Humans is set in an alternate present, one in which androids – artificial people – known as “Synths” have become popular and are widely available. These are androids that look very lifelike, although the deviation from humanity is just enough to be slightly disturbing, as they look human but do not act it.
Hundreds of millions of Synths now exist worldwide, filling many roles. They function as companions and in medical roles, being able to provide practically around-the-clock nursing care, and do jobs that are no longer done by humans. These can vary from those that are hazardous to do, to skilled jobs. A Synth can be programmed to do many skilled jobs in a matter of seconds, something which would require years of training for a human. Other uses of Synths are rather less savoury – they look like a human but can be told precisely what to do, and they are exact duplicates of the human form. The Synths are not intelligent, merely highly advanced computers that have been placed in a humanoid body.
Except there are a handful of Synths who are intelligent, and those are the ones the series revolves around. A very few Synths have been given true Artificial Intelligence by the man who created them; they do not just look human, they act, think and feel as well, just like humans do.
Not everyone is happy with the Synths, even the standard, unintelligent models, let alone the intelligent handful. There is a feeling that they are taking jobs, which they are, both ones that humans don’t want to do, and ones that require a lot of training. The prospect of there being Synths that are truly intelligent, and thus a potential rival to humans, is a source of fear for some, especially those who do know that it is possible. If a handful of Synths can be made intelligent, then they all probably could be, and there are hundreds of millions of Synths who are stronger and more resistant to damage than humans, and many of these are in roles that an intelligent being would likely object to. Not everyone is afraid of intelligent Synths though.
The series ran for three seasons before being cancelled, leaving open plot elements at the end.
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