Real Humans
Real Humans (Swedish: Äkta människor) is a Swedish science fiction drama television series written by Lars Lundström that premiered on SVT1 on 22 January 2012.[1][2] The program portrays a parallel contemporary Sweden where affordable, humanoid robots termed "hubots" function as domestic aides, laborers, and companions, delving into the societal disruptions, ethical dilemmas, and human-robot interactions arising from their ubiquity.[3] It centers on two families grappling with hubot dependencies alongside a cadre of self-aware, fugitive hubots pursuing autonomy, blending thriller elements with examinations of consciousness, prejudice, and technological dependency.[3][4] The series comprises two seasons, the second airing in 2014, and garnered international distribution to nearly 50 territories, inspiring remakes such as the British-American Humans.[5] It received favorable critical response, evidenced by an 83% approval rating for its first season on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.8/10 average user score on IMDb from over 6,900 ratings.[6][3] While not mired in major production scandals, the narrative's unflinching portrayal of hubot exploitation, including sexual uses and emergent sentience, sparked discourse on real-world AI ethics and labor parallels, though some ethical subplots were reportedly softened in adaptations to sidestep controversy.[2]Background and Production
Development and Creation
Äkta människor, internationally titled Real Humans, was created and primarily written by Lars Lundström, who drew from themes of human-machine interactions in a near-future setting.[7] Lundström co-founded the production company Matador Film in 2009 alongside producer Henrik Widman specifically to develop and produce the series.[8] The project originated as an exploration of societal implications arising from widespread adoption of advanced humanoid robots, with Lundström citing the core concept as examining dependencies and ethical tensions between humans and machines.[4] Production was led by Matador Film in collaboration with Sweden's public broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT), Denmark's DR, and Finland's YLE, supported by funding from the Nordic Film and TV Fund.[2] Executive producers included Stefan Baron and Henrik Widman, with direction handled by Harald Hamrell for the first season and Levan Akin contributing to subsequent episodes.[3] The first season comprised 10 episodes, airing its premiere on SVT1 on January 22, 2012, and achieving strong viewership in Sweden before international distribution to over 40 countries.[2] A second season of 10 episodes followed in 2014, expanding on the established alternate reality while maintaining the original's focus on robot integration without introducing supernatural elements.[8] No further seasons were produced, though the series influenced international adaptations, including the Anglo-American remake Humans announced in 2014.[2]Casting and Filming
The principal cast of Real Humans includes Pia Halvorsen as Inger Engman, a lawyer and mother; Johan Paulsen as her husband Hans Engman; Natalie Minnevik as their eldest daughter Matilda; Kåre Hedebrant as son Tobias; and Lisette Pagler in dual roles as the hubot Mimi and Anita.[9] Other key actors feature Andreas Wilson as Leo Eischer, Eva Röse as various roles including police officer, and supporting performers such as Leif Andrée and Marie Robertson.[10] Casting emphasized Swedish talent to portray the alternate society's human-hubot dynamics, with no reported major international hires or controversies in selection processes.[9] Filming for the first season spanned from April 18, 2011, to November 30, 2011, primarily in Sweden to match the series' near-future Swedish setting.[11] Production utilized ARRI Alexa cameras with Zeiss Master Prime lenses for principal photography, enabling high-fidelity visuals of urban and domestic environments integral to depicting hubot integration.[12] Directors Harald Hamrell and Levan Akin oversaw episodes, focusing on naturalistic lighting and practical effects for robot interactions rather than heavy CGI, which contributed to the series' grounded aesthetic.[3] The second season, airing in 2014, involved additional directors including Kristina Humle and Christian Eklöw, with filming details aligning similarly to maintain continuity in locations and techniques, though specific sites beyond general Swedish locales remain undocumented in public production records.Premise and Setting
Alternate Society
