder what it would really take? Money wise that is , to save a show. Sometimes.. there should be a Network created .. for shows that were canceled way ahead of its time.. That Network would be better than the CW! Just saying.

    Legends of Tomorrow is a good clear example of this. And that network should be a steaming network like Netflix etc. What the Hell, I might just have to go create the thing.

  13. I did the same then found out that only one season. I screamed out loud say NO! Than some choice works. 6 years later they can still do another season with all the independents ie Netflix could do another season

  14. Love Karl Urban, I was one of those who wanted to save it when it first aired in 2014 It was a great concept for a show.

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