I saw an ad for this new Amazon Original shortly before it came out and made a mental note to watch it, then got completely absorbed in other things and forgot about it. Fortunately, I did remember it before too much time had gone by, because it was a delight! Here’s a quick synopsis from Amazon:
“In the future people can upload their consciousness to a luxurious digital afterlife. When party boy Nathan gets uploaded to a virtual resort he meets the down-to-earth Nora who starts as his customer service “angel”, but becomes so much more as she helps him find friendship, love and purpose.”
Of course, a little blurb like that can’t cover everything—like the fact that that “luxurious digital afterlife” is only available to people who can afford it. That even once you buy your way in, there are still the equivalent of “in-app purchases” everywhere. That if someone pays for your upload, they also control your afterlife.
I expected Upload to be a little cheezy, but it was surprisingly thoughtful. There were laugh out loud moments in almost every episode, but the writers didn’t go for the low hanging fruit. Some of the jokes are extremely subtle, and their vision of the future isn’t so far removed from our own that you can’t see things evolving (or devolving) that way. The protagonist, Nathan Brown, starts out as a cringe-worthy self-absorbed douchebag but very quickly becomes relatable—even likable.
I won’t ruin the story for you, but I will tell you that this is a great show and if you like tongue in cheek sci-fi and comedy… take the plunge. It’s already been green-lit for a second season, so no worries about getting hooked only to have it canceled after one season! However, the way the pandemic has film/tv production shut down… it might be a bit delayed.