# Humans (2015)

> In a parallel present, lifelike robotic servants called Synths transform a British family's home and force society to confront what it means to be human.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/55820

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 24
- Episode runtime: 46 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: science fiction, drama, mystery
- Created by: Jonathan Brackley, Sam Vincent
- Network: Channel 4
- Cast: Katherine Parkinson, Gemma Chan, Colin Morgan, Tom Goodman-Hill, Lucy Carless, Emily Berrington, Ruth Bradley, Theo Stevenson
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4122068/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, melancholic, uncanny, thoughtful

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series positively, praising its premise of lifelike robotic servants and the ethical questions it raises about what makes a person.

## Synopsis

Humans (2015-2018) is a British science fiction drama series created by Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent for Channel 4. Set in a parallel present where lifelike robotic servants called Synths have become the must-have household gadget, it follows the Hawkins family, whose purchase of a Synth brings unsettling changes. Katherine Parkinson plays Laura Hawkins, a mother increasingly unnerved by the machine in her home, opposite Gemma Chan as the synth Anita, whose hidden awareness drives much of the story. Colin Morgan plays Leo Elster, a synth-related figure caught up in the conflict, while Tom Goodman-Hill and Emily Berrington round out the principal cast. The engine of the series is the tension between a family seeking comfort and convenience and the growing evidence that the machines may be developing minds of their own. Each episode builds procedural and personal stakes, mixing domestic scenes with investigations into synth behavior and the people who profit from them. Spanning three seasons and twenty-four episodes, the show is a serialized, slowly escalating story rather than a case of the week. Its tone is tense, melancholic and ethically probing, with a cool, uncanny atmosphere. Fans of Westworld, Battlestar Galactica and Black Mirror will find resonance in its blend of intimate drama and speculative unease.

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- [The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/98673)
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- [Better Than Us (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/71865)
- [Kiss Me First (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/66327)
- [Tales from the Loop (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/79324)
- [Black Mirror (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/38427)
- [Time of Eve (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/54358)
- [Total Recall 2070 (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/4320)

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