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2 J uly 5 - 11, 2015 Br ainerd Dispatch By Cassie Dresch TV Media I t's not a stretch to think that some day we could be living side by side with lifelike robots that are practically indiscernible from peo- ple. At the rate technology is ad- vancing (and at the rate we're consuming it), the idea of human- oid robotic assistants doesn't seem as far-fetched as it did even 30 years ago. AMC is looking to tap into this idea with its new British-American sci-fi series entitled "Humans." The drama takes place in a parallel present where highly developed robotic servants called Synths are the new must-have gadget for busy families. The show premiered last week, and a new episode of "Humans" airs Sunday, July 5, on AMC. The Synths in "Humans" aren't just any ordinary robots. These ee- rie, intelligent machines not only cook and clean for their owners, they are also capable of making dinner reservations, checking a person into a hotel or conversing in four different languages. They look and act like people, mimick- ing human behavior, but all the while lacking the ability to feel. This is where the drama gets creepy. If these robots are capable of doing all of the same things as humans, do we become redun- dant? Do our fears and insecurities make us lesser beings? What kind of effect does incorporating these robots have on our emotional well-being? How will this change everyday life? These are the ques- tions AMC hopes to explore with "Humans." "[It's] a series that is both in- credibly entertaining and engaging on a character level, and a very timely exploration of the kind of impact the A.I. technology being developed today might have on our everyday lives," AMC's execu- tive vice-president of program- ming, production and digital con- tent, Joel Stillerman, said in a news release. "You don't have to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy this story. As the title implies, it's very much about the human side of the topic." Of course, the Synths in "Hu- mans" won't actually be played by real robots. (We haven't quite advanced that far yet.) And so, trying to teach human actors to play robots was a bit tricky. Gem- ma Chan ("Bedlam") plays Anita, a Synth owned by a busy young family looking for day-to-day help, and said she had to go to "Synth school" — put on by the show's chore- ographer — to unlearn everything that makes us human. "It was about stripping back any physical tics you naturally incor- porate into perfor- mance," she said in an interview with the "Gloucester- shire Echo." "These things are ultimately ma- chines and run on battery power, so every movement has to have an economy and a grace to it. I'm constantly bumping into things, so it was a challenge trying to elimi- nate all of that, but really fun." The eight-episode series focus- es on four different stories hap- pening at the same time, with each set of characters experienc- ing their own trials and tribula- tions. Chan's Anita is purchased by Joe Hawkins (Tom Goodman-Hill, "Mr. Selfridge") in an effort to save his failing relationship with his wife Laura (Kath- erine Parkinson, "The IT Crowd"), as they look for time to reconnect after their home life fell into chaos. Elsewhere, a widower named George Millican (William Hurt, "Into the Wild," 2007) has devel- oped a deep, familial bond with his antiquated Synth named Odi (Will Tudor, "Game of Thrones"), which has started to malfunction, following the death of his wife. Af- ter forcefully being upgraded to a newer model, Vera (Rebecca Front, "Lewis"), George struggles to keep his feelings about Odi under wraps, lest he surrender the older model to the authorities. Neil Maskell ("Utopia") also stars in "Humans" as Special Tech- nologies Task Force D.S. Peter Drummond, who is frustrated by the attention his wife gives her seemingly perfect (male) Synth physical therapist. Pushing papers all day to escape from the anger, he soon discovers a case involving a Synth that should assuredly be impossible. Lastly, Leo (Colin Morgan, "Merlin") and his Synth, Max (Ivanno Jeremiah, "The Jury"), are on the hunt for a person from his past, but all the while, the hunters are also the hunted as a mysteri- ous man named Hobb (Danny Webb, "Valkyrie," 2008) is hot on their heels, looking to expose what could be a humanity-de- stroying secret. It may seem like a lot going on at once, but if the numbers out of the U.K. are any example, "Hu- mans" may actually have what it takes to be a popular series. The show premiered on Channel 4 last month to four million viewers and an 18.3 per cent share, making it the station's biggest original dra- ma premiere ever. (By comparison, nearly two million people, a 6.9 percent share, tuned in to the "Game of Thrones" season 5 fina- le in June on Sky Atlantic.) Technology is advancing at such a rapid rate, and while we current- ly don't have highly developed hu- manoid robot servants at our dis- posal, it's not entirely far-fetched that it could happen in the very near future. AMC takes viewers on a "what-if" adventure with its new sci-fi drama "Humans" to see what could possibly happen if hu- manity does get to that point. Catch a new episode of "Humans" when it airs Sunday, July 5, on AMC. 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