Fox cancels sci-fi series ‘Almost Human’

So much for the future: The sci-fi drama “Almost Human” will not be returning to Fox for a second season.

The series from executive producer J.J. Abrams is set in the year 2048 and follows a Los Angeles police officer, Det. John Kennex (Karl Urban), paired with a cyborg partner named Dorian (Michael Ealy).

After heavy promotion from Fox during last year’s baseball playoffs, “Almost Human” earned strong ratings in its Sunday-night November premiere, when it generated a total audience of more than 9 million viewers, about 4 million of whom were in the coveted 18-to-49 demographic.

After settling in to its regularly scheduled Monday-night slot, “Almost Human” dipped in the ratings, hitting a low with its March 3 finale at 5.7 million viewers. Those numbers were still relatively strong for Fox, but the network has already ordered two new dramas straight to series for the fall, “Hieroglyph” and “Backstrom,” and also has several other promising pilots in the works, meaning it needed to free up some space on its schedule.

The news arrives as the casting for Abrams’ “Star Wars: Episode VII” has been announced, but the filmmaker has seen most of his recent small-screen efforts fizzle: “Undercovers” on NBC and “Alcatraz” on Fox were canceled after one season, and another freshman Abrams series, “Believe,” faces an uncertain future at NBC.

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