Rising out of the ashes of Xbox Entertainment Studio’s demiseHumans is an enchanting look at a parallel present that is very much a stare into the mirror for our technologically fixated world. Debuting on June 28 on AMC, the co-production with Channel 4 is, as my video review above says, very anxiety-provoking and plugged in and ultimately very good.
Based on the Swedish series Real Humans and having already debuted to record numbers in the UKthis Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley-written and EP’d show is like our world, but with one status symbol difference. In the world of Humans, Artificial Intelligence-fueled and human-looking Synths robots do most of the labor and tasks for real-life humans. When an upper middle class multi-child British family brings in Anita, played to precision by Gemma Chan, insecurities, and rivalries and resents rise to the surface as her presence creates divisions in the home. As the other narratives of a greater conspiracy and the aged original Synth 1.0 engineer, played so touchingly by William Hurt, make clear Humans isn’t the most novel of concepts.
Robots gone wrong movies and shows like Blade Runner, the original Westworldfrom 1973 and I, Robot have used this power source before. However, what makes the 8-episode series work so well in many ways is how incredibly relevant it feels today with our obsession, and some would say, addiction to technology. Without being too heavy handed, Humans also raises a number of questions of what it is to be human and what is so special about our essential humanity in the first place – especially in how we live and love with others.
So take a look at my review for Humans and tell us what you think about this step into the future that may already be here.