Will Resident