Sense8’s Globe-Trotting Sci-Fi Adventure Was Cut Short

Where to begin? Legitimately, how do I start proclaiming the well-deserved love for a show with a whopping eight main characters?! Here are the basics: “Sense8” follows eight people, scattered across the globe, whose lives begin to intertwine when they discover they share a mental link. Revealed to be a cluster of “Sensates,” these eight strangers become intimately acquainted over the course of the first season, able to share their thoughts, skills, and experiences with the others — often without even meaning to. But once they do get the hang of it, they’re free to, say, call in the resident martial arts expert or pharmacist who’s also capable of making bombs to get them out of tight situations. And as any sci-fi saga worth its weirdness knows, you can’t have a group of unique individuals without a shady government agency desperately trying to dissect their brains. So in the midst of dealing with their everyday life issues and juggling their new abilities, they’ve also got a life-threatening conspiracy to worry about.

Ultimately, “Sense8” was always gonna be an uphill battle. Despite a premise that screams sci-fi conspiracy thriller, the show isn’t necessarily interested in its flashier selling points. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of flash! The series is visually extraordinary, a welcome change from the dull tones of prestige TV. “Sense8” is dripping in saturation and sunlit orange hues. Plus, its globetrotting premise jumps continents between scenes, delving into each locale’s beauty. Then there’s the daring choreography of each and every action scene, of which there are plenty. But when it comes to the story, everything else is pushed aside for the sake of character.

Now here’s where things get really fun. The ensemble cast includes: Nomi, a trans “hacktivist” whose unusual brain activity catches government attention; Sun, an underground Korean kickboxer in the midst of a corporate scandal; Lito, a closeted actor in Mexico city, torn between his movie star career and revealing his sexuality; Capheus, a Nairobi bus driver working to pay for his mother’s medication; Kala, a religious Indian pharmacist engaged to a man she doesn’t really love; Wolfgang, a German thief with a boatload of trauma and a soft spot for singing competitions; Will, a Chicago police officer grappling with his sense of justice; and Riley, an Icelandic D.J. hiding a tragic past.

In telling each of their stories, “Sense8” defies the possibility of being fit into a single genre box: sure, at its core this is a sci-fi series, but between scenes, it jumps from a tale of corporate espionage to a hacker-tinged love story between two women to crime drama about a renegade cop to a romantic tale of balancing sexuality and fame. One minute we’re biting our nails as a safecracker tries to steal diamonds on a tight deadline, the next we’re holding back tears as two characters contemplate humanity in an art museum. Not quite your speed? Just give it another couple of minutes — you’ll get to watch a woman clad only in gogo shorts go full Terminator, flipping cars and riding a motorcycle, to hunt a man down and solidify his death. This is the thrill of “Sense8” — it can be so gloriously nebulous. Through it all, the show is consistently bold, kinetic, and heartfelt, grappling with everything from homophobia and transphobia to poverty and class tensions.

When I insinuated that you may not care about some of these story threads, I was joking: the magic of “Sense8” is that you absolutely will. Because that’s kind of the point. Each of these characters is on their own individual journey but thanks to the newfound psychic link, they’re no longer alone. Through their crises, despite vastly different life experiences, they revel in their company. At its core, “Sense8” is about opening yourself up to the joy and pain of empathy. The villain of the saga is literally a walking manifestation of inhumanity, so hellbent on killing his own that he’s dubbed “The Cannibal” by other sensates. He’s so resistant to feeling for others that he takes pleasure in making them suffer. And what can our sensates possibly use to defeat him? Their connection, of course. Teamwork. Perseverance. The power of love. All that lame hero stuff, but with bazookas and inclusivity.