TV Series Review: Humans (2015-2018, 3 Seasons) *No Spoilers*

TV Series Review: Humans (2015-2018, 3 Seasons) No Spoilers

Colin Morgan, Katherine Parkinson, Ivanno Jeremiah,
Gemma Chan, and Emily Berrington in Humans (2015)

While it may seem late to be reviewing Humans now, nearly seven years after the show wrapped, the only thing that's really aged about it is the opening titles... and even then, not that much.

I think I caught the first season on Netflix back in 2015, and then kind of dropped off waiting for a new season to appear. As of writing this, all three seasons are on Amazon Prime.

Humans is set in a parallel world that looks much like ours except humanoid robot helpers, that look just like real humans, called 'Synths', are now common place. Season one begins at the point where the first synths go from being subservient machines to gaining consciousness, and explores not only how humanity reacts to that but how the synths react to humanity's perceptions as well.

Initially it follows a group of OG synths, already given consciousness by their creator, and just trying to survive in a world that isn't ready for, arguably, humanities greatest creation, life in its own image.

The series, while very thought provoking and somewhat predictable at times (there's never any doubt there will be a synth/machine uprising of sorts eventually), stands out because it is extremely character driven.

Whether synth or human, all the key characters have interesting story arcs, and you will find yourself caring about the synth characters equally as much as the humans.

The acting all round is superb. I particularly like the work that went into ensuring that synths, despite looking exactly like humans, still have their own way of moving, talking, and interacting. They always feel slightly robotic, even for some, only very slightly.

While I feel this show was intended to go longer than three seasons, the third season does have a relatively satisfying end point that would likely take a fourth season in a completely different direction.

In the current world, humanoid robots are really starting to become a thing. Even robots designed to look human. While we're not as advanced as the synths in Humans, we are heading down that exact road with robots and AI.

Humans, explores some of the issues we may find ourselves facing in reality, in a future that is a little less distant than it was in 2018. Definitely worth a look.

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