There’s only a handful of Russian entertainment products that make it to the global audience. One addition from the past year is a TV series titled Better than Humans. It’s a science fiction TV series created by Andrey Junkovsky, starring Paulina Andreeva and Aleksandr Kuznetsov. It’s original aired date is November 2018, still very fresh.
Better than Humans brings viewers into a near future city where robots live alongside human. They help people in jobs such as security guards, chauffeurs, and nannies. Little known by humans, these robots start to have feelings. They learn empathy and mimic human compassion.
Intrigued enough? Here are more reasons to watch this series:
1. Improve your Russian
Russian language learners might find it delightful to have something to watch in Russian that is recent. The language used are what daily Russian speak, instead of slangs coming from past decades. Their overall theme which concentrated on technology and robotic can broaden your vocabulary.
2. It’s now on Netflix
The second reason is availability. Better than Humans are now accessible in a dozen countries because Netflix has acquired the right to distribute the series. It can’t get easier than that. An interesting fact, Better than humans is the first TV series acquired by Netflix and is included on its Netflix Originals selection.
Apart from Better than Humans, other Russian TV shows on this platform are the cartoon Masha and The Bear and Leo and Tig. They’re among the select few Russian cartoons that are available on Netflix.
3. High-quality show
The deal with Netflix indirectly shows that Better than Humans is a high-quality TV series. Everything is a product of careful planning, from the selection of casts, the scripts, and the storyline. The result is an elegant TV series that’s worth to watch, candy to the eye for its cinematography.
4. Adds variety to your watch list
Get bored with TV shows and series made by Hollywood? Expand your horizon by watching shows from other countries outside the western world. People usually watch Korean drama for a non-Hollywood choice. But this time, give this Russian series a try. You won’t be disappointed. In fact, you’ll crave for more Russian movies or Russian cartoons.
5. One of the best Russian TV shows in recent years
Even among Russian TV scene themselves, this show is a breath of fresh air. From the theme to the production quality, everything tries to increase the current motion-picture standard in the country. In short, these series raised the bar to the whole new level. We can expect more interesting series in the future.
6. Perfect watch for sci-fi lovers
If you’re a longtime fan of science fiction than there’s a big chance you’re gonna love Better than Humans. If titles such as Westworld, Black Mirror, or Stranger Things are among your binge-watching list for the weekend, you have to include this series as a new addition. You can always get geekier.
7. Robots a.k.a artificial intelligence
To be specific, if you’re a fan of anything robots and a keen observer of the development of artificial intelligence, then look no more. Better than Humans are here for you. Title-wise it already looks good side by side with similarly robot-themed series such as Humans, a British TV series, and Real Humans, the Swedish Sci-Fi.
8. The storyline that keeps you pondering
Better than Humans also equipped with brilliant writing. The storyline and the drama will keep wanting you for more, or sitting on the edge of your bed for the suspense, or goes “aww” for a cute scene. By the end of the episode, you won’t be surprised if you want to give applause to the writers.
9. Philosophical watch
If you’re familiar with AI world, you might know about the philosophical debate whether AI is good or bad for humanity. This TV series can provide you another look to the topic. Whether you support robot development or against AI after watching this is of course up to you.
10. Ethical watch
This show will make you wonder about the ethical side of Artificial Intelligence. Will our decision and AI development result in bright future? Or is it otherwise? One could also ponder what lines need not be crossed in science and its ethics. This TV series can give you some insight regarding this matter.
11. Teach about love and empathy
A universal message is love and empathy. And they can come from something that we least expect it: the robots. How is this possible? And what happen when a human is in love with a robot? If you’re intrigued with the drama romance element of this series you should head to Netflix ASAP.
12. Learn Russian life
Russian at hearts, Better than Humans gives you a peek of Russian way of life. Although not obvious, due to heavy science-fiction setting in this series, here and there you will see subtle hints. You can see how they carry their life daily, spending time with friends and family, all those must be inspired from real life, don’t they?
13. Relatable to all nationalities
Even though this series is set around Russia with Russia setting, language, and way of life, the general message transcend all humanity. Regardless of your nationality of race, it’s easy to relate to this TV show. Not only that love and compassion is a universal theme, but also the robotic theme. Artificial Intelligence is a global concern for humanity future, just like other issues such as global warming.
After Better than Humans, don’t forget to check out some other Russian movies. If you need a break from sci-fi and need something lighter or lovey-dovey, check out the list of romantic movies for Valentine’s day. If you are watching and learning, do not get to carried away with the entertainment part and forget the learning part.