TV Review: Is Amazon’s Sci-Fi Comedy Series “Upload” Worth Watching?

I’m going to say upfront that the Amazon Prime Video service is one that I’ve never really “loved.” 

Sure, there are a couple of the service’s original series — “Bosch” and “Jack Ryan” — that I’ve really enjoyed the past few years. 

But a lot of the original content failed to grab me. 

I’m sure that’s an unfair sentiment on my part. I’d imagine many of you have worthwhile recommendations you could make. 

Bridget and I decided to try the new sci-fi comedy series “Upload” based on a number of commercials we’d seen for the show on network television. 

“Upload” was created by Greg Daniels, the mind behind the U.S. version of “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “King of the Hill.” He is also the creator of the Netflix series “Space Force.”

“Upload” takes place on Earth in the near future (2033 to be exact) and tells the story of a world where people have the ability to upload a digital version of themselves into a digital afterlife of their choice. 

Some people are better able to afford a comfortable afterlife than others (similar in concept to varying funeral ceremony and burial arrangements of the present). 

The show’s protagonist is Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell, who I’d describe as a “low rent Tom Cruise”), a 27-year-old computer programmer who sustains fatal injuries in a freak car accident and ends up in Lake View, a ritzy resort world that is considered one of the best afterlife options. 

His girlfriend Ingrid Kannerman (Allegra Edwards), a wealthy socialite, foots the bill for Nathan’s stay, hoping they’ll be able to eventually spend all eternity together in Lake View.  

Much of the first season of “Upload” is dedicated to Nathan adjusting to “digital heaven.” 

The immersive afterlife is something akin to the world featured in the Kristen Bell comedy “The Good Place.” In fact, the whole vibe of “Upload” is similar in nature (except it leans more toward the sci-fi end of the spectrum and is less fantastical). 

Nathan initially feels listless in his new environment, but soon forges a special bond with his afterlife handler (referred to as an “angel”) Nora Antony (Andy Allo) — an employee at Horizen, the New York City company that owns Lake View. (I get the sense that Horizen is modeled on Verizon, what with the references to data caps vs. unlimited data.)

Throughout “Upload’s” 10-episode first season (each episode runs about 30 minutes) the narrative veers between Nathan’s existence in a computer and the real world exploits of the people he interacts with. 

While the show is far from perfect — and appeals to a very specific taste — it is pretty entertaining. 

The cast is also likable. I wasn’t sure initially whether Robbie Amell could capably carry the show as the main protagonist, but I grew to like his character as the season wore on. Nathan’s arc in the story is somewhat predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. 

I thought Andy Allo did a nice job as the “angel” Nora. Her performance struck the right balance, and you could feel her inner conflict as she dealt the moral dilemma of what exactly defines a relationship in 2033. 

I should also note that a subplot is introduced early on about a business venture Nathan was involved in with his friend Jamie (Jordan Johnson-Hinds) that would provide afterlife services free of charge to the populace. 

Something I didn’t think was necessary was some of the more gratuitous “grown up” content in the season (the show is rated TV-MA). While various cable and streaming outlets give creators more “freedom” with content, sometimes the resultant effect can “cheapen” a show. 

I think of all the iconic episodes of “Seinfeld” that successfully navigated the network standards and practices personnel. If “Seinfeld” had been on an outlet like HBO, an episode like “The Contest” might not have been as compelling. 

It’s a minor quibble, but I think the show (which has been renewed for a second season) would benefit from some judicious trimming. 

Overall, I enjoyed the first season of “Upload.” While it would benefit from some tweaks next season, it is a program worth installing into your viewing lineup. 

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TV Review: Amazon’s “Jack Ryan” Season 2 is a Successful Mission

“Jack Ryan” is back. 

When I reviewed the first season of Amazon Prime Video’s refresh of Tom Clancy’s venerable Jack Ryan franchise, I wrote: “Amazon’s new entry in the ‘Ryanverse’ is a mixed bag. The first half of the 8-episode season feels uneven and (at times) awkward.” 

As a result, it was with some trepidation that I went into the second season of “Jack Ryan.” 

This time out, Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) is working as a legislative fellow to Sen. Jim Moreno (Benito Martinez) and looking into “hinky” transactions involving Venezuela and Russia.

The backgrounder on Venezuela’s geopolitical importance is provided via Ryan lecturing an auditorium full of students on a college campus. 

