12 Best TV Shows Like Upload

Humans have long been obsessed with trying to cheat death, and that obsession has manifested in countless works of fiction that involve solving what is perhaps life's only truly unsolvable problem. In the Greg Daniels-created Prime Video series "Upload," death is skirted by way of a dying person being able to transfer their consciousness into an avatar that can live on in a virtual world with other people's avatars. Just like in the living world, money and influence decide the quality of the virtual world you get to live in, as well as the perks you can enjoy during your digital afterlife. Those issues get at the central conflict of "Upload," and it is revealed that the virtual afterlife — and the people who run it — might not actually have their clients' best interests at heart.

While various aspects of "Upload" are unique, its overarching premise certainly isn't. There have been multiple TV shows over the years that involve using technology to blur the lines between life and death. Some balance humor and drama the way "Upload" does, while others go much further in one of those directions. Taking the tech angle out of the equation, there are also a number of shows that follow living characters interacting with dead ones in some manner. Both varieties of life and death TV shows are recommended here, as are shows that don't necessarily deal with the death angle at all but connect to "Upload" by their subgenre, their vibe, or, in a few cases, sharing a key creative figure.

"Upload" premiered not long after the previous go-to comedy about the afterlife ended. That comedy is "The Good Place," which follows a group of strangers who wake up in a seemingly-perfect little town that is presenting itself as heaven. But when the group starts to wonder if they really deserve to be there — and question how the powers that be who run the entire afterlife could possibly make assignment mistakes — things are soon revealed to not be at all what they first seemed.

"The Good Place" takes a lot of fun and surprising twists and turns over the course of its four-season run, constantly justifying its continued existence beyond an initial premise that would've quickly worn thin without being shaken up. It goes more magical and spiritual rather than the entirely sci-fi bent of "Upload," but the two shows still share plenty of similarities in terms of dealing with the politics of who deserves what, and why, after we die. And if you've already watched the NBC series, you might consider giving it another go, as there are some things that fans of "The Good Place" only notice when rewatching the show.

It's easy to recommend "Black Mirror" to fans of "Upload," given that there are multiple episodes of "Black Mirror" that deal with the very thing "Upload" does — how technology can be used to allow people to live on indefinitely, and the ways that technology can and likely would be corrupted by hubris and greed. In fact, that's more or less all of "Black Mirror," an anthology series that showcases the way future technology could improve our lives but then immediately reminding us that said technology wouldn't come without a huge price.

Considering that there are plenty of "Black Mirror" episodes that accurately predicted the future of tech, it's a little frightening to think about how some of the as-of-yet unrealized terrors the show presents might be in store for humanity. While "Upload" wrapped up its run on a fairly happy note, at least in terms of seeing the de facto villains vanquished, rarely does an episode of "Black Mirror" conclude with an outcome that is a net positive for everyone involved.

It's also worth noting that, like any anthology show, the quality of individual "Black Mirror" episodes can vary. But when "Black Mirror" is good, it's very good — and it's also easy enough to research which episodes to avoid altogether. To give you an idea of which ones are worth your time and which ones you should skip, we've ranked every "Black Mirror" episode from worst to best.

One of the initial conflicts of "Upload" comes in the form of the relationship between Nate (Robbie Amell) and his girlfriend, Ingrid (Allegra Edwards). While they were a seemingly-happy couple when they were both still alive, Ingrid holds all the cards now that Nate is dead and she still lives — and it's her money that is allowing Nate to live in virtual afterlife luxury. But even beyond that, the couple struggles to stay together under this new arrangement, with Nate no longer having the same feelings for Ingrid now that he's, well, dead. Though the premise of "Forever" doesn't have all of those exact same plot points, there is a major thing it has in common with that aspect of "Upload."

Married couple Oscar (Fred Armisen) and June (Maya Rudolph) have a very by-the-numbers marriage, which bothers June a lot more than it does Oscar. When they find themselves both dead and having to once again be a married couple in the afterlife, it ends up not only bringing up old problems in their relationship but introduces new ones — not the least of which is the realization that they are seemingly stuck being a married couple for all of eternity. Like "Upload," "Forever" asks the question of what happens when the concept of being with someone for eternity goes from being just an abstract, poetic notion to an actual reality.

While the list of terrible American remakes of British TV shows is a long one, thankfully that list doesn't include "Ghosts." Make no mistake, though — the U.K. original is definitely the superior show, but we're spotlighting the American version for fans of "Upload" for a couple of reasons. The most obvious one is that they share actor Allegra Edwards, who plays Ingrid in "Upload" and the recurring role of Donna in the U.S. version of "Ghosts."

