{{short description|Russian science fiction television series}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox television | image = Better than Humans.jpg | caption = Russian-language poster | alt = The right side of a damaged female android's face (on the left); as its counterpart on the right, a man's face with stubble | genre = {{Plainlist| * Science fiction * Drama * Action }} | creator = {{Plainlist| * Andrey Junkovsky * Aleksandr Dagan * Aleksandr Kessel }} | starring = {{Plainlist|<!-- Per WP:TVCAST: The cast listing should be ordered according to the original broadcast credits, with new cast members being added to the end of the list. --> * Paulina Andreeva * Kirill Käro * Aleksandr Ustyugov * Olga Lomonosova * Eldar Kalimulin * Vita Kornienko * Aleksandr Kuznetsov * Vera Panfilova * Fedor Lavrov * Sergey Sosnovsky * Pavel Vorozhtsov * Irina Tarannik * Sergey Kolesnikov * Kirill Polukhin }} | theme_music_composer = | composer = | country = Russia | language = Russian | num_seasons = 1<!--Increment only as each new season premieres!--> | num_episodes = 16<ref name="Kino-Teatro.ru">{{cite web|url=https://www.kino-teatr.ru/kino/movie/ros/121982/annot/|title=Лучше, чем люди|website=kino-teatr.ru|language=Ru|access-date=31 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209085907/https://www.kino-teatr.ru/kino/movie/ros/121982/annot/|archive-date=9 February 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> <!--Increment only as each new episode premieres!--> | producer = {{Plainlist| * Vitali Shlyappo * Eduard Iloyan * Aleksei Trotsyuk * Denis Jalinskiy * Mikhail Tkachenko * Eduard Gorbenko * Aleksander Kessel }} | location = Moscow | cinematography = Ilya Ovsenev | runtime = 50 minutes | company = BYW Group | network = {{Plainlist| * Start * C1R }} | first_aired = {{Start date|2018|11|23|df=yes}} | last_aired = }}
'''''Better Than Us''''' ({{langx|ru|Лучше, чем люди|Luchshe, chem lyudi}}, literally "better than people") is a 2018 Russian science fiction television series created by Andrey Junkovsky, about an advanced empathic android named Arisa. It stars Paulina Andreeva and Kirill Käro, as well as Aleksandr Ustyugov. It was produced by Yellow, Black and White in cooperation with Sputnik Vostok Production<ref name="Kinometro.ru">{{cite web|url=https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ru&u=http://www.kinometro.ru/Tv/show/name/better_than_human_9974&prev=search |title=Создатели "Кухни" и "Лондонграда" снимают сериал о роботах|trans-title=The creators of "Kitchen" and "Londongrad" make a series about robots |language=Ru|publisher=kinometro.ru|date=24 August 2016}}</ref> for the Russian state channel C1R.<ref name="KP.ru">{{cite web|url=https://www.kp.ru/daily/26780/3814092/|title=Сериалы 2018-го: Трудно быть Ботом...|date=12 January 2018|publisher=kinopoisk.ru|language=ru|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref>
Netflix purchased it under the English title ''Better than Us'', and it is the first Russian series presented as a Netflix original series.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-picks-up-first-original-russian-tv-series-1175523|title='Better Than People' to Become First Russian Series Under Netflix Originals Banner|work=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Vladimir|last=Kozlov|date=11 January 2019}}</ref> On 16 August 2019, the first season of sixteen episodes became available to stream in Netflix markets outside of Russia and China.<ref name="flix" /> A second season of ten episodes was planned to begin filming in Moscow and Beijing in the third quarter of 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/streaming/asia/netflix-series-better-than-us-to-get-indie-produced-second-season-1234833683|title=Netflix Series 'Better Than Us' to Get China-Backed Indie-Produced Second Season (EXCLUSIVE)|first=Patrick|last=Frater|work=Variety|date=17 November 2020|access-date=10 December 2020}}</ref>
==Synopsis== The story takes place in 2029, in a world where androids serve humans in various positions, even replacing them in many menial jobs. An advanced robot named Arisa is imported to Russia from China discreetly, within the CRONOS corporation. Arisa accidentally kills a man who tries to use her as a sex robot, and then flees. Her ability to kill humans shows she does not abide by Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. Instead, she is designed to protect her family (which includes herself) by all means possible. She encounters a little girl (Sonya) and automatically bonds with her, making herself the child's guardian.
