FX on Hulu’s new sci-fi thriller Devs takes viewers to the intersection of technology and human interaction with often-unnerving results.
The series stars Sonoya Mizuno as Lily, a computer software engineer, and Sergei (Karl Glusman), a couple who both work at a tech company called Amaya. When Sergei gets moved to Amaya’s secretive Devs tech development department headed by Amaya founder Forest (Nick Offerman), it seems like things are starting to look up. But when Sergei fails to return home after his first day, Lily begins to suspect the worst about her boyfriend and becomes very suspicious as to whether Devs had anything to do with his disappearance.
Executive producer Alex Garland (Ex-Machina) has created a series that pits the human condition and all of its flaws against the promise of greatness that technology offers, wrapped around a potential corporate conspiracy and one person’s pursuit for the truth against all odds. Desperate for answers and meeting resistance from Amaya’s steely head of security (played by Zach Grenier), Lily turns to her ex-boyfriend, cybersecurity specialist Jamie (Jin Ha), for help.
The eight-episode miniseries is an interesting play on technology’s frightening potential for privacy breaches and life-threatening intrusions. Garland’s vision of Amaya as a technology utopia is eerie but effective, from the visually compelling lighting in and around the tech company’s campus to the mysterious five-foot giant girl doll that hovers over the complex.
Devs marks the first original series to debut on the new FX on Hulu video streaming platform — which launches March 2 — and will only be available to Hulu subscribers. For fans of sci-fi and conspiracy thrillers, Devs on its own could be worth the price.