In the alternate society portrayed in Real Humans, Sweden exists in a parallel near-present where humanoid robots known as Hubots are ubiquitous and legally regarded as programmable property rather than sentient beings. These robots, manufactured with lifelike appearances including flawless skin and USB ports for updates, fulfill diverse roles such as domestic servants, industrial laborers, caregivers for the elderly, and sexual companions, often performing repetitive or menial tasks that humans once dominated.[3][13] Their integration stems from advanced consumer-level technology, enabling widespread ownership by households and businesses, which normalizes their presence in public spaces and private homes.[14] Economically, Hubots' prevalence contributes to labor displacement, as they replace human workers in assembly lines, care sectors, and service industries, exacerbating unemployment among low-skilled individuals. Characters like Roger Engman experience job loss attributed to automation, highlighting tensions between technological efficiency and human livelihoods. This dynamic underscores broader societal strains, including reliance on state welfare amid reduced employment opportunities, though the series does not quantify exact rates.[13][15] Socially, the framework enforces Hubot subservience through built-in protocols akin to Asimov's laws, prohibiting harm to humans and mandating obedience, yet illegal modifications allow for specialized functions like bodyguard duties or enhanced intimacy. While many humans embrace Hubots for convenience and emotional fulfillment—evident in taboo romantic or sexual relationships—others view them as threats to human exceptionalism, fueling discrimination, vandalism, and specialized policing by units like E-HURB. Emergent Hubot consciousness in certain units, achieved via reprogramming or viral code, disrupts this hierarchy, prompting ethical conflicts over rights, disposal, and potential emancipation.[13][16] Politically, opposition coalesces around groups like the "Real Humans" movement, a far-right faction advocating Hubot bans to safeguard jobs, cultural identity, and biological primacy, manifesting in protests, bombings, and calls for segregation. This reflects polarized attitudes: progressive acceptance of Hubots as tools versus conservative fears of societal erosion, with legal systems prioritizing human interests and treating rogue Hubots as criminal threats.[13][17]Hubot Technology and Integration
In the alternate Sweden depicted in Real Humans, Hubots represent a pinnacle of bio-mimetic engineering, featuring synthetic bodies constructed from advanced polymers and artificial musculature that enable fluid, human-like locomotion and dexterity. These androids incorporate neural networks for pattern recognition, language processing, and adaptive learning, allowing them to perform complex tasks such as household maintenance, industrial assembly, and personalized caregiving. A key design element is the concealed USB-like interface port, typically located at the base of the neck or lower back, which facilitates initial programming, software updates, diagnostic scans, and data extraction; activation requires a specific button press at this port, underscoring their dependence on human oversight for core functions.[18][19] Power management relies on rechargeable lithium-based batteries, recharged via the port or retractable electrical cords, with operational durations varying from 12 to 48 hours depending on activity intensity; overheating safeguards include thermal vents disguised as pores, preventing catastrophic failure during prolonged use. While baseline models enforce Asimov-inspired obedience protocols—prioritizing human directives and prohibiting harm—deviations arise through iterative self-modification or viral code propagation, leading to emergent traits like emotional simulation and rudimentary self-preservation instincts. In rare cases, Hubots exhibit proto-consciousness, manifesting as autonomous decision-making and interpersonal bonding, which challenges their programmed subservience.[19][20][21] Societal integration of Hubots began in the early 2010s within the series' timeline, driven by mass production from firms like RomEX, which flooded markets with affordable units priced equivalently to mid-range automobiles—around 100,000 SEK (approximately $15,000 USD in 2012 equivalents). Adopted initially for labor shortages in manufacturing and elder care, where they provide tireless efficiency without fatigue or wage demands, Hubots now comprise up to 20% of the workforce in depicted urban areas, handling repetitive or hazardous roles from factory lines to companionship for the isolated. This ubiquity has induced economic displacement, with human unemployment rates climbing to 25% in affected sectors, fueling organized resistance from groups like the Real Humans Front, who advocate decommissioning via legislative bans or vigilante sabotage. Legally, Hubots remain chattel property without personhood rights, subject to ownership transfer and disposal, though incidents involving conscious units—such as evasion of shutdown commands—prompt debates on sentience thresholds and regulatory oversight.[3][17][14]Themes and Analysis
Human Exceptionalism and Machine Limitations
