TV Show review
April 30, 2020 · TV-MA · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Upload.
Woke representation / casting
Visible diversity in principal cast with a Black female lead in a sci-fi lead role and mixed ensemble; reflects natural demographics in a Brooklyn/future setting without explicit identity-driven marketing or mismatched casting.
Woke political dialogue
Satirical critiques of corporate greed, billionaire control, and tech-capitalism fusion appear in dialogue and plots, including protests; remains broad economic commentary rather than specific modern activist or identity-based rhetoric.
Identity-driven story themes
Primary themes revolve around economic class inequality, the ethics of digital immortality, and romantic connection across divides; strong competent female characters exist but no dominant queer, racial identity, or gender-politics arcs.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Portrays tech corporations and extreme capitalism as dehumanizing forces that widen gaps between rich and poor; critiques institutional power in the afterlife industry but avoids framing as anti-patriarchal, anti-colonial, or targeted cultural deconstruction.
Review
Upload is a four-season sci-fi comedy-drama created by Greg Daniels that follows coder Nathan Brown after his death in a self-driving car crash. He is uploaded into the luxury virtual afterlife Lakeview run by tech firms, where he bonds with Nora, his living customer service rep from Brooklyn, while uncovering corporate secrets and class divides. The series uses humor and romance to satirize tech monopolies, economic inequality between rich uploads and poor living people, and the commercialization of death across all seasons through 2025.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Sparse viewer complaints about the show's left-leaning anti-corporate tone feeling preachy; no significant organized criticism labeling it as woke, DEI-pushing, or identity-agenda driven.
Creator track record context
Greg Daniels' body of work features mild liberal satire on bureaucracy and society; several directors and writers bring low-to-moderate profiles, with Dee Rees and Daina Reid contributing higher due to prior race and gender-oppression focused projects, but the overall team lacks dominant activist or identity-politics patterns.
Production