The humor is a little more on-the-nose compared to the dry, sarcastic tone of the British version. And, coupled with a few other adjustments to characters, premise, and cultural touchstones, the remake is just that touch more palatable to the typical American TV watcher. As for what "Upload" and "Ghosts" have in common beyond an actor, "Ghosts" is also a comedy about living and dead people interacting and the latter seeking comfort in a cozy, service industry view of the afterlife.

In this case, the living people are a couple who run a bed and breakfast. They had near-death experiences which allows one of them to see and hear ghosts. The ghosts are stuck at the B&B, and the couple essentially treats them as they would living guests while helping them find whatever it is that they are seeking that will allow them to cross over into the afterlife.

Up to this point, all of the recommendations on this list have either been straight-up comedies — or, in the case of "Black Mirror," have a number of funny moments, even if the humor is of the dark variety. "Altered Carbon" is the first of several shows we recommend to fans of "Upload" in spite of them being entirely serious, but that doesn't mean there aren't still various connections that should allow for fan crossover between the two.

The premise of "Altered Carbon" is similar to "Upload" in that both involve the transfer of consciousnesses in order to allow for people to live indefinitely. In the case of "Altered Carbon," those consciousnesses are transferred to other physical bodies in the living world when a person dies. That is, as long as the person has a physical body available to transfer to — otherwise, the end really is the end.

The similarities between the two shows admittedly end there. "Altered Carbon" is a sci-fi action series more in the vein of Philip K. Dick than, well, Greg Daniels. That being said, as "Upload" went on, it did become a bit more of a technothriller in terms of what Nora (Andy Allo) and her cohort were doing to infiltrate and take down Horizon, so perhaps it's not so different from "Altered Carbon," after all.

While "Quantum Leap" did have a modern revival for two seasons starting in 2022, and those two seasons are actually pretty good, the original 1989-1993 series is the one to watch (especially since the 2022 version is a continuation of the original anyway). As for that original, it doesn't actually feature any dead characters as the leads, but Dr. Samuel Beckett (Scott Bakula) is no longer inhabiting his original body. Instead, his consciousness is "leaping" into people who need help getting out of some kind of tough situation, and once Sam figures out and solves that situation, he leaps to the next person. Sam was basically being uploaded into these people at a time before the mainstream audience would've known what the word "upload" even meant. 

Beyond that, "Quantum Leap" has serious "Upload" vibes in that Sam is being helped along by the hologram of a man named Al (Dean Stockwell), not unlike what Nora does for Nate. Though there is an overarching narrative in "Quantum Leap," it mostly takes a backseat and serves only as an excuse for the premise of Sam being thrust into an entirely different time and place each episode. Some episodes are more serious than others, and some are almost entirely comical. And, despite the show ending on the revelation that Sam will continue to leap for the rest of his existence and never return to his previous body or life, there is an overall lightness to the proceedings.

Writer and producer Bryan Fuller seems to excel at both science fiction and the macabre — and in terms of the latter, bringing a heavy dose of quirkiness and dark humor into the proceedings. Needless to say, someone who knows his way around sci-fi and stories about death is someone that "Upload" fans should be aware of. As of yet, he hasn't fully combined those two loves into a single project, but the side of him that likes to create shows about death did deliver two projects that are nevertheless sure to delight "Upload" viewers.

The first of those shows is "Dead Like Me," an unfairly forgotten Showtime series from the early-2000s. The show imagines a system where people that die join a team of grim reapers who then have to extract souls from other dying people, and only after reaching a certain quota are they allowed to pass onto the actual afterlife. At the center of the show is George (Ellen Muth), who was already a moody teenager while she was alive and of course becomes even more so when she not only dies, but is then given a job to do. 

George is not a likeable character, nor are most of the characters in "Dead Like Me," and that's kind of the point. It definitely differs from "Upload" in that way. But otherwise, anyone who enjoys fiction that involves a transactional relationship between the living and the dead, as "Upload" features, should also get a kick out of "Dead Like Me."

The other Bryan Fuller show that fans of "Upload" will likely enjoy is "Pushing Daisies," which has its dark humor moments but generally leans more towards the fun and quirky. It not only has Fuller's fingerprints all over it, but the contributions of Barry Sonnenfeld — who executive produced and also directed several episodes — shines through, as well. It's clear that the man who directed the two '90s "Addams Family" movies had a major creative influence here.