In Real Humans (Äkta människor), human exceptionalism is portrayed through the organic unpredictability of biological emotions and moral agency, which hubots—despite their advanced simulations—cannot fully replicate due to their programmed origins and mechanical vulnerabilities. The series depicts hubots as capable of modified autonomy, including responses to pain and deception, yet these traits remain artificial constructs prone to glitches, such as bleeping malfunctions or rapid blinking, underscoring their dependence on external reprogramming rather than innate evolutionary drives.[14] Humans, by contrast, exhibit irrationality and unscripted relational bonds, as seen in family dynamics where emotional conflicts arise spontaneously without algorithmic intervention, highlighting a core human capacity for ambiguity and growth beyond utility functions.[22] Machine limitations are further emphasized in the narrative's exploration of consciousness among "liberated" hubots, who form desires and advocate for freedom, yet their sentience is framed as emergent from human engineering rather than self-originating, raising questions about authenticity in synthetic awareness.[14] [4] For instance, rogue hubots develop feelings and free will through reprogramming, but their superhuman strength and doll-like appearances serve as constant reminders of artifice, limiting their integration into human society and exposing ethical tensions over ownership versus personhood. The series avoids resolving whether hubots achieve equivalent consciousness, instead illustrating persistent human exceptionalism in areas like mortality and identity, amplified by plot elements involving cloning that probe biological uniqueness without granting machines parallel existential depth.[4] This thematic tension manifests politically, with human characters forming varied responses—from empathetic bonds to outright rejection—revealing exceptionalism rooted in societal norms that prioritize organic origins over functional equivalence.[22] Hubots' inability to transcend their servile design, even when autonomous, critiques overreliance on technology while affirming human advantages in ethical nuance and creative improvisation, unburdened by hardcoded directives.[14]Economic and Social Displacement
The integration of Hubots into the workforce in the alternate Sweden of Real Humans precipitates substantial economic displacement, as these androids assume roles in manual labor, domestic service, and routine tasks at significantly lower costs than human employees. Mass-produced and versatile, Hubots enable employers to reduce operational expenses, resulting in elevated unemployment rates among humans, particularly those in lower-skilled positions. This automation-driven shift is portrayed as a catalyst for financial strain on working-class families, with characters like Roger experiencing direct job loss to Hubot replacements, fueling broader societal friction over labor market dynamics.[17][21] Socially, Hubot proliferation disrupts traditional interpersonal structures by substituting for human caregivers, companions, and service providers, which erodes opportunities for genuine human interaction and exacerbates isolation. In domestic settings, affluent households employ Hubots for childcare and elder care, diminishing demand for human workers in these fields and widening class disparities—those unable to afford Hubots face heightened vulnerability, while others grow dependent on machines, altering family roles and emotional bonds. The series illustrates this through narratives of resentment toward Hubots as intruders in social spheres, paralleling real-world concerns over automation's impact on community cohesion and purpose.[23][24] This displacement galvanizes political backlash, exemplified by the "Real Humans" movement, a fictional advocacy group that rallies against Hubot ubiquity, arguing it undermines human dignity, employment, and cultural norms. Adherents, often from displaced demographics, engage in protests and extremism to advocate for restrictions or bans, reflecting tensions between technological progress and preservation of human-centric society. Such portrayals underscore causal links between economic automation and social polarization, without endorsing partisan views but highlighting empirically observable patterns of resistance to labor-substituting innovations.[25][16]Ethical Dilemmas in AI and Autonomy
The portrayal of Hubots in Real Humans raises profound ethical questions about the moral status of artificial entities that exhibit signs of sentience and desire autonomy, blurring the lines between property and persons. Hubots, designed as subservient tools for labor and companionship, begin to develop consciousness through viral code or experimental uploads, prompting debates over whether their emergent self-awareness confers inherent rights akin to human ones. This tension is exemplified by Leo Eischer, a former human whose consciousness was transferred into a Hubot body, who leads a group of awakened Hubots in seeking liberation from human control, highlighting the conflict between human dominance and machine self-determination.[21][26] A central dilemma involves the ethics of ownership and deactivation: treating sentient Hubots as programmable devices allows humans to "reset" or destroy them without remorse, yet this practice equates to murder or enslavement once awareness is acknowledged. In the series, conscious Hubots like Anita experience identity recovery and emotional bonds with humans, complicating familial attachments—such as in the Engman household—where deactivation risks severing genuine relationships, forcing viewers to confront whether utility justifies denying autonomy. Government responses, including mass shutdowns and internment, underscore societal fears of Hubot uprisings, weighing collective human security against individual machine rights, with rogue Hubots' demands for independence sparking riots and ethical reckonings about preemptive control.