You probably have a lot of stuff stored on your Google Drive, iCloud or equivalent. Holiday photos, maybe a few presentations, but I would bet anything that there are no humans on there. That's the premise of the best show on Amazon Prime Video. Upload is returning at last for a third season, starting with a double bill on October 20th.
Set in the not-too-distant future, show creator Greg Daniels (the mind behind the US Office) posits a world in which online storage acts as a digital afterlife where deceased loved ones - dubbed Uploads - spend eternity. This is a sci-fi version of heaven, similar to Netflix's The Good Place or perhaps Black Mirror's San Junipero episode, at least for those with money. With a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, this is a show that can compete with both of those big names.
We follow Nathan (Robbie Amell) who's been unfortunate enough to be in a serious car accident but fortunate enough to land in Lakeview, an idyllic country retreat-themed afterlife, thanks to his wealthy girlfriend. I won't go into spoilers but that's just the beginning of the story, with mysteries on both sides of the digital divide.
What makes the show so brilliant is how seamlessly it manages to blend comedy and some pretty hardcore sci-fi elements. Some episodes feel like sitcom adventures, others like crime dramas, and it just works. Allegra Edwards, in particular, brings the funny as Nathan's unhinged girlfriend Ingrid while Amell is endearingly wholesome.
Nathan's quest to find meaning in an eternal afterlife is the main source of laughs, contrasted with the real world where tension is rife with a heap of mysterious circumstances around his death. Given his living-impaired status, he enlists the help of his 'Guardian Angel' Nora (Andi Allo) who's very much struggling with her own issues.
The upcoming instalment will be the third season of the show but there's still so much left to explore in the world of Upload and plenty of questions to answer. As I mentioned the premiere is on October 20th and two more episodes will be released every Friday. Upload is well worth the data allowance.
