The Big Picture

Prime Video’s Upload recently concluded Season 3, leaving fans with major questions about Nathan. Stars Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, and Allegra Edwards discuss the show’s global reach and ability to resonate with people. The cast members also share their excitement for the show’s future and their speculations on the phone call in the Season 3 finale.

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Upload Season 3.]The #1 comedy series on Prime Video, Greg Daniels’ Upload, recently concluded Season 3, leaving fans with some major questions. The finale took even its stars by surprise when Lakeview is raided and we’re left wondering, “But who’s the real Nathan?” To answer this question, Collider’s Steve Weintraub spoke with cast members Robbie Amell, Allegra Edwards, and Andy Allo about their reactions to the Season 3 finale and what their hopes are for the series going forward.

Since 2020, Upload has explored the concept of a virtual afterlife and all the ramifications that come with it. In Season 3, the series largely deals with multiple Nathans (Amell), including Nathan and Nora’s (Allo) evolving relationship together and their mission to expose Freeyond in the real world, and Ingrid’s (Edwards) pursuit of backup Nathan. This complicated love square is made that much more challenging to deal with when Season 3, Episode 8, “Flesh and Blood,” sees one of the Nathans destroyed, but which one?

During their interview, the trio talks about the global reach of Upload and why they feel the show resonates with so many people, as well as why they’re so invested, and Amell discusses how it felt to see he’d be playing two versions of Nathan. Each of them opens up about which Nathan they believe is the one on the phone, what they’re most excited about when getting the scripts, and what they know about a potential Season 4. You can check it all out in the video at the top of the article or read the full transcript below.

Upload A man is able to choose his own afterlife after his untimely death by having his consciousness uploaded into a virtual world. As he gets used to his new life and befriends his angel (real world handler), questions about his death arise. Release Date May 1, 2020 Cast Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Kevin Bigley, Zainab Johnson, Allegra Edwards, Owen Daniels Main Genre Comedy Seasons 3 Writers Greg Daniels
COLLIDER: I am a huge fan of your show. Greg Daniels was telling me that it’s, I think, the number one comedy on Prime Video. For all three of you, when did you realize, “Oh, wait, people are really watching this show?”

ALLEGRA EDWARDS: I forget that it’s dropped in, like, 40 different languages all at once, at the same time. When I get a DM in any language that I don’t speak, but especially Korean or Portuguese, you name it, that’s really like, “Oh!” That always surprises me, and I’m still not used to it. I’m also really moved by the fact that a story that can feel, in some ways, quote-unquote Western because it’s technology and because it’s LA and because it’s New York, but that it speaks to so many different people from so many different countries is like, “Oh, yeah, there’s something really thematically true here,” and I think that’s pretty cool.

ROBBIE AMELL: Yeah, I agree. We said that one of the crazy parts of the timing of the first season dropping was everybody was locked in their house during COVID. I wouldn’t trade our timeframe for COVID, I would reverse it for sure, but one of the nice things for us was people were home so they watched our show. It still wasn’t like a runaway smash hit; it just kind of got a nice jump, and people have steadily found the show on Prime Video. It’s been a long time in the making. The first season came out in 2020, in [May] of 2020, so we’re now three years later. We shot [the pilot] back in 2018 and then shot the first season in 2019. It’s been a long time coming for us, and I feel like the crazy thing for me is whenever I’m in an airport, I get picked off for Upload. Like Allegra said, it’s kind of people from everywhere. It doesn’t matter where the flight is going, people are picking me off from Upload, which is really cool. It shows the global reach of the show, which is very fun.

ANDY ALLO: Yeah, I feel like we’re a bit of a sleeper show. I don’t know, it doesn’t feel like it’s this, “Ahh! We’re everywhere,” even though we are. But what has been so beautiful is those that do watch the show absolutely love it. There are, like, Upload stans. They are so excited. So, I hope that the show continues to grow. And yes, we are the number one comedy on Prime Video, but beyond that, I think we’re the kind of show when you do watch it, you fall in love with it. So, I’m excited for us to keep growing that way so more and more people get to experience the journey of it.

Which Nathan Is on the Phone in the Season 3 Finale?
Image via Prime Video

So, since the entire Season 3 is out—I love this—we can talk spoilers. For all three of you, which Nathan do you think is on the phone at the end of the season?

EDWARDS: [Laughs] I think that Nathan on the phone saying, “The other one was destroyed,” I think that Nathan is backup Nathan. Robbie’s been doing a good job of this, but prefacing it by saying I have no idea. No one has told me anything, not that they would. I also haven’t really asked because I like to be surprised, but this is just a straight-up guess. I think that it’s backup on the phone. That’s who I think.

