How to watch and stream Humans
Channel 4's Humans stars Gemma Chan as a robot with a conscience
Channel 4’s three-season sci-fi series offers a contemplative, eerie and poignant exploration of artificial intelligence and what it means to be, well, human. Set in a world that feels very much like present-day London and featuring technology that seems only a few generations ahead of Alexa and Siri, Humans is grounded by its strong performances, particularly from Crazy Rich Asians’ Gemma Chan as a hyper-intelligent domestic robot.
How to watch Humans
Humans is available on All4, YouTube, Amazon Prime and Britbox, you can sign up for a 7-day free BritBox trial here. You can also buy Humans on DVD.
How many seasons and episodes of Humans are there?
There are three series of Humans, all with eight episodes each.
What is Humans about?
Based on the Swedish show Real Humans, the series is set in a parallel present-day universe where “synths”—or humanoid robots—are an everyday part of human life. For years, they have become an enormously valuable part of society, and a staple in most homes.
Eventually, however, the lifelike gadgets seem to develop consciousness, forever altering the lives of both the robots and the people they serve.
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One of these seemingly conscious synths is Anita, who works in a family home doing domestic chores, though her owners begin to suspect she is capable of much more — and she’s not alone. Meanwhile, an investigator named Hobb is determined to stop the synths from becoming fully independent and out-developing their initial coding.
Who is in the cast of Humans?
Due to its multiple story arcs, Humans has a very large and ever-changing cast. Here are a few of the key players:
Gemma Chan (Crazy Rich Asians) was widely commended for her performance as Anita, the domestic synth.
She is owned by Laura Hawkins, a mother of three played by Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd), and her husband Joe Hawkins, played by Tom Goodman-Hill.
Artificial intelligence researcher Professor Edwin Hobb is played by Alien 3’s Danny Webb.
Neil Maskell plays DS Pete Drummond, a Special Technologies Task Force Officer, who is partnered with DI Karen Voss, played by Irish actor Ruth Bradley (Stardust).
Other cast members include Colin Morgan (Merlin) as fugitive part-synth Leo Elster, William Hurt (the Avengers franchise) as Dr George Millican and Emily Berrington (24: Live Another Day) as synth Niska.
Is Humans coming back?
Unfortunately not! Creators Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent shared the cancellation news via a blog post: “Sadly, there won’t be a fourth season of Humans. In an age of unprecedented choice and competition, we can have no complaints."
You can buy the DVD's on Amazon: Season 1 & 2 and Season 3.
For more suggestions on what to watch now check out our TV Guide, our best series on Netfix guide, best movies on Netflix or the best shows on Amazon Prime.
