AMC has closed a co-production/distribution deal with UK production company Kudos and Channel 4 for their sci-fi drama Humans. The eight-episode series, an adaptation of Swedish series Real Humans, was announced in April as a co-production between Channel 4 and Xbox Entertainment Studios. Three months later, Microsoft announced it was going to shut down XES as part of the company’s plan to cut 18,000 jobs.

As XES toppers Nancy Tellem and Jordan Levin are pondering a possible future for the studio, maybe partnering with another over-the-top video service, they gave their blessing to Shine-owned Kudos and Channel 4, to seek another U.S. partner. ”I am proud of the work we have done shepherding Humans to this point, as well as facilitating and ensuring a smooth transition for our friends at Kudos/Shine and Channel 4,” said Tellem. “While we focus on our future plans, given the show’s production timetable and the support required to guarantee a successful co-production with a shared first window, we wanted to make certain the show found the right home now.”

Humans, which starts production this fall for a 2015 premiere, 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. In the hope of transforming the way they live, one strained suburban family purchases a refurbished synth only to discover that sharing life with a machine has far-reaching and chilling consequences. “Humans is that rare sci-fi series that puts the emphasis squarely on the character aspect of the story, and explores the emotional impact that will come with an increasingly blurry line between human and machine,” said Joel Stillerman, EVP, programming, production and digital content for AMC. Humans, from by Kudos in association with Matador Films, is executive produced by Jane Featherstone and Derek Wax.