William Hurt, Katherine Parkinson and Colin Morgan are set to star in a new science fiction drama co-created by Channel 4 and American network AMC (the network behind Breaking Bad and Mad Men).


Humans, written by Spooks scribes Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley, examines a “parallel present” where humanity is dependent on advanced robot slaves (called “synths”) leading to dire consequences for a family who unwittingly buy a rogue model.

Oscar-winner William Hurt (Kiss of the Spider Woman) stars as George, a widower with an oddly close relationship with his synth, while The IT Crowd’s Katherine Parkinson will play a lawyer haunted by demons whose husband (Tom Goodman Hill) buys a synth (played by Fresh Meat’s Gemma Chan) that may be more than it seems.

Rounding out the cast are Merlin’s Colin Morgan as Leo, a man looking for someone from his past, Bafta-winning Lewis and The Thick of It star Rebecca Front as an NHS synth, and Utopia’s Neil Maskell as police officer DS Peter Drummond.


Based on the award-winning Swedish drama Real Humans, the series was first announced as an Xbox and Channel 4 co-production back in April. But thanks to the closure of Xbox Entertainment Studios last summer, it looks like AMC have signed up instead with Humans currently filming for a 2015 release date on both networks. Watch a trailer for the original series below.