The series follows three storylines:
# that of Arisa and the family she adopts; # the family's son, Egor Safronov, and his girlfriend, Zhanna, as part of the anti-droid militant group called the "Liquidators"; # the secrets of Viktor Toropov, the head of CRONOS, as he tries to hide the fact that they are unable to make another Arisa.<ref name="Dec">{{cite web|url=https://decider.com/2019/08/16/better-than-us-on-Netflix-stream-it-or-skip-it/ |title=Stream It or Skip It: 'Better Than Us' on Netflix, a Russian Family Drama with Sex Bots |website=decider.com |date=31 August 2019}}</ref>
By the end, it is revealed that China's one-child policy has led to a critical shortage of marriageable women, so an engineer designed Arisa; she is programmed to be a wife to a man and mother to adopted children. However, her creator dies and Arisa is sold to the Russian robotics firm CRONOS.<ref name="nbc">{{cite web|year=2019|title=Russia's 'Better Than Us' explores the near future of AI|url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/Russias-Better-Than-Us-Explores-the-Near-Future-of-AI-on-Netflix-558432881.html|website=nbcwashington.com}}</ref>
==Cast and characters== <!-- Per WP:TVCAST: The cast listing should be ordered according to the original broadcast credits, with new cast members being added to the end of the list. --> * Paulina Andreeva as Arisa, prototype of a new generation of empathetic bots<ref name="YWB Group">{{cite web|url=http://ybw-group.ru/#section-main-news?url=%2Fnews%2Fstart-s-emok-novogo-masshtabnogo-proekta-fantasticheskoy-dramy-luchshe-chem-lyudi|title=Старт съёмок нового масштабного проекта|website=YBW Group|language=ru|access-date=31 August 2019}}</ref> * Kirill Käro as Georgy Safronov, pathologist, former surgeon, father to Egor and Sonya<ref name="flix">{{cite web|url= https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81026915|title= Netflix series – Better than Us |publisher= netflix.com |year= 2019}}</ref> * Aleksandr Ustyugov as Viktor Toropov, CRONOS director
===Family=== * Olga Lomonosova as Alla Safronova, Georgy's ex-wife * Eldar Kalimulin as Egor Safronov, Georgy and Alla's son * Vita Kornienko as Sonya Safronova, Georgy and Alla's daughter
===CRONOS, Liquidators, and related=== * Aleksandr Kuznetsov as Bars, bartender at Club Liquidators and Zhanna's brother * Vera Panfilova as Zhanna Barseneva, waitress at Bot.Net and Bars' sister * Fedor Lavrov as Gleb, a fixer on Toropov's payroll (CRONOS) and liaison to the Liquidators * Sergey Sosnovsky as Alexey Stepanovich Losev, head of the State Duma Committee on Cyber Security and Svetlana's father * Pavel Vorozhtsov as Igor Mikhailovich Maslovsky, head tech at CRONOS * Irina Tarannik as Svetlana Toropova, Viktor's wife * Mariya Lugovaya as Larisa 'Lara' Kuras, a hacker helping the Liquidators, who is involved with Bars
===Police=== * Sergey Kolesnikov as Anatoly Vladimirovich Svetov, head of the police department on fighting cybercrime * Kirill Polukhin as Pavel Borisovich Varlamov, an investigator in the cybercrime department, a former employee of the homicide department * Viktoriya Korlyakova as Irina Plescheeva, a subordinate to Varlamov in the cybercrime department
==Episodes== ===Season 1 (2018–19)=== {{Episode table |background=#C4A574 |overall= |season= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |airdateR= |country=Russia |episodes= {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 1 |EpisodeNumber2 = 1 |Title = Episode 1 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2018|11|23|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 2 |EpisodeNumber2 = 2 |Title = Episode 2 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2018|11|23|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 3 |EpisodeNumber2 = 3 |Title = Episode 3 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2018|11|30|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 4 |EpisodeNumber2 = 4 |Title = Episode 4 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2018|12|7|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 5 |EpisodeNumber2 = 5 |Title = Episode 5 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2018|12|14|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 6 |EpisodeNumber2 = 6 |Title = Episode 6 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Dagan |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2018|12|21|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 7 |EpisodeNumber2 = 7 |Title = Episode 7 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2018|12|28|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 8 |EpisodeNumber2 = 8 |Title = Episode 8 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2018|12|28|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 9 |EpisodeNumber2 = 9 |Title = Episode 9 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|1|11|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 10 |EpisodeNumber2 = 10 |Title = Episode 10 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|1|18|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 11 |EpisodeNumber2 = 11 |Title = Episode 11 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|1|25|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 12 |EpisodeNumber2 = 12 |Title = Episode 12 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|2|1|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 13 |EpisodeNumber2 = 13 |Title = Episode 13 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|2|8|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 14 |EpisodeNumber2 = 14 |Title = Episode 14 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|2|15|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 15 |EpisodeNumber2 = 15 |Title = Episode 15 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|2|22|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 16 |EpisodeNumber2 = 16 |Title = Episode 16 |DirectedBy = Andrey Dzhunkovskiy |WrittenBy = Alexander Kessel |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2019|3|1|df=y}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = C4A574 }} }}
==Production== The filming of the television series began in 2016 and ended in 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.ok-magazine.ru/kino/shooting/43387-paulina-andreeva-igraet-robota-v-novom-fantasticheskom-teleproekte-foto |work=OK! Magazine Russia |title=Паулина Андреева играет робота в новом фантастическом телепроекте (ФОТО) |trans-title=Paulina Andreeva plays a robot in a new fantastic television project|date=24 August 2016|language=ru}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=December 2020}}
==See also== * ''Real Humans'', 2012 Swedish television series * ''Almost Human'', 2013 American television series * ''Humans'', 2015 British-American television series
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|tt8285216}} * [https://www.netflix.com/il-en/title/81026915?preventIntent=true ''Better than Us''] on Netflix
{{Netflix original current series}}
Category:Androids in television Category:2018 Russian television series debuts Category:Netflix original programming Category:Russian-language television shows Category:Existentialist television series Category:Hard science fiction Category:Philosophical fiction Category:Robots in television Category:Serial drama television series Category:Television shows filmed in Moscow Category:Transhumanism in television series Category:Channel One (Russia) original programming Category:Russian drama television series Category:Russian science fiction television series Category:Television shows set in Moscow Category:Science fiction web series Category:2018 web series debuts Category:START original programming