''Mann & Machine'' is an American
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
/
police drama
The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eithe ...
television series that aired for nine episodes on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
from April 5 to July 14, 1992.
Synopsis
Created by
Dick Wolf
Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946) is an American film and television producer, best known for his ''Law & Order'' franchise. Since 1990, the franchise has included six police/courtroom dramas and four international spinoffs. He is al ...
and Robert De Laurentis, the series starred
Yancy Butler
Yancy Victoria Butler (born July 2, 1970) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Natasha Binder in the 1993 film ''Hard Target'', Jess Crossman in ''Drop Zone'', and Detective Sara Pezzini on the TNT supernatural drama series '' ...
as Sgt. Eve Edison, a beautiful
police officer
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
who is also a sophisticated
gynoid
A gynoid, or fembot, is a feminine humanoid robot. Gynoids appear widely in science fiction film and art. As more realistic humanoid robot design becomes technologically possible, they are also emerging in real-life robot design.
Name
A gyno ...
capable of learning and emotion. She is partnered with Det. Bobby Mann (
David Andrews), a human officer who disdains robots. Rounding out the regular cast was
S. Epatha Merkerson
Sharon Epatha Merkerson (born November 28, 1952) is a film, stage, and television actor. Known by her stage name S. Epatha Merkerson, she has received numerous high-profile accolades for her work, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a ...
as Capt. Claghorn, Mann and Edison's superior officer.
The series focused on Mann and Edison's criminal investigations in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
twenty years in the future. An ongoing subplot of the series focused on Eve's continuing education about what makes humans tick, and her ever-growing capacity for emotion, highlighted by the penultimate episode "Billion Dollar Baby" in which Eve is placed in charge of caring for an infant, activating unexpected maternal feelings.
Although Butler received good reviews for her performance in one of her first major roles, the series was criticized heavily, with many comparing it to a failed 1970s comedy series with a similar premise, ''
Holmes & Yoyo
''Holmes & Yoyo'' is an American comedy television series that aired on ABC for 13 episodes during the 1976-1977 season. The series follows police detective Holmes and his new android partner, Yoyo, on their misadventures investigating crimes.
P ...
''. The series was pulled from NBC's schedule after only four episodes. The remaining five were aired in a
burnoff
A fire staff is a staff constructed out of wood or metal with Kevlar wick added to one or both ends. Fire staffs are used for fire performance.
Manipulation
There are two predominant styles for manipulating a fire staff: rotational and cont ...
as summertime filler.
Episodes
Reviews
"Mann & Machine" received mixed reviews and was canceled after only nine episodes. Despite its short run, the series gained a cult following among fans of science fiction and is remembered for its unique premise and the dynamic between the lead characters.
See also
* ''
Almost Human''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann and Machine
NBC original programming
Androids in television
Television series about robots
1990s American science fiction television series
Television series set in the 21st century
Television series by Universal Television
1992 American television series debuts
1992 American television series endings
English-language television shows
Television series created by Dick Wolf
Television series by Wolf Films
Television shows set in New York City