Ned (Lee Pace) is a baker who comes to discover that his mere touch can bring a dead person back to life. But if he touches the person he revived again while they are alive, they not only die again but can then never be revived. This wrinkle proves especially bittersweet when he revives childhood crush Chuck (Anna Friel), but can never touch her again.

Beyond this tragic will they/won't they/they shouldn't dynamic, Ned also uses his ability to solve murders. Sadly, "Pushing Daisies" became one of the far too many TV shows that will never be completed when it was canceled without a proper finale. But the two seasons that exist are still magical. This show is a must-watch for fans of "Upload" or any other comedies about life and death and everything in between. 

Maybe you are just looking for other science fiction comedies and don't necessarily need them to be about death in particular. In that case, Hulu's "Future Man" might be just what you're after. As one of a fairly small number of sci-fi TV comedies, "Future Man" is a good follow-up to "Upload," but that's not the only reason it makes our list. "Future Man" also deals with virtual worlds, avatars, and the like, so the connections are a bit more specific than just the overall sci-fi comedy genre. But what's it about, exactly?

Josh Hutcherson stars as Josh Futterman, who has little else going for him but his dead-end job and his video game obsession. When he finally beats a game that was previously considered to be unbeatable, Josh is surprised to see the game's protagonists physically appear before him and reveal that the war within the game is actually real. From there, Tiger (Eliza Coupe) and Wolf (Derek Wilson) recruit Josh to help them fight said war, bringing him on a time-hopping mission to save the future. Executive producer Seth Rogen, who co-directed some of the episodes, eventually shows up in Season 2 for a fun cameo that evolves into a bigger role for the third and final season. 

Here's another show that is entirely science fiction and not at all about death, but in this case, the connection to "Upload" is a major one. "Space Force" was co-created, alongside star Steve Carrell, by Greg Daniels, the latter of whom was also the show's main showrunner. The two obviously found great success when they collaborated on the American version of "The Office," which Daniels also developed and ran.

Like "The Office," "Space Force" is very much a workplace comedy — only one set within the titular U.S. government organization. So, like "Upload," it's a sci-fi comedy about a techy workplace and the people within it. The first season of the show was pretty poorly received, but it more than redeemed itself with an excellent Season 2. Unfortunately, even with Season 2 so effectively righting the ship, "Space Force" couldn't avoid being canceled by Netflix. That was a real shame, as Season 3 could have been even better than the sophomore outing. 

Like fellow Greg Daniels co-created workplace comedy "Parks and Recreation," the weak first season of "Space Force" is a necessary evil to learn about the premise and the characters before things get going. But — again, like "Parks and Rec" — the payoff of the far superior Season 2 is well worth that rough start. It's just too bad that's all there is.

Greg Daniels sure is a busy man. When he's not co-creating and/or serving as a showrunner for long running series like "The Office," "Parks and Recreation," "King of the Hill," and "Upload" — to say nothing of his earlier work as a writer for "Saturday Night Live," "Seinfeld," and "The Simpsons" — he still finds time to work on numerous other shows. One of those shows was the underrated TBS comedy "People of Earth," which he co-produced with Conan O'Brien and served as a director on a couple of episodes.

In addition to being "Upload" adjacent thanks to the Greg Daniels connection, "People of Earth" is yet another science fiction comedy. And not only that, it's one that plays with the idea of a tech savvy organization that seems to be running things from a place of goodness but whose plans are soon revealed to be quite the opposite. In this case, the organization is made up of extraterrestrial beings whose goals are discovered by the people they have abducted over the years and are now in a support group because of it. 

Despite strong reviews — The Hollywood Reporter even called it one of the best comedies on television at the time — ratings were soft. As a result, TBS canceled the planned third season of "People of Earth," despite having previously greenlit it. Despite the show ending too soon, it's definitely still worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of "Upload."

You can't talk about TV shows that deal with people using technology to separate themselves from their bodies (and that technology ultimately being used for sinister purposes) without bringing up "Severance." In this case, it's not so much that the employees of Lumon Industries actually send their consciousnesses into other bodies. Instead, they are simply given the option to forget what they did during their work day. It sounds like the dream of everyone who has a boring job — until you begin to consider how letting people forget their actions for large stretches of time might be used to make them do nefarious things they won't have any recollection of.

To say much more than that would be to spoil what makes "Severance" such an excellent series. There is a reason why there's a general vagueness to any commercials or trailers you've seen for the show — it's best to go in knowing as little as possible if you want to enjoy it to the fullest. On the off chance you haven't already watched it, which seems unlikely if you like "Upload" and shows like it, "Severance" should absolutely be your next big binge. If you don't have Apple TV+, it's worth getting it just for "Severance" alone.