Sunny feels like one big Black Mirror episode

Grief is relentless. The anguish makes it difficult to let go of memories and what-ifs. For Sunny’s Suzie (Rashida Jones), it’s compounded because she doesn’t know if her husband and young son survived a plane crash. She then discovers her spouse lied about his day job at a tech company. Masa Sakamoto (Hidetoshi Nishijima) hadn’t worked in refrigerators like he led her to believe. He was actually in charge of creating homebots, a common domestic device in the futuristic Japan where the show is set. Masa designed an advanced bot for Suzie to help her mourn. A colleague drops it off on her doorstep after the crash, leaving her to wonder if Masa knew he was in danger and why he hid it. It forces her to revisit their memories in a new light for missed signs of his potential duplicity.

Suzie gets help from her brand new homebot, Sunny, even if she doesn’t accept it willingly at first. The show, which premieres July 10 on Apple TV+, gives its two leads equally developed personalities, even if one of them is a droid. Think of Suzie and Sunny as an odd couple in a sitcom. Her snark complements the robot’s cheery programming (hence the title). As they venture on a truth-finding mission, the writers try to have it both ways with their commentary on artificial intelligence. The show oscillates between the tech being worthwhile and fatalistic, allowing the audience to draw their conclusions. And this all makes this intriguing, entertaining thriller a tad less cohesive overall.

Suzie’s messy yet emotional connection to this three-foot gadget with big eyes is the weirdest, most enticing aspect of the show. Their unexpected bond represents the obvious: Sunny is her last tether to the man she loves, the guy who coded it entirely to suit her reclusive nature. How can she ignore that in Masa’s absence even if she is heartbroken by his lies? Sunny explores Suzie and Sunny’s friendship—if that’s what we want to call it—and if it can evolve. Jones is best known for comedic roles, but she’s a potent force of nature here. She makes Suzie’s anger, sadness, isolation, and cynicism tangible, and the portrayl pairs perfectly with Joanna Sotomura’s exuberant voice acting as Sunny.

Through their alliance, the show prods at the timely dilemma of whether or not AI is beneficial, and how humanity’s use and misuse could define future generations. (The irony of it airing on a streaming platform owned by a tech giant is not lost on anyone.) Suzie’s partnership allows Sunny’s EQ to rise over time. Sunny even tries to take in an injured crow to nurse it to comprehend Suzie’s maternal grieving. But what happens if robots are controlled by nefarious people—in this case, gangsters—or if their programming goes haywire? (The premiere literally opens with a person being killed by one of these devices.) Sunny isn’t looking for a direct answer, which may be dissatisfying. But it widens the scope of possibilities in favor of a thought-provoking journey.