Television series

Upload

Name: Upload
Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction, Mystery
Released: 2020
Cast: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Kevin Bigley, Allegra Edwards, Zainab Johnson

Upload is a witty sci-fi comedy about digital afterlife as a consumer product. A man uploaded to a luxury virtual reality must navigate friendship, romance, and the absurd capitalism of heaven while his earthbound customer service rep falls for him. It's sharp, funny, and surprisingly warm—a show that finds genuine heart in a ridiculous premise.

TVMaze rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy sitcoms that treat a big sci-fi premise as an excuse for banter, and a romance that takes its time between two very different people.

Skip it if you find sitcom jokes wearing thin fast, since the gags come often and the sweetness runs thick, and the glossy virtual world rarely feels as thoughtful as its premise.

What it asks of you: Episodes run about half an hour and arrive quickly, so it's a light commitment, but its sincerity wants you to meet it halfway.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Good Place2016

Similarly clever about the metaphysics of what comes next, mixing philosophy with comedy while building real emotional stakes. The writing snaps, and the central romance anchors everything.

But Four seasons means commitment. If you want a quick laugh rather than a long relationship with characters, it demands patience.

Severance2022

Same tonal balance of sci-fi premise and human consequence. Explores technology as a solution to suffering that becomes its own nightmare, with dark wit and genuine dread woven throughout.

But Deliberately slower and more unsettling. If you watch Upload for lightness, Severance's mood is heavier and more paranoid.

Russian Doll2019

Shares Upload's blend of conceptual high-wire act with real emotional texture. Funny and strange, but also genuinely moving about mortality, connection, and what we owe each other.

But Seasons aren't equal. The second season fractures the format in ways some find brilliant, others feel unnecessarily complex.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Upload

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Groundhog Day1993

Both use their central conceit—digital loop, virtual afterlife—as a stage for character transformation through love and forced self-awareness.

The spiritual template for Upload's structure: a man trapped in a loop, forced to reckon with his character flaws, who falls in love with his way out. Shares the same architecture of repetition, growth, and earned grace.

But A 1993 comedy has a different comedic language. Expect gentler humor and a slower burn than modern TV pacing.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel2017

Proof that a sharp, fast-talking romantic comedy can have real depth. Gorgeous production, zippy dialogue, and characters you actually care about beyond the jokes.

But The pace and style are relentless. If you want quieter storytelling, the constant energy becomes exhausting.

Made for Love2021

Dark sci-fi romance about a woman escaping her tech-billionaire husband's mind-control experiment. Blends comedy with genuine horror and explores intimacy, autonomy, and what connection means.

But Darker and weirder than Upload. Tonally unstable in ways that work if you're patient, feel scattered if you're not.

Halt and Catch Fire2014

Ambitious, sincere drama about innovation and ambition set in the personal computing revolution. Gorgeous cinematography and character arcs that actually earn their weight.

But No laughs. If you need comedy mixed with your tech drama, this is pure earnestness for four seasons.

Silicon Valley2014

Savage comedy about tech culture, venture capital, and self-delusion. The ensemble cast is terrific and the jokes land hard on the absurdity of startup life.

But Gets darker and more mean-spirited as it goes. By the end it's less fun than it is furious at its characters.

Undone2019

Rotoscoped animated series about grief, mental illness, and family secrets. Visually stunning, deeply human, and funny without being flippant about its heavier themes.

But The animation style is distinctive but can feel static to some. Takes its time—no quick payoffs, all slow reveals.

Fleabag2016

Brilliant comedy about a woman adrift in London, blending sharp jokes with genuine vulnerability. The writing is crisp and the fourth-wall breaks feel earned, not gimmicky.

But Only six episodes total across two seasons. If you fall in love, there's almost nothing left to watch.

The Peripheral2022

Both explore how technology reshapes intimacy and human connection across impossible distance—Upload through literal digital afterlife, Peripheral through time-bridging networks.

Dense sci-fi miniseries about futures colliding across decades, with real stakes and messy characters. Ambitious, strange, and not interested in holding your hand through its world-building.

But Genuinely difficult to follow. Asks you to hold multiple timelines and unexplained tech in your head simultaneously. Can feel like work.

Her2013

Both grapple with the same question: can you genuinely love someone whose existence is purely digital, and what does that love cost both parties?

Achingly lonely sci-fi romance between a man and an AI. Visually gorgeous, melancholic, and deeply interested in what love means when one party exists only as code.

But Quiet, contemplative, and sad in ways Upload never is. If you want warmth and jokes, this is for introspection and ache.