Humans: time to catch up on the 'slow-burn' sci-fi series
Audiences love it, C4 is renewing it, but critics took a while to fall for 'suburban' android drama
![Humans](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fWwXLa5FByN44uiGdQQKRf-415-80.jpg)
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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is the new Palestinian unity a mirage? And how will it affect the war?
Today's Big Question 'Bitter foes' Hamas and Fatah look to the future
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Wall Street tumbles on poor tech results
Speed Read US markets had their worst day since 2022 as Tesla and AI stocks dropped
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Salt Lake City named host of 2034 Winter Olympics
Speed Read The Winter Games are returning to the US for the first time in 32 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Twisters review: 'warm-blooded' film explores dangerous weather
The Week Recommends The film, focusing on 'tornado wranglers', stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell
By The Week UK Published
-
Douglas Is Cancelled: Hugh Bonneville plays a shamed news presenter
The Week Recommends Cancel culture drama is mostly 'clever and sharp'
By The Week UK Published
-
A Quiet Place: Day One – the 'pleasant surprise of the summer'
The Week Recommends Silence is golden in this prequel to the popular 2018 apocalyptic thriller
By The Week UK Published
-
The Bikeriders: Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy star in high-octane drama
The Week Recommends Film inspired by 1968 book about notorious biker gang in Chicago
By The Week UK Published
-
Raffles London at The OWO review: a quintessentially British stay
The Week Recommends This heritage building has been given a twist as a luxury hotel in the nation's capital
By Leaf Arbuthnot, The Week UK Published
-
The Young Woman and the Sea: Daisy Ridley stars as 'tenacious' heroine
The Week Recommends The film explores the story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim across the Channel
By The Week UK Published
-
Has Bridgerton lost the plot?
Talking Point Return of the hit Regency series has divided both fans and critics
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Michelangelo – the last decades review: an 'absorbing' exploration of art
The Week Recommends New exhibition focuses on works from the final 30 years of the artist's long career
By The Week UK Published