Humans (TV series)

Did You Know?

• A Chinese adaptation titled 你好，安怡 (Hello An Yi) was released on iQIYI on 19 February 2021, running for 30 episodes.
• The series explores themes including consciousness, human-robot interaction, superintelligence, mind uploading, and the laws of robotics.
• Roland Moore served as head writer for the Chinese version, produced by Endemol Shine China and Croton Media.

Cast

Emily Berrington portrays Niska Elster, a conscious synth built by David Elster as Leo's sister, who becomes violent and resentful after being forced into prostitution. Ruth Bradley plays Karen Voss, a detective inspector who is secretly a conscious synth created to replace David Elster's deceased wife. Lucy Carless appears as Mattie Hawkins, the teenage daughter of Laura and Joe, who feels threatened by synths despite her own computer skills. Gemma Chan plays Anita Hawkins, later revealed as Mia Elster, a conscious synth kidnapped and reprogrammed. Pixie Davies portrays Sophie Hawkins, the younger daughter who names the family synth Anita. Jack Derges appears as Simon, a synth caregiver for Jill Drummond. Sope Dirisu plays Fred Elster, a conscious synth built as a brother to Leo. Rebecca Front portrays Vera, a medical synth from the NHS. Tom Goodman-Hill plays Joe Hawkins, who buys Anita to manage his family. Jill Halfpenny appears as Jill Drummond, Pete's disabled wife. Ivanno Jeremiah plays Max Elster, a conscious synth confidant to Leo. Neil Maskell portrays Pete Drummond, a detective sergeant suspicious of synths who later becomes involved with Karen Voss.

Production

The series was announced in April 2014 as part of a partnership between Channel 4 and Xbox Entertainment Studios. After Microsoft closed Xbox Entertainment Studios, AMC joined as co-producer. Filming began in autumn 2014, and the series premiered on 14 June 2015 with a budget of £12 million. A second eight-episode series was commissioned on 31 July 2015, with filming starting on 11 April 2016 and airing from 30 October 2016. A third series was commissioned in March 2017, premiering in the UK on 17 May 2018. Discussions about a fourth series were ongoing by August 2018, but Channel 4 announced in May 2019 that it would not proceed. Actors playing synths attended a 'synth school' run by choreographer Dan O'Neill to eliminate human gestures. Katherine Parkinson began filming six weeks after giving birth, working on 10 separate days. Second-series scenes were filmed in Thanet, Kent, including Botany Bay and West Bay, with farm shots in Dagnall.

Broadcast and release

The first episode aired in the UK on Channel 4 on 14 June 2015, in the US and Canada on AMC on 28 June 2015, in Australia on ABC2 on 3 August 2015, and in New Zealand on TV3 on 11 August 2015. The second series premiered in the UK on 30 October 2016, in Australia the following day, and in the US on 13 February 2017. In May 2015, the series was promoted with a fake Persona Synthetics shopfront on London's Regent Street, interactive screens, and actors posing as synths. A trailer featured a robotic servant named 'Sally'. eBay UK ran banner ads for a Persona Synthetics Robot listing. Channel 4 released the first series on DVD in the UK on 17 August 2015. Spirit Entertainment released the second series on DVD on 16 January 2017 and the third on 29 January 2019. In Region 1, Acorn Media released all three seasons on DVD and Blu-ray, with the complete collection on Blu-ray on 5 May 2020. As of 2023, seasons 1–3 are available on Apple TV in Region 1.

Reception

The first season received positive reviews, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 89% based on 62 reviews and an average rating of 7.3/10, and a Metacritic score of 76 out of 100. The second season received critical acclaim, scoring 94% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.8/10, and 82 out of 100 on Metacritic. The third season also received critical acclaim, with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score based on 13 reviews and an average rating of 6.0/10. The show is Channel 4's highest rated drama since The Camomile Lawn (1992). It has been described as having 'universal appeal' and as 'one of 2015's dramatic hits'. A Telegraph review praised performances but called the story 'conceptually old hat'. In December 2015, Digital Spy voted Humans its 'Top Show of 2015'.