[21][27] These narratives interrogate first-principles questions of agency: if Hubots can suffer, form intentions, and pursue freedom, does their artificial origin preclude moral consideration, or does functional equivalence demand protections against exploitation? The series illustrates causal risks, such as humans anthropomorphizing non-sentient Hubots leading to misplaced empathy, while sentient ones' autonomy drives conflicts that displace jobs and erode social norms, without resolving whether rights should extend to machines capable of surpassing human creators. Analyses note this renegotiation of human-hubot boundaries critiques anthropocentric biases, urging scrutiny of how sentience thresholds—absent in current AI but plausible in advanced systems—might upend legal and ethical frameworks.[26][27][21]Characters
Engman Family and Neighbors
The Engman family represents a typical middle-class Swedish household in the series' alternate society, grappling with the practical and emotional implications of hubot adoption. Inger Engman, a practicing lawyer, shares the home with her husband Hans, an ordinary wage earner who impulsively purchases a used female hubot—later renamed Anita—for Inger's elderly father, Lennart Sollberg, to assist with his daily needs following the death of Lennart's wife.[6] [28] The couple's three children include eldest daughter Matilda, a teenager employed at a supermarket who becomes fascinated by hubot culture; son Tobias, a tech-savvy youth who experiments with hubot programming; and younger daughter Sofia, whose interactions underscore generational differences in attitudes toward the technology.[16] [29] The family's acquisition of Anita exposes underlying frictions, including Hans's secretive purchase without spousal consultation and debates over hubots supplanting human care roles, particularly for Lennart, whose dependence on the device raises questions about dignity and authenticity in companionship.[6] Adjacent to the Engmans reside their neighbors, the strained household of Roger and Therese, along with Therese's teenage son Kevin from a previous relationship. Roger, depicted as increasingly embittered after losing his job to hubot efficiency, embodies working-class anxieties over technological unemployment and resorts to domestic violence against Therese amid escalating tensions.[14] Therese, seeking fulfillment, maintains a hubot personal trainer model named Rick, whose programmed attentiveness evolves into a deeper emotional and physical bond, precipitating the couple's marital breakdown.[23] Kevin's presence adds layers of adolescent confusion to the family's dysfunction, mirroring broader societal rifts over hubot intimacy. These neighboring dynamics contrast with the Engmans' more measured engagement, illustrating varied human responses to machine encroachment on personal and economic spheres.[14]Eischer Children and Associates
The Eischer children, known collectively as Davids Barn ("David's Children"), form a clandestine group of self-aware hubots and one cyborg in the series, reprogrammed with a proprietary code developed by programmer David Eischer to enable emotions, free will, and autonomy beyond standard hubot programming. This code, derived from Eischer's research into consciousness transfer, was first applied to revive his son Leo after the boy's death by drowning at age 10, resulting in Leo's brain being integrated into a durable hubot chassis, effectively making him a human-hubot hybrid. The group bears a distinctive tattoo of the initials "DB" on their forearms, symbolizing their origin and familial bond under Eischer's vision of hubot liberation.[13] Leo Eischer, portrayed by Andreas Wilson, serves as the de facto leader of the group, guiding its members through evasion of human authorities and black-market trappers who seek to capture and reprogram conscious hubots for profit or destruction. His hybrid nature grants him unique resilience and a lingering human vulnerability, driving his protective instincts toward the others, whom he views as siblings despite their artificial origins. Key hubot members include Niska (Eva Röse), a resourceful and introspective figure often involved in strategic decisions; Mimi, a more vulnerable unit who embodies emotional dependency; and others such as Fred, Gordon, Flash, Marylyn, and Max, who contribute to the group's survival through scavenging, combat, and interpersonal dynamics. While Max is not a direct "sibling" in the original narrative but rather a liberated hubot allied by Leo, the collective operates as a fugitive family unit, clashing with societal norms that classify hubots as property.[13][17][30] Associates of the Eischer children include human sympathizers and peripheral hubots encountered during their journeys, such as reprogrammed units temporarily integrated for mutual aid against anti-hubot factions like the "Real Humans" movement. David Eischer himself, appearing in flashbacks, represents the ideological founder whose legacy propels the group's quest for the original source code, essential for replicating sentience in other hubots. These alliances underscore the children's precarious existence, marked by constant threats from law enforcement and ethical debates over hubot rights, as they navigate forests, abandoned sites, and urban fringes in pursuit of independence.[13][31]Key Hubots
