In the sci-fi comedy “Demascus,” a man attending therapy tries a new technology that allows him to visit alternate versions of his life that exist in his subconscious in an effort to figure out why he’s feeling so bleh. But which version is closest to his real life? Actually, which one is his real life, anyway?

The show premieres on the free, ad-supported streaming platform Tubi, but it almost never made it to light. From writer-producers Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm and Mark Johnson, it was originally created for AMC and shot in its entirety, and then canceled in early 2023 before it could air (the network cited cost-cutting measures). It languished on the shelf until now. Kudos to Tubi, which offers only a limited number of originals, for taking a chance on it.

But while the premise of “Demascus” is enticing — what might our lives look like with small changes? — the six-episode series doesn’t live up to its initial promise. There is a “solution” offered by the final episode that explains everything we’ve seen up to that point, but instead of resonating, it felt somewhat pat.

Okieriete Onaodowan plays the title character, a 33-year-old Everyman who moves through his days in a numb haze. His therapist (Janet Hubert) asks: Are you unhappy? What’s making you unhappy? “It’s 2023 and I’m a Black man,” he says. “The world is as inhospitable as ever.”

Then he offers up an anecdote from work: Walking toward the break room, he hears someone sharing an anecdote about him, of which he only hears the last line: “Y’all know how Demascus is, right?” Everyone in the break room laughs uproariously.

“Nobody knows me,” Demascus tells his therapist, confused by what this person could have meant. “My one dominant quality is I’m unknowable.” You pride yourself on that, comes the response? “Yeah, actually, I do. I can be anybody. Or nobody. And that’s a good quality for a Black man to have, right?” But in your effort to remain unknowable, his therapist says, perhaps you have made yourself unknown even to you.

This is good, interesting stuff and had me locked in. Then his therapist places a white contraption on his head that sends him into something called digital immersive reality therapy. “By identifying commonalities across your alternate timelines, you’ll be able to combat the issues you’re facing in your everyday life.” It also comes with a warning. “Attempting to take control of the narrative can permanently corrupt your primary reality.”

In one of those alternate realities, he has a sister whose boyfriend has been roughing her up; she wants Demascus to round up some friends to set the guy straight. Demascus is reluctant — this is not his thing — but agrees and calls up Uncle Forty (Martin Lawrence), an aging no-bull type, and his best friend Redd (Caleb Eberhardt), who is ready, willing and eager. Not surprisingly, things go horribly, comically awry.

And so it continues. We meet his girlfriend Budhi (Sasha Hutchings), who he is seriously involved with in one timeline, less so in another. In another timeline, it’s Demascus and Redd who are a couple. In yet another, Demascus is a priest. In another, he and Budhi are on an instant marriage reality show. Everyone’s styling is different each time. At one point, Demascus does the therapy while he’s already in a therapy session, which is like staring into an infinity mirror, or waking from a dream, only to still be dreaming — when does the trance stop?

The show is commenting on all kinds of ideas, from how we run away from (or suppress) our deepest pain, to the psychological issues — the addiction — that can result from people pretending they have a relationship with computer-generated reality.

As his therapist said early on, he’s created a world where he’s unknowable not only to those around him but to himself as well. The larger issue is that he also remains unknowable to the viewer, and I think that is where the show loses me. Ultimately, who are we supposed to become invested in?

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'DEMASCUS'

2 stars (out of 4)

Rating: TV-MA

How to watch: Tubi

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