Karl Urban and Michael Ealy are heading to the future...almost.

The duo will make their debut as human detective John Kennex (Urban) and his new android partner Dorian (Ealy) in the two-night premiere of Fox's Almost Human.

Produced by Star Trek's J.J. Abrams, the sci-fi cop drama is set in the not-so-distant future of 2048. When Kennex returns to the police force following a work-related coma and the death of a former partner, the technophobe is unwillingly paired up with an android. However, when that ultimately goes to pot, Kennex is partnered with Dorian, a decommissioned android from the project "Synthetic Soul."

Unlike the completely calculated and logical decision making of other androids, Dorian has emotional-based responses, making him, well, almost human.

"[Ealy] is playing a character who is by design, literally, as brave and as knowledgeable and strategic as you would want your partner to be," Abrams said, according to Oh No They Didn't. "But he's also as altruistic and as considerate and empathetic as you would want."

While Dorian shares noticeable similarities to a normal person, the dynamic of 2048 Los Angeles is not overly different from the world we live in now. Despite the advances in technology, Abrams believes that audiences will find that the situations portrayed are easily relatable to today's society.

"In this show, not only are the relationships unique, but the situations the characters find themselves in are equally unique. The paradigm is familiar, but the specifics are different," Abrams explained to Entertainment Weekly. "If there's a new weapon on the streets, it won't look like a weapon you're familiar with, but you can understand it's a dangerous thing that shouldn't be in the wrong hands. It might be a bullet that doesn't shoot the way you expect. It might be a drug that does something to you that's insane and horrific. It might be something about harvesting organs that isn't like anything in present day. The technology is part of what's going on, but there's a level of reliability and understanding."

As with any cop show, Almost Human will have a loose case of the week format but the criminals and the busts aren't the main attraction. Although the series will revisit the events of the pilot later on this season, Urban claims the program doesn't hinge on crime solving alone.

"This show is primarily about the relationship between this odd couple. It's about watching them working together. It's about fun. It's about action. And it's about heart and comedy," Urban told StarTrek.com. "This show is actually a lot funnier and more action-oriented than what you see in the pilot. I can't wait for the audience to see the second episode, where we get into the sexbots and a whole lot of other fun territory."

Almost Human will premiere with a two-night premiere starting Sunday at 8 p.m. ET and continuing at the same time on Monday.

Tags
Almost Human, Fox, Television