After adapting The Office for American television and cocreating Parks and Recreation, Greg Daniels went in a completely different direction with his Prime Video original series Upload.
Robbie Amell stars in this sci-fi comedy/drama hybrid as a man whose afterlife isn’t what he hoped it would be.
Instead of a virtual paradise, this artificial heaven is more like a prison.
The final season is coming later this month, and that’s why Watch With Us has selected Upload as the one comedy show you need to watch in August. There’s still plenty of time to binge the first three seasons before the new episodes arrive.
The Premise Is Hilarious and Unique
Upload takes place in an alternate future set just a few years from the present, where humanity has taken the afterlife into its own hands by creating a virtual world where the dead can live on forever. At least that was the intent. It’s not necessarily the reality of Nathan Brown (Amell), a young man who was cut down in the prime of his life.
Thanks to his wealthy girlfriend, Ingrid Kannerman (Allegra Edwards), Nathan’s mind is uploaded. However, Nathan has a hard time dealing with the limitations of his virtual heaven and tries to commit “virtucide.” That’s when he meets Nora Antony (Andy Allo), a woman who may be his soulmate. She just happens to be still among the living and working as his customer service representative. That was the emotional love triangle setup for the series, which has slowly expanded its scope to explore more of the implications for the artificial digital afterlife. The series is always funny, but there are times that it’s thought-provoking as well.
Robbie Amell Gives the Best Performance of His Career
Most of Amell’s television roles have been in the realm of drama, and he tapped into that well for Nate as well. Until Upload came along, few realized that Amell is also a gifted comedic performer. A lot of the show’s humor comes from Nate’s reactions to the people and things he encounters in the digital realm. Amell isn’t clowning around with an over-the-top performance, but he’s still pretty funny even when Nate is depressed.
The show really comes to life when it explores Nate’s relationship with Nora. Amell slips into a romantic lead part just as naturally as he does with Nate’s internal struggles. The irony is that the audience cares more about Nate after his death because his virtual life is so screwed up. Without Amell as the grounding element, the comedy and the tragedy of this series wouldn’t have the same impact.
The Ongoing Story Skillfully Mixes Comedy and Drama
There’s a version of Upload that could have worked if the series were strictly a comedy about Nate’s attempts to fit into his afterlife while exploring his new love connection. Thankfully, the show’s creative team pushed the premise even further with ongoing mysteries, including Nate’s missing memories and the reveal that he may have been murdered.
This may be a comedic show, but the stakes are literally life and death when they place Nora in danger. Someone is willing to kill to prevent their secrets from coming out, and watching Nate and Nora unravel that conspiracy has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the show. Season 3 even ended on a cliffhanger that could be a game-changer for the show’s signature couple as it heads into its fourth and final season on August 25.
The first three seasons of Upload are streaming on Prime Video. Season 4 begins streaming on August 25.
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