Video Reaction: J.J. Abrams' 'Almost Human' [Comic-Con 2013]

Guessing how a TV show will turn out before the first episode even airs is a fool's errand. Even so, some pilots boast premises or talents so promising we can't help but be intrigued, and one we've been particularly curious about is Fox's J.H. Wyman-created, J.J. Abrams-produced Almost Human.

Set several decades into the future, the sci-fi drama centers around human cop John Kennex (Karl Urban) and the humanoid android partner, Dorian (Michael Ealy), who's assigned to him. Russ and I were able to catch a version of the pilot, and you can hit the jump to see our reaction.

To get more specific, the show picks up with Kennex two years after a betrayal resulted in the loss of his leg as well as the deaths of his team. He returns to work obsessed with finding out what's happened to him, and is none too thrilled to learn from his boss (Lili Taylor) that he's required to team with an android partner.

Said partner turns out to be a DRN (called "Dorian"), an older model who turns out to be more emotional and intuitive — i.e., more human — than the more rational models that have replaced him. Mackenzie Crook, Minka Kelly, and Michael Irby also star.

A version of the pilot was shown at preview night. See Russ' and my thoughts below.

Almost Human premieres Monday, November 9 at 8 PM.