Gemma Chan has an incredible resume overall, but she's especially made a name for herself with fantasy and science-fiction projects. One of her earliest roles was in an episode of "Doctor Who," and she's part of a elite group of actors who have played multiple roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portraying both Minn-Erve in "Captain Marvel" and Sersi in "Eternals." If you've enjoyed what you've seen out of Chan so far, then you owe it to yourself to check out one of the best sci-fi series of the 2010s
— "Humans."
"Humans" premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom (and AMC stateside) in 2015. It's set in a world where artificial intelligence and robotics have become intertwined, raising a host of moral questions. Chan plays Anita, a synth purchased to help out around the Hawkins family household. Though she's designed to be helpful, the family's matriarch, Laura (Katherine Parkinson), is freaked out by her presence and worries that she could become displaced by the robot. That's just the beginning of Anita's journey, as the show uses her to explore ideas like how humans could become redundant if there's AI around that can do everything for us.
AI is a major hot-button issue right now, especially in the wake of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes, where many actors were worried generative AI could replace them someday. The entertainment industry isn't the only business where A.I. poses a threat, making "Humans" more relevant now than ever before, so it's definitely worth checking out if you have the time.
Read more: The 12 Best TV Shows On BritBox
Despite Positive Reviews, Humans Was Canceled After Three Seasons
"Humans" contains similar themes to movies like "Blade Runner," posing questions about how AI could one day make robots indistinguishable from humans. But while "Humans" treads in well-worn territory, it was a hit with critics, garnering positive reviews throughout its run. Its top-notch cast including the likes of William Hurt, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Letitia Wright, to name a few.
Orly Greenberg of Observer wrote of the pilot, "The pacing is perfect, it leaps from story to story with a grace and ease that most pilots find difficult to master, let alone to do adequately. The cast is strong, there's no weak link dragging down the acting talent." And "Humans" continued finding new interesting territory to explore, as the third series has a perfect 100% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Sadly, not every plot thread was wrapped up by the final episode, and Channel 4 didn't renew "Humans" for another batch of episodes.
Channel 4 didn't give a precise reason for why "Humans" was cancelled despite the acclaim. However, Katherine Parkinson theorized to Digital Spy that low ratings could've been the culprit:
"It critically did so well, but it just didn't, for whatever reason, get the ratings, and sometimes that can be an accident of when it's gone."
The show's creators, Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent, put out a statement on X (formerly Twitter) expressing their hope that maybe someday, "Humans" could get another shot: "Maybe one day we'll get a chance to pick them back up. If there's anyone out there with a few million quid and an interest in AI stories, we're all ears." That post is from 2019, though, so don't hold your breath for a revival anytime soon.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