I must say, Krasinski looks comfortable as a wonkish academic, something unexplored in the first season of Amazon’s reboot (Clancy’s original novels saw the character serving as a history professor at the U.S. Naval Academy).  

Ryan is curious about a cargo ship called the Almeta. The suspicious ship is in a port outside Caracas. Containers from the Almeta (and other Cypriot ships) have been moved into Venezuelan jungles — kept under guard by government soldiers. 

Ryan and Sen. Moreno (who was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela) head down to Caracas on an official visit to see if they can learn more about the country’s ambitions. Venezuela is in the midst of a presidential campaign that sees President Nicolas Reyes (Jordi Molla) facing a tougher-than-expected challenge from protest candidate Gloria Bonalde (Christina Umana). 

Ryan’s former T-FAD boss Jim Greer (Wendell Pierce) is on a similar trajectory. At the start of the second season, Greer is in Moscow serving as the CIA D.C.O.S. (Deputy Chief of Station). He is attempting to determine if the Venezuelan shipments on the Almeta are tied to the launch of unregistered satellites in the South China Sea. 

A heart condition allows Greer to get reassigned to Venezuela. Ryan and Greer’s paths eventually cross at a hotel bar in Caracas. 

Converging plot points were a signature of Tom Clancy’s novels during his heyday in the 1980s and 90s. He was a master at juggling parallel story lines in his doorstop-size thrillers (an astounding skill considering the author didn’t outline his books).

I like that the creators behind “Jack Ryan” have attempted to bring an authentic Clancy feel to the series. 

The first crisis point of the second season kicks into gear when a convoy of SUVs (transporting Ryan and Moreno to the airport) is attacked on the streets of Caracas (in a sequence echoing a similar ambush from the 1994 movie “Clear and Present Danger.”)

What ensues over the next seven episodes is a multi-threaded story that has Ryan/Greer investigating the true nature of the cargo from the Almeta, watching a chess match unfold in the Venezuelan presidential election, and dealing with a mysterious German assassin named Max Schenkel (Tom Wlaschiha). 

Noticeably absent from the second season of “Jack Ryan” is Dr. Cathy Mueller (Abbie Cornish), an epidemiologist (eye surgeon in the novels) who served as Ryan’s love interest during the first season (the character was Ryan’s wife in Clancy’s novels).

The character isn’t referenced at all during the 8-episode run. Furthermore, Ryan has a one-night stand with a woman (who refers to herself in their initial encounter as Lina) named Harriet Baumann (Noomi Rapace).

While the story arc involving Baumann and Ryan develops a certain amount of intrigue (and has moments that feel like they stepped out of a “Jason Bourne” movie), the notion of a "boy scout" like Ryan sleeping with a random woman seems antithetical to Clancy’s source material for the character. 

It will be interesting to see if Cathy Mueller reappears in a future season, or if producers will be content with Ryan staying a bachelor. 

A story thread I particularly enjoyed involved CIA Special Activities Division (SAD) black ops operative Matice (John Hoogenakker). The character also appeared in the first season. 

Matice recruits a former Navy SWCC (Special Warfare Combat-Craft Crewman) named Marcus Bishop (Jovan Adepo) to drive a team up the Orinoco River (in Venezuela) on an ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) mission. One of the other team members — code-named “Coyote” (Allan Hawco) — gives Bishop the unwanted moniker “Uber.”  

The four operatives are there to assist in the investigation of the mysterious cargo containers. 

Matice eventually meets up with Ryan and Greer and quips, “I sincerely hoped I would not see you motherf*ckers again.” 

This particular plot line felt like it stepped off the pages of a Clancy novel. I really enjoyed how the team’s exploits meshed with overarching plot. 

In this iteration of the “Clancyverse,” Matice serves the narrative in a manner similar to the John Clark character in the books. 

(I figure we won’t see Clark in the Amazon series since Michael B. Jordan is playing the character in an upcoming “Without Remorse” movie for Paramount Pictures — slated for release Sept. 2020.)

One of the new characters I enjoyed was CIA Station Chief Mike November (Michael Kelly). 

November lended a certain amount of gravitas to the second season, and proved a solid ally for Ryan and Greer as they maneuvered around Venezuela. 

Moreover, the fact that November was divorced (twice) from the U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela Lisa Calabrese (Susan Misner) added an interesting dimension to the character. 

Overall, I found the second season of “Jack Ryan” to be much stronger than the first. I thought the storylines were more compelling this time out, and I appreciated seeing a political thriller in a unique locale (since so many espionage stories involve the Middle East).

