Entertainment
‘Humans’ Has More Life In It
Humans is going out with a bang with its Season 2 finale airing Monday, March 20 at 10 p.m. ET. I don't mean in terms of content, although that's likely to be the case, too. No, I mean because this series will be ending its second season on AMC with a special two-hour finale with Episodes 7 and 8 airing on the same night. Season 2 of this series sure went by quickly on AMC, so fans of the show are undoubtedly going to want to know if Humans will return for Season 3, and they're going to want to know the answer to that sooner rather than later.
Update: Humans has been canceled after three seasons, Variety reports.
Earlier: Unfortunately, AMC is still keeping fans of Humans guessing. The network has yet to announce whether or not the series will be returning for a third season. Channel 4, the network on which Humans originally debuted in the U.K., has also not yet officially announced a renewal or cancellation of the series. But Humans was Channel 4's biggest original drama hit since The Camomile Lawn debuted in 1992 with a consolidated audience of 6.1 million viewers for its series premiere in 2015, according to The Guardian. Those ratings, coupled with critical acclaim in the U.K. and the U.S. makes me think that we will be seeing more Humans across the pond, here, or on both shores in the future.
Katherine Parkinson, who plays Laura Hawkins in Humans, also gave a curious interview to Digital Spy as Season 2, or Series 2 as it's referred in the U.K., of the show prepared to kick off. "I know what I've shot and how that ends, and I knew that at the beginning of the series – it's really brave," she said. "The way this series ends, the third series could end up being a whole different genre. It's very exciting." It's unclear if Parkinson knew something we don't at that moment or if this was just wishful thinking that Humans will return for Season 3, but if she seems optimistic, that should give us all some hope.
Since there have been no official announcements saying that Humans will definitely be back for Season 3, we definitely don't know when a third season will premiere. Even if you just wanted to try and guess for kicks and giggles and just go off of when new seasons of Humans have bowed in the past, that would be difficult because those dates haven't really followed a pattern. The first two seasons of Humans premiered on Channel 4 in May 2015 and October 2016, respectively, and on AMC in June 2015 and February 2017, respectively. If Humans gets the greenlight for Season 3, your guess is as good as any about when it will return.
But have no fear, because Humans is just one of many brilliant British sci-fi series available to stream over here in the States. And no, I'm not just talking about Doctor Who, although you should totally stream that one, too. Let these sci-fi series totally transport you while you wait to hear about the fate of Humans.
'Black Mirror'
In addition to Humans, Channel 4 was also home to another buzzy sci-fi series, Black Mirror, before Netflix acquired it in 2015 and premiered its third season in October 2016. Each episode of this anthology series explores how humans interact with technology with Twilight Zone-esque storytelling, so I wouldn't watch Black Mirror with just the light of your computer screen glowing. Most episodes come packed with thrills and chills, enough to make you scared or at least give you some goosebumps. However, it's not the horror in the stories that makes Black Mirror so genuinely terrifying but the unsettling messages it presents about our society now.
'Misfits'
Before Orange Is the New Black came around, if you saw a picture or clip on the Internet of someone in an orange jumpsuit, it was probably from Misfits, whose five seasons are available to stream on Hulu now. In this series, five juvenile delinquents suddenly receive superpowers when a mysterious electrical storm hits their town while they're busy completing their community service. Then it's up to them to save everyone from all of the weirdness and evil that subsequently arrives. Misfits is action-packed, hilarious, crass, surprising, and unlike anything that's been on TV before or since.
'The Fades'
If you're looking for an even more intense fright, might I suggest checking out The Fades? In this series, whose first and only season is available to stream on Amazon and Hulu, things go from bad to worse for Paul (Iain De Caestecker), the outcast who has apocalyptic dreams, who starts to see the Fades, or the spirits of the dead. Luckily, Paul meets fellow outcast Mac (Daniel Kaluuya), and the two team up to save humanity from the Fades and all of the havoc they're sure to wreak. Not only is it worth it to watch The Fades for all of its eerie suspense, but you'll also get to see Kaluuya in a starring role before his breakout in Get Out.
'Primeval'
From Primeval's title alone, you know you're going to get something pretty epic out of this series, right? Well, Primeval definitely lives up to its name. The show, whose five seasons are available to stream on Amazon and Hulu, follows Professor Cutter (Douglas Henshall) and his team as they try to keep the world safe from creatures from the past and the future that have made their way into the present day. The crew takes on giant dinosaurs, insects, and monsters in Primeval, and it's up to them to save themselves... and everyone else in London.
'Paradox'
What do you say we get some space up in this list? Well, Paradox fits the bill quite nicely and is available to stream on Hulu. Dr. Christian King (Emun Elliott) receives a series of images transmitted from space to his laboratory that show a future catastrophic event. So he partners with D.I. Rebecca Flint (Tamzin Outhwaite) to try and stop it from happening. It's possible that Paradox could help fill the void left by LOST since it went off the air in 2010, but with only five episodes to stream, that doesn't seem too likely. So just enjoy Paradox while you can.
'Residue'
For an even shorter series, check out Residue on Netflix. This series follows the paranormal aftermath of a freak explosion on eight survivors of a futuristic city. Residue is a bit of a mystery, a lot of a thriller, with a dash of the supernatural mixed in, and it is all worth a watch over on Netflix, especially with only three episodes in this very mini series.
Hopefully, there's enough here to keep you captivated until you learn if or when Humans is coming back.
This post was updated on May 20, 2019.
