It is, by the numbers forgettable. a modern tech version of frankenstein + a procedural show. a solid 5 out of 10 show, even with the decent actors and sets that look great. it's a boring show because it's another police procedural.
On Fox.. The home that has no "Second Chances" to give.
What limits the enjoyability is the procedural nature of the show. but, once that's removed, there's no tension. Adding a single sociopath as the "arc" has 'resurrected' a story, but it's inherently limited, and that's how the show will remain.
Without a greater arc or a wider threat, or a greater sense of connection between the 4 different worlds (home/work of Pritchards / Goodwins), it's mediocre at best, and highly derivative procedural content. The sheriff will win because he has to, and Otto/Arthur the AI will solve the crisis because he's supposed to. It's not enough to carry the show because there's nothing left for the show to do, unless the FBI's only job in a procedural is to hire/find/acquire specialists to solve crimes (Hannibal, Limitless, Second Chance, White Collar, Quantico, Mentalist, Fringe, Numb3rs, Perception, Bones, Blacklist, Blindspot, sic.) Those other shows have spent time making their protagonist affable, and their handler/CI relationship work.
I thought i'd give it some props as a sci-fi enthusiast (I will watch almost anything), but episode 11 (and 12) has flushed that down the proverbial by cutting all of the secondary and tertiary subplots, and given us a cliffhanger that doesn't really work. Because at the conclusion of the season, there's no reason to worry about the characters. Everyone could die, and the series doesn't seem to have enough impact that it matters at all. Mary and Otto don't have enough chemistry as family, the Pritchard's don't either. Mid-season, there's enough drama and tension to be compelled to watch. but the technology wanders over into disbelief and CSI "enhance that image" levels of super-competence for a procedural at times, and while it's forgivable early on, Arthur is a feint towards a real character at times.
And it's slightly dissonant when you realise, anyone + Arthur could solve these crimes, and it would be just as compelling to watch, since he/it shoulders the duty of being the one that cares and does the bulk of the work, or could. He's the KITT to Michael Knight of the series in a lot of ways, so I'd guess that's a possible red flag. Procedurals get into this quagmire all the time when there's nothing to resolve, since the characters alone aren't compelling enough to carry the show because they have no integral lives outside of the crime/monster of the week.
Unfortunately, the show needs a rewrite for a second season to create a better arc villain and a better set of situations to unravel. Again, this show is on Fox, so that won't happen.
It might just have been a budget problem, but they opened up a significant scope of ideas, and then limited each box so that nothing passes in between each sub-story. If they had hired experienced scifi or procedural writers (or copied better writers), they might have added some chemistry between the characters, or a better mid-season arc to want to watch the series.
But, It's on Fox.
Review by ds1BlockedParentSpoilers2016-01-30T18:17:42Z
Read the premise, thought it was intriguing enough to give it a chance.
After episode 1 I thought arrogant main character, odd and unbelievable environment.
After episode 2: this turns bad very quickly.
After first 10mins in episode 3: what utter crap, not going to bother anymore.
The biggest issue isn't even the unlikable, arrogant maincharacter Jimmy Pritchard.
But the sum of all issues and the ridicolous reasoning why he was given a second chance and how that is achieved and everything else is falling conveniently together. The second chance giving is never really explained but whatever is shown within this Facebook "parody" Looking Glass founders home regarding that, raises more questions than giving answers.
We get this "random" guy because he can help cure (or prolong the life of) Mary Goodwin, who has a more or less unknown sickness, killing her slowly. Now, his blood is enough to help her, occasional blood transfusion are therefore in order.
But that alone would be boring, we need kind of ties, ties that bind him to the Goodwins to keep the show running.
Hence, let's make his second chance thing a temporary thing only and make him need to get into a water tank every 12 hours or so.
If he's not in that tank in that timespan, he kind of dies, like a strangers limb that is repelled by your immunesystem if you don't take medicine. That way he can't just walk out and live a second life. Done.
But now we can also use this as time pressure what equals to drama and a strict timeframe for plots. Great!
Sooo, how does he breathe in that water tank, while being conscious!?
Who put him in the water tank, when he was that old, overweight guy? There never is anyone else within the home of Looking Glass where they do these supersecret things and Mary is weak (weak in the sense of being sick) and her brother is a wimp.
Seems like the staff is kept at a minimum to save costs in this show.
At the same time these three episodes up to now desperately try to establish the "odd couple" for this procedural crime show and that is what pushes me away from this show. Not only is this done numerous times but it's absurd. Mary Goodwin is not a suitable partner for Pritchard, not even in this kind of show, and she has no reason whatsoever to go out her way to help him, even getting herself in danger.
Not to speak of that her illness is severe enough to go to such great lengths to revive Pritchard - without consent - put his consciousness into a younger self and abduct him but put aside that illness as soon as she needs to help Pritchard when todays crime is in the focus.
Oh, wait, she does have a reason, she loves him, an arc we will see unfold sooner or later. Oookay.
Uninspired writing, lame plots, boring characters, yes, even plot holes (digital photos changing and only plot relevant people realize the change). This show has nothing to offer that wasn't done tons of times before (much better) and doesn't even try to do things right. The whole show seems like a filler for a timeslot.
If networks push one Almost Human "rehash" after the other they should have stuck to Almost Human.
Save yourself the time and watch that other show you always wanted to watch but never came around to do so instead of this.