The season had an attractive production value (it looked like they had a bigger budget this time out). In addition, the 4K UHD version of the series (that Amazon provides to Prime members) looked lovely streaming on my 50-inch Vizio D50-E1 via an Apple TV 4K. 

Krasinski continues to impress as Ryan. I look forward to seeing the character grow over the next few seasons.  

“Jack Ryan” Season 2 is a successful mission from start to finish. Definitely recommended.

>> If you enjoyed my review of “Jack Ryan,” follow me on X/Twitter — @TheJonCrunch 

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Review: Amazon’s “Jack Ryan” Series is Flawed, But Entertaining

This is not the review I expected to write. 

When the Super Bowl ad aired for Amazon’s new streaming series “Jack Ryan,” it looked like a slam dunk. 

I started reading Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels in 1989. I was a sophomore in high school, and my English teacher (who loosely followed the prescribed curriculum) gave us the option of reading a Clancy or Ludlum novel in the final weeks of the semester. 

I chose to read “Patriot Games”... and the rest is history. Clancy’s novels spurred my passion for reading espionage-related fiction. 

The five theatrical movies based on Clancy’s novels — “The Hunt For Red October,” “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger,” “The Sum of All Fears,” and “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” — are pretty solid. 

In my opinion, “The Hunt For Red October” is the entry that truly captures the essence of the Jack Ryan character (Alec Baldwin was very good in the movie).  

Amazon’s new entry in the “Ryanverse” is a mixed bag. The first half of the 8-episode season feels uneven and (at times) awkward. 

The setup for the first season of “Jack Ryan” is fairly routine. Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) is a former U.S. Marine and Wall Street analyst who works for the CIA’s T-FAD (Terror, Finance, and Arms Division). 

Ryan is a desk jockey who scrutinizes “money movement” in an effort to track down various “bad actors” around the globe — including potential terror organizations. 

In the first episode, Ryan uncovers millions of dollars in transactions tied to a suspicious player in Yemen named Suleiman. Ryan and new boss James Greer (Wendell Pierce) head overseas to investigate — to an American installation where they’re holding a pair suspected of involvement. 

It turns out one of the men is Suleiman himself — a man with nefarious plans. Unfortunately, Ryan doesn’t realize the man is Suleiman until it’s too late. That sets into motion a tangle of knots our protagonists spend the first season of “Jack Ryan” working to untie. 

We’ve seen these “follow the money” setups a number of times in the geopolitical thriller realm. 

I don’t say that as a criticism. It is just well-worn territory. 

The strongest aspect of “Jack Ryan” is John Krasinski. Some of you will remember Krasinski from the 2016 MIchael Bay movie “13 Hours” (about the 2012 tragedy in Benghazi). In my opinion, that film was basically a “demo reel” for Krasinki’s turn as Jack Ryan (Bay is an executive producer for the series). 

Krasinski is solid in the titular role — bookish, affable, tough, and daring. 

I also liked Abbie Cornish as Dr. Cathy Mueller, an epidemiologist (eye surgeon in the novels) who is Ryan’s love interest in the first season. 

The main rough spot in the first season involves a pointless subplot involving a drone pilot. (I won’t get into spoilers, but I think you’ll understand what I mean after watching the season.) 

There were also a couple of completely unnecessary sex scenes in the first half of the season. I’m not a total prude, but those instances cheapened the overall narrative and at least one was completely gratuitous.

I also have mixed emotions about some of the changes from Clancy’s source material. In particular, the James Greer character is a surly, disgraced intelligence officer in the Amazon series (not the straight shooting former vice admiral seen in the books). 

Wendell Pierce is a terrific actor (who has some great one liners on the show), but I felt the writers tried too hard to give the character a unique "angle."

Ultimately, I think the series will improve in subsequent seasons. 

The reason I say that is because the first season became very compelling by the time the final four episodes rolled around. 

The pacing improved, Krasinski had more screen time (always a good thing), and there were some truly suspenseful moments (the subplot involving Suleiman’s wife Hanin were among the most enjoyable sequences in the first season). 

For my money, the fifth season of “24” serves as the “gold standard” for espionage-related thrillers. 

“Jack Ryan” doesn’t rise to that level, but it is entertaining. If you can get past the flaws — and look at future potential — “Jack Ryan” is a good launching pad for upcoming seasons (it has already been renewed for a season season). 

>> If you enjoyed my review of “Jack Ryan,” consider following me on X/Twitter for more great content — @TheJonCrunch 

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