The Best Hard Sci-Fi Show Only Lasted One Season

While the science fiction genre has been intrinsically linked to the development of the television medium, many of the most recognizable sci-fi shows of all-time contain some element of fantasy. Franchises like Star Trek, Doctor Who, The Twilight Zone, and The X-Files do contain some genuine scientific principles; however, it’s hard to consider them to be “hard sci-fi” when there are so many fantasy elements that are inherent to the premise. “Hard sci-fi” is a difficult genre to crack, as any narrative that relies upon its predictive qualities risks being out of touch if real life catches up too quickly. However, Alex Garland’s brilliant science fiction miniseries Devs told a universal story about the search for the afterlife. What distinguishes Devs from other sci-fi shows is that it frames its story within a recognizable version of reality.

What Is ‘Devs’ About?

Devs follows the young software engineer Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno), who works alongside her boyfriend Sergei Pavlov (Karl Glusman) at a mysterious software company known as “Amaya.” While not much distinguishes “Amaya” from other Silicon Valley companies, little is known about the organization's enigmatic founder and CEO, Forest (Nick Offerman in a rare dramatic performance). Lily’s curiosity about Amaya turns into rage when Sergei is killed on his first day at work and Amaya refuses to release any concrete details regarding his death. As she pries deeper into the company’s origins, she realizes that Forest has grander ambitions about conquering death. The loss of Sergei, as tragic as it is, was just one insignificant moment of collateral damage in Forest’s elaborate scheme.

While the premise initially seems like the setup for a sci-fi mystery, Sergei’s death is less important than what it reveals about Forest’s operation. However, losing such a pivotal character within the first episode of the series was important in establishing Lily as an engaging protagonist. Lily is worth investing in because she is coping with tragedy, and does not have any personal ambitions that make her interested in Forest’s technology. The series uses her investigation to analyze the mourning process. Traditional logic would suggest that solving Sergei’s murder wouldn’t bring him back, but based on what Lily learns about Forest, that may not be the case. While exploring an evil corporation’s secret ambitions is a common trope within sci-fi stories, Devs’ focus on Silicon Valley makes it feel particularly timely.

Devs is unique among hard science fiction shows because of its emotional frankness; while the characters are capable of brilliance, it's not their abilities that define them. Although Lily’s investigation into Amaya and Forest’s Devs lab are interesting, she never feels like a stand-in figure for Garland to exercise his philosophies. Similar to the characters in Garland’s films Ex Machina and Annihilation, Lily is an audience avatar who has the same foundational knowledge that they do. While a hard sci-fi series like Westworld is guilty of thinking it's smarter than the audience, Devs viewers are never out of step with Lily.

‘Devs’ Is Elevated Thanks to the Cast's Brilliant Performances

Devs hits home with its emotion thanks to Chan’s incredible performance; while hard sci-fi can often be difficult to relate to on an emotional level, Lily’s concerns about her romantic life and future make her a relatable character. Throughout the series, Lily’s romance with her ex-boyfriend Jaime (Jin Ha) forces her to contextualize her relationship with Sergei. Although the series deals with concepts like free will, determinism, and fulfillment, the concepts never feel academic because they affect Lily’s decisions. The prospect of a different reality or series of events would force her to choose between two men whom she has enjoyed relationships with. Romance and science fiction often go hand-in-hand, and Devs does a great job at showing how its extraordinary concepts affect Lily’s romantic liaisons. The emotional authenticity of these scenes only makes the sci-fi concepts feel more grounded.

The mystery at the heart of Devs is able to show that Forest and Lily aren’t as dissimilar as they seem. The show’s fifth episode incorporates important elements of his backstory that show how the death of his daughter Amaya (Amaya Mizuno-André) inspired him to search for scientific proof of the afterlife. Offerman does a great job at shrouding Forest in mystery up until this point in the series. Although at first his rude, defiant attitude just seems like a serious version ofParks and Recreation’s Ron Swanson, his emotional coolness is due to the tragedy within his life. The show finds a beautiful way of showing how these two characters ultimately come together when they realize they have the same goal. This makes Devs unique because its characters aren't strictly “heroes” or “villains;” they just have different ways of realizing the same goals.

‘Devs’ Puts an Interesting Spin on the Multiverse

While even the greatest science fiction stories can struggle to define ideas that are best described in theory, the projection technology that Forest uses in Devs is able to visualize theoretical concepts. In particular, “Episode 5” shows death and post-traumatic stress disorder by revealing how Amaya’s death gives Forest continued inspiration for his studies. Forest uses his technology to relive the last moments of his daughter’s life and imagines what he could have done differently. While this is a normal step within the grieving process, seeing Forest’s memories literally projected helps visualize his emotions.

Devs was also able to make use of the “multiverse” concept before it became cliché. Alternate realities can quickly become confusing, especially in a show with as much technical dialogue as Devs. However, Garland uses the multiverse to examine the power of personal choice. The series only shows different versions of events when it needs to focus on one of the key moments in Lily’s life. Each version of reality is so well-defined that the series never loses its sense of stakes. Even if the characters’ actions don’t have literal consequences, that doesn’t mean that their actions don’t have value. Although Devs is invested in the capabilities that technology has, it becomes a celebration of human achievement and why the best things in life are the most fleeting.