ALLO: I’ve asked and they have not told me anything. I’ve been so pushy and nosy, and they’re not budging. So, yeah [laughs], I hope it’s real Nathan. I hope it’s him, selfishly, for Nora.

AMELL: I think it’s up to Nathan. I don’t think they’re gonna know which one it is. So, whichever one he wants to be, he can just choose to be that one.

EDWARDS: This is the Nathan becoming an actor arc…and he’s playing everybody for a fool. [Laughs]

AMELL: He would tell Luke immediately.

Image via Prime Video

I asked Greg about it and I actually wonder if they even know. I think sometimes writers just like to write to a point, and then the writers’ room will figure out, “What’s the best version of the show if we go this way or this way?”

EDWARDS: This is entirely possible.

‘Upload’ Season 3 Finale Reactions
Image via Prime Video

For you guys, what was your reaction when you found out the whole storyline of Season 3 and where it was all going? What was your take on it all?

AMELL: I’m actually a huge fan of the show. If I wasn’t on it, I wouldn’t watch it because I’d be so pissed off that I didn’t book the role, but if I was never up for the role and I saw the show come out, I would be a huge fan. I’m a huge fan of our cast, I think they’re very funny. They make me laugh on set, and they make me laugh when I’m watching the show. But I’m a huge fan of Greg and Owen and the rest of the writers. I think they do such a good job of hitting this satirical comedy and romance and asking interesting questions. It can be a show that you can kind of sit back and watch and laugh, or it can be a show that you can have some pretty serious conversations about with friends and family. I think that the show is subjective. I think it’s nice that people won’t always have the same opinion about how things work out on the show or some of the themes of the show, but it never feels like it’s shoving it down your throat. It’s kind of just posing questions and letting you make your own decisions.

I’m just a huge fan of the show. I’m always excited to read the new episodes when they come out. Then, selfishly, seeing two versions of me was scary and exciting, and was going to be something I had never done before and something that I was excited to tackle, and it meant that I have two amazing actresses to have a relationship with on the show and play off of and see two different sides of it. So, I was very spoiled this season.

EDWARDS: I’m always excited by what kind of ethical question Greg and the writers are gonna choose to examine and how are they gonna do it. Some examples from this season would be the meat plant where they just took in tumor, “the cancerous tumor’s good for pork, too,” and there’s just a barn full of tumor, which is horrendous, but also like, “Whoa, you guys, what if?” Or, like, if everybody is in goggles trying to live their best lives… I saw an interview with Mark Zuckerberg, and they had the entire interview in VR. So anytime I read the script, I go, “What are they gonna poke at?” This season, we get a little bit of election fraud, we get a little bit of workers’ rights, and labor. They’re just little threads, and they’re small questions that get bigger and bigger. But that’s what I look forward to reading is, “What philosophical debate are they gonna ignite,” which is like a little rock in the pond.

Image via Prime Video

ALLO: Just to add to what you’re saying, Allegra, it made me think about something I just learned about – they’re wanting to make chicken in a lab from cells and grow chicken. I’m like, “Wow, that’s so interesting.” [Laughs] But our show really, really opens up these conversations if you want, like Robbie was saying, or you just watch it along, and you’re just like, “Wow, this is nuts and kind of surreal.” But in reading this season, I think I was just really excited for Nora and Nathan to really experience a relationship in the real world, and see what that’s like. That was kind of fun.

What’s the Status of ‘Upload’ Season 4?

Has Prime Video or anyone involved said, “Hey, guys, can you please save the dates March through May of 2024?”

EDWARDS: Is that what they told you? Did they tell you that?

[Laughs] I’m trying to get information out of you guys.

AMELL: God, we hope so.

ALLO: I wish.

AMELL: It’s funny, we will probably find out about four hours before you find out. That’s kind of how it works. We normally get the like, “Hey, we’re doing it. Also, here’s the press release for approval.” “Oh, great. Thanks.” [Laughs] So, we love it. Fingers crossed.

Image via Prime Video

I would be stunned if you guys aren’t doing Season 4. Just absolutely stunned. There’s a top 10 on Prime Video, and if you see your show near the top, you’re pretty safe. You know what I mean?

AMELL: Yeah. We’re in good company. I would never bet against Greg Daniels.

ALLO: Yeah, I’m pretty confident. I think we’re gonna get a Season 4. I have no knowledge or expertise in this department, but absolutely, I think we are.

Upload is available to watch on Prime Video in the U.S.

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