Humans: time to catch up on the 'slow-burn' sci-fi series

Channel 4 sci-fi series Humans was slow to grow on critics, even though audiences flocked to it, but its powerful conclusion has won widespread acclaim, prompting many who missed the slow-burning drama to start catching up on what has been called the surprise TV hit of the year.

The British-American science fiction show debuted in June on C4 (and AMC in the US), and had its finale on Sunday night. Written by British team Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley, the eight-episode season is based on an award-winning Swedish science fiction drama, Real Humans, which explores the psychological impact of the blurring of the lines between humans and machines.

The story takes place in suburban London in the near future, where the latest must-have family appliance is a 'synth' – an android robot that resembles a human in nearly every respect.

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But many critics didn't warm to the show immediately, with some finding it cliched. An early review of Humans by Benji Wilson in the Daily Telegraph described the show as "old hat" and said that Terminator and 2001: A Space Odyssey had got there first.

The performances were excellent, admitted Wilson. Katherine Parkinson was "wonderfully world-weary" as the mum who was "less excited by a new Synth than she would have been at a new Dyson", and Gemma Chan made an "exceptional robot (which may qualify as good acting or bad)".

But for all its 21st-century sheen, says Wilson, Humans is still just telling "the oldest story in the futuristic book".

Andrew Billen in The Times agreed that originality was a problem for the series, saying that the first episode was "nothing like as thrilling as Blade Runner". The biggest thing going for Humans, added Billen, was that we hadn't already seen the Swedish version, Real Humans.

Not everyone was negative about the show. The Independent called it "a drama for our times" and audiences lapped it up. The Guardian reports that Humans became C4s biggest drama in 20 years, attracting more than six million viewers for its opening episode and averaging 4.8 million viewers per episode overall.

And by Sunday night's series conclusion, most reviewers were on board. In the Daily Telegraph, Michael Hogan called Humans "the surprise hit of the year" and credited its success to "strong performances, stylish production and a secret weapon: its humdrum suburban setting".

The key to its success, it seems, is that Humans didn't strive to be original, whizz-bang or futuristic, but focused instead on a thoughtful human drama. The series' slow-burning pace built beautifully towards its bittersweet climax "that wasn't just hypnotic, but touchingly tender", said Hogan, adding: "If only all finales were this satisfying".

For all Humans fans, diehards and newcomers, the good news is that Channel 4 has just announced the series will be renewed for a second season. And if you haven't watched it yet, you can catch up Season One of Humans on Channel 4 On Demand.