Humans, the eight-part sci-fi co-production from AMC and the UK’s Channel 4, debuted in Britain on Sunday night, setting a new record for the network. With 4M viewers and an 18.3% share, it became Channel 4’s biggest original drama series launch ever, and more than doubled the slot average — up 166% for volume and 183% for share. Twitter activity was sci-high for the show which kicked off at 9 PM local, and reviews have been largely positive — The Guardian is calling it “a clever, high-energy thriller” (see trailer below). U.S. viewers will get the chance to check it out beginning June 28 on AMC.

Produced by Kudos (Broadchurch, The Hour), in association with Matador Films, Humans is set in a parallel present where the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a ‘Synth’ — a highly developed robotic servant eerily similar to its live counterpart. Adapted from Sweden’s Real Humans, it follows a strained suburban couple, played by Tom Goodman-Hill and Katherine Parkinson, who, in the hope of transforming the way they live, purchase a refurbished Synth only to discover that sharing life with a machine has far-reaching and chilling consequences. Gemma Chan plays Anita, the Synth in question. William Hurt is George Millican, a widower who has formed a close relationship with his out-of-date synth Odi, who he treats more like a son than a piece of machinery.

The series is written by British duo Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley (Spooks, Spooks: The Greater Good). Lucy Carless, Colin Morgan, Pixie Davis, Ivanno Jeremiah, Theo Stevenson, Emily Berrington, Neil Maskell, Will Tudor, Rebecca Front, Danny Webb and Sope Dirisu also star.