What Is 'Humans' About?
The ambitious series introduces a world where one of the most common technologies is human-like robots called synths. These synths perform both menial labor and caregiving tasks in households and workplaces. Although they are indistinguishable from humans, the synths receive different treatment. While society at large certainly has problems, Humans explores this specifically through the Hawkins family. While his wife is away, Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) gets a synth caretaker, Anita (Gemma Chan), for their three children: Mattie (Lucy Carless), Toby (Theo Stevenson), and Sophie (Pixie Davies). But when Laura (Katherine Parkinson) returns, she's suspicious. Their youngest, Sophie, quickly bonds with the synth, which only adds to Laura's doubts. Having Anita in their house highlights the dysfunction of the Hawkins family, but things only become more complex from there. Anita crosses boundaries, showing an unexpected level of consciousness, deepening Laura's concerns and leading Mattie to realize that their new synth is more than she seems.
Meanwhile, Humans reveals that the synth are more than people know. A parallel story follows a group of fugitive synths who are sentient and aware of how society exploits them. Leo (Colin Morgan), Max (Ivanno Jeremiah), Fred (Sope Dirisu), Niska (Emily Berrington), and a handful of others have genuine human consciousness, feelings, and memories, a twist that blurs the lines between synth and human even further. Yet, they must hide what they are or risk being forcefully reprogrammed. Through this group, the series explores the horrible situations synths experience, including brothels and smash clubs that force them to fight for entertainment. This gives the conscious synths and the people who slowly recognize these problems something to fight against. With shocking twists and questions of morality, Humans sets itself apart, and that's why it is still such an exciting watch more than a decade later.
'Humans' Sets Itself Apart From Other Sci-Fi Shows
Artificial intelligence has inspired many sci-fi series, and the concept will only grow more popular as AI technology continues to develop, but Humans does something unique. The series grounds the idea in ordinary life through the Hawkins family. By placing the conflict in a recognizable family dynamic, the series highlights the central question of what makes a human. Admittedly, Humans doesn't avoid all sci-fi conventions, as the conscious synths and other storylines explore the larger stakes throughout society. However, the Hawkins family makes it feel personal, setting it apart from other series with a similar concept. By breaking the overarching question down to a personal level, Humans stands out even a decade later.
What makes the series so memorable isn't just its rare approach to the topic, but how well it executes it. Humans may not be the most well-known sci-fi series, but it earned a rare 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. This proves that Humans is not just a fascinating concept, but a standout in the genre. Although the series came out before the genre became as popular as it is today, fans and critics agree that Humans is one of the best sci-fi shows TV has to offer.
Release Date
2015 - 2018-00-00
Network
Channel 4
Directors
Lewis Arnold, Daniel Nettheim, Francesca Gregorini, Jill Robertson, Mark Brozel, Al Mackay, China Moo-Young, Sam Donovan, Ben A. Williams, Carl Tibbetts, Richard Senior
Writers
Joe Barton, Emily Ballou, Daisy Coulam, Charlie Covell, Iain Weatherby, Debbie O'Malley, Jonathan Harbottle
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Emily Berrington
Dr. Aveling
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Image via HBO
English (US) ·