Sense8 (a play on the word sensate /ˈsɛnseɪt/) is an American science fiction drama streaming televisionseries created by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski for Netflix. The production companies behind Sense8 included the Wachowskis' Anarchos Productions (replaced by Lana and her wife's Venus Castina Productions in the second season), Straczynski's Studio JMS, and Georgeville Television, with Unpronounceable Productions having been set up specifically for the show.[5]

The show's first season introduced a multinational ensemble cast, with Aml Ameen, Bae Doona, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai, Tuppence Middleton, Max Riemelt, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, and Brian J. Smithportraying eight strangers from different parts of the world who suddenly discover that they are "sensates": human beings who are mentally and emotionally linked. Freema Agyeman, Terrence Mann, Anupam Kher, Naveen Andrews, and Daryl Hannah also star. In the second season Toby Onwumere replaces Ameen. The show explores issues related to identity, sexuality, gender, and politics that its creators felt had been rarely addressed on television.[6][7][8] Its central theme is an embrace of empathy across difference.[9]

All episodes of the first season of Sense8 were written by the Wachowskis and Straczynski; in the second season, Lilly Wachowski took a break from the show, and the episodes were written by just Lana Wachowski and Straczynski, with the exception of the series finale which was written by Lana, David Mitchell, and Aleksandar Hemon. Most episodes were directed by the Wachowskis (or just Lana in the second season), with the remainder being divided between their frequent collaborators James McTeigue, Tom Tykwer, and Dan Glass. Sense8 was filmed almost entirely on location in a multitude of cities around the world.

The first season, consisting of 12 episodes, became available for streaming on Netflix on June 5, 2015, and was met with generally favorable critical reception. It was praised for its representation of LGBTQ characters and themes, winning the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series. It was also recognized with a Location Managers Guild award for its use of locations as an integral part of the story, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music.

The second season began with a two-hour Christmas special in December 2016, with the remaining 10 episodes released in May 2017. However, the following month Netflix announced that they had cancelled the series, which had ended with a cliffhanger in expectation of a third season, then under negotiation. In response to criticism of the cancellation, especially with an unresolved story, Netflix produced a two-and-a-half-hour series finale that was released on June 8, 2018. The season was overall met with positive critical reception and received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour), and two nominations by the GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series for the season proper and series finale, respectively.

Word play

wiktionary:sensate

The Wachowskis

Studio JMS

Ensemble cast

Aml Ameen

Bae Doona

Jamie Clayton

Tina Desai

Tuppence Middleton

Max Riemelt

Help:IPA/English

Miguel Ángel Silvestre

Brian J. Smith

Freema Agyeman

Terrence Mann

Anupam Kher

Naveen Andrews

Daryl Hannah

Toby Onwumere

Identity (social science)

Science fiction on television

Empathy

Series finale

David Mitchell (author)

Aleksandar Hemon

James McTeigue

Tom Tykwer

Drama (film and television)

Location shooting

Streaming media

Media portrayal of LGBT people

GLAAD Media Award

GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series

Location Managers Guild Awards

Primetime Emmy Award

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music

Christmas by medium

Cliffhanger

Streaming television

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (One Hour)

Pilot Watch: Sense8