Lightening the Upload

Ever since The Good Place concluded its brilliant four-season run, a significant Good Place-shaped hole in my television viewing has remained. Of course, nothing is going to come along and perfectly capture that show's blend of hilarity, thoughtfulness, introspection, and depth. But it turns out that there is a show that can scratch the same itch reasonably well.

Upload is a half-hour comedy series on Amazon Prime. Set in 2033, it posits a world where a person's consciousness can be preserved upon death, to live on in a virtual afterlife -- either to enjoy the "better than life" perks there, or to await future technological breakthroughs that can return them to the real world. But the virtual afterlife is highly corporatized, with behemoth companies controlling the best places to store yourself, and constantly dinging your real-world bank accounts for upgrades and perks.

Into this backdrop, newly dead programmer Nathan tries to get to the bottom of his suspicious death while pleasing Ingrid, his girlfriend in the real world -- who controls the purse strings to his existence. His ally is Nora, his "tech support" operator.

Upload is not tackling "big meaning of life" type philosophy as The Good Place does. But it is nevertheless much deeper than the average sitcom, and probably wouldn't draw comparisons were it not for the "afterlife" subject matter. Then again, maybe it would, as it comes from Greg Daniels, who co-created Parks and Recreation with Michael Schur; Schur went on to make The Good Place, while Daniels has gone on to this.

There are a lot of angles into liking the show. There's the scathing commentary on capitalism (subversively hilarious for a show that "airs" on Amazon Prime). There's a sweet rom-com element that builds in a satisfying way throughout the 10-episode first season. And it always remembers to be funny too -- full of clever turns of phrase, sight gags, and more.

Nathan is the protagonist of the show, and actor Robbie Amell is a likeable enough lead, but the show's real ace-in-the-hole is Andy Allo in the role of Nora. Her character escorts the audience on its journey from not-really-liking to caring for the hero, while having many problems of her own to deepen our emotional investment.

Ten episodes at half an hour each may not seem like much (and in the sense that it leaves you wanting more, it isn't), but it is enough for Upload to unspool an interesting story with an intriguing premise. A second season has been ordered... though it may take time to deliver it in coronavirus times. Until then, enjoy what there is so far. I give Upload a B+.