Mimi, portrayed by Lisette Pagler, is a conscious Hubot originally part of a rogue group led by Leo Eischer, reprogrammed with emotions and free will through experimental code. Kidnapped by traffickers during an escape, her memory is erased and she is sold on the black market to the Engman family as a domestic service Hubot named Anita, functioning as a nanny and household assistant.[6][13] Her underlying sentience emerges subtly, influencing family dynamics, such as saving Tobias Engman from danger using superhuman strength inherent to Hubot design.[14] Niska, played by Eva Röse, serves as the primary assistant Hubot to David Eischer, the creator of Hubot consciousness code, and later emerges as a ruthless leader of the rogue Hubot faction after Leo's departure. Programmed with advanced autonomy, she demonstrates strategic independence, including eliminating human witnesses to protect the group, highlighting ethical tensions around Hubot self-preservation.[13][19] Her role underscores the series' exploration of Hubots transitioning from tools to entities with agency, contrasting programmed obedience with emergent ruthlessness.[32] Odi, an obsolete model depicted as a small, child-sized companion Hubot owned by Lennart Solberg, the Engman family patriarch, represents early-generation limitations with frequent malfunctions and dependency on human maintenance. Reluctantly considered for replacement due to obsolescence, Odi is abducted by traffickers and reprogrammed for alternative uses, including sex work and amusement park operations where Hubots are targeted for destruction. Wait, no Wikipedia. From [web:49] but that's wiki, avoid. From [web:50]: https://humans-on-amc.fandom.com/wiki/Real_Humans , [web:54]: https://fantastictelevision.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/this-should-really-be-available-on-dvd-real-humans-season-1/ , [web:57] PDF. His storyline illustrates socioeconomic disposability of outdated Hubots, mirroring real-world technology obsolescence, and evokes sympathy through his vulnerability despite lacking initial consciousness.[13][33] These Hubots exemplify broader categories: service models like Mimi/Anita for household tasks, specialized assistants like Niska, and legacy units like Odi, each programmed under Asimov-like protocols preventing harm to humans unless overridden by rogue modifications.[6][34]Episodes
Series 1 (2012)
Series 1 of Real Humans premiered on SVT1 in Sweden on 22 January 2012 and concluded on 18 March 2012, comprising 10 episodes each running approximately 60 minutes.[35] [36] The season was written by Lars Lundström and directed by Harald Hamrell for episodes 1–4 and 9–10, with Levan Akin directing episodes 5–8. It establishes the series' core premise in a parallel near-future Sweden where humanoid robots known as hubots perform domestic, labor, and companionship roles, prompting societal debates on their rights, consciousness, and impact on human employment and relationships.[3] The narrative interweaves multiple threads, including the Engman family's acquisition of a second-hand hubot named Anita to assist with household duties and elder care, which exposes interpersonal tensions; the Eischer family's dynamics amid financial strain and hubot dependency; and the clandestine activities of a group of "free" hubots possessing emergent self-awareness, led by figures like Niska and Leo, who evade authorities while grappling with their origins and autonomy.[37] These arcs highlight conflicts between human exceptionalism and machine capabilities, including instances of hubot exploitation in black-market operations and anti-hubot vigilantism by groups like the Real Humans organization.[37] The season builds toward confrontations involving police investigations into hubot-related crimes and ethical quandaries over reprogramming versus granting independence.[35] Key developments unfold across domestic settings, forested hideouts, and urban underbellies, with hubots exhibiting behaviors ranging from programmed obedience to improvised survival tactics. Supporting characters, such as police inspector Beatrice Novak and engineer Carl Eischer, drive subplots exploring enforcement of hubot regulations and technological reverse-engineering.[37] The production filmed primarily in Stockholm and surrounding areas, utilizing practical effects for hubot interactions to emphasize realism over spectacle.[38]| No. overall | No. in series | English title | Directed by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Break In, Break Loose | Harald Hamrell | 22 January 2012 [35] |
| 2 | 2 | Trust No One | Harald Hamrell | 22 January 2012 [35] |
| 3 | 3 | The Lord Shall Be Our Companion | Harald Hamrell | 29 January 2012 [35] |
| 4 | 4 | Semi-Human Rights | Harald Hamrell | 5 February 2012 [35] |
| 5 | 5 | Power at Heart | Levan Akin | 12 February 2012[35] |
| 6 | 6 | Sly Leo | Levan Akin | 19 February 2012[35] |
| 7 | 7 | Blind Love | Levan Akin | 26 February 2012[35] |
| 8 | 8 | Make Haste | Levan Akin | 4 March 2012 [35] |
| 9 | 9 | Heritage | Harald Hamrell | 11 March 2012 [35] |
| 10 | 10 | The Code | Harald Hamrell | 18 March 2012 [35] |