TV

Futuristic Starsky & Hutch join forces in ‘Almost Human’

When “Almost Human” creator-executive producer J.H. Wyman first brought his idea for the futuristic police procedural to J.J. Abrams, one of the things that Abrams found appealing was how it upended viewers’ expectations. Set in the year 2048, it tells the tale of a depressed, tightly wound detective named John Kennex (Karl Urban) who wakes up from a 17-month coma and learns that his new government-mandated partner is Dorian (Michael Ealy), an android with a surprisingly emotional synthetic soul. “I sort of loved the idea that you had a robot cop who was a warmer and more relatable character in some ways than the human character,” says Abrams, an executive producer on the show. “It was important that he not be Hymie the Robot from ‘Get Smart.’ ”

So while there are militarized machines that populate the landscape of “Almost Human” — called MX-43, these humanoids have a flat, emotionless gaze and a pre-programmed way of thinking — Dorian is the anti-Hymie. Says Wyman, “My major concern about Dorian is that I wanted him to be someone designed to integrate, to make people feel comfortable.”

This won’t hurt a bit: Michael Ealy dreads a skull invasion on “Almost Human.”

In a way, Michael Ealy had all the right bona fides for the part. Best known for his role as an undercover FBI agent infiltrating a terrorist organization on the critically acclaimed miniseries “Sleeper Cell,” he is blue-eyed, cheekbone-rich and effortlessly radiates a quiet, sensitive-man vibe. In the pilot, whenever Urban’s tough-guy John bristles and fumes at being saddled with a machine sidekick, Ealy conveys through sidelong glances and subtle changes in posture how Dorian is stung by John’s blunt dismissiveness. “Michael has a great look and is so cool, but he also has a heart like a baseball mitt,” says Wyman. “It’s one of the things that made me fall in love with him.”

Some of the freshness of Ealy’s interpretation of Dorian might have to do with the fact that while lots of actors spent their boyhoods steeping themselves in robot lore, he wasn’t one of them. “I never had aspirations of playing a droid,” says Ealy. “I don’t have deep sci-fi or comic book roots. Playing Bob Marley? That’s my dream role.”

Have gun, will pose: Minka Kelly is the token girl.

Ealy doesn’t even mind admitting that when he first read the “Almost Human” script, he wasn’t sure if it was for him. “I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to be on a television show that could go four to five seasons, and [my character] would never have a romantic interest. How does that even work?’ ” says Ealy. “I mean, I grew up watching ‘Three’s Company.’ There’s always something lingering around. In my career, I’ve rarely had roles that I didn’t have a love interest. It was a bit of a shock. The next morning I woke up and said, ‘Maybe that’s why I should do it — because I haven’t done it before.’ ”

It’s anyone’s guess which character the title of the series is referring to — is it factory-built Dorian or is it the living, breathing John, whose state-of-the-art prosthetic leg is often on the blink? Less mysterious is the lesson that Wyman and Abrams learned from Abrams’ now-defunct “Fringe,” a supernatural drama that struggled for a couple of seasons before it found its audience: If structured correctly, a series can serve both a hardcore fan and someone tuning in for the first time. “It was like, ‘Duh, why not make a great story every week and put some mythology in it and everyone will be rewarded?’ ” says Wyman, a showrunner on “Fringe.” “It seems obvious now, but it wasn’t when we were in the middle of it.”

To that end, Wyman characterizes “Almost Human” as a straight-up police drama — although given that it takes place 35 years from now, the crimes they’re investigating are higher-tech and at the behest of a Los Angeles Police Department that looks more “Blade Runner” than “The Closer.” Says Wyman, “It’s ultimately a cop show. If they’re not solving cases every week, then what else would they be doing? We’re going to release some mythology bit by bit and allow that part of the story to unfold at an organic pace.”

I know you’re an android, so why are you cuter than I am? Karl Urban and Michael Ealy.

And what about Slusho!, the fictional icy beverage that Abrams likes to insert somewhere in each of his projects? “Keep your eyes peeled,” Wyman promises.

But, if truth be told, the series is still at the brand-new stage where the smallest of details can throw the cast and crew for a loop. Take, for example, a simple scene where Dorian, who has thus far only been seen standing, joins a group of detectives at a conference table. “What’s it like when Dorian sits down?” Ealy asked himself. “Does he try to emulate how John sits down? Or does he have his own way?” Ultimately Ealy took his creative conundrum to the director, who had a bigger question. Which was? “He called up the producers and said, ‘Can Dorian even sit down?’ ”