Intimate Male Relationships in Almost Human

Abstract

The short-lived science fiction television program Almost Human's depiction of male relationships reflects how cultural expectations of males inhibit the development of intimate, heterosexual, male relationships. In the program's cyberpunk urbanscape of androids and humans, where physiological gender determinations are no longer significant, the program both explicitly and implicitly discusses current real world concerns over masculine disidentification. Using both male studies and feminist theory to analyze Almost Human, this essay contends that the program provides a unique depiction of male-male relationships that, while impacted by cultural expectations of masculine performativity, are nonetheless supportive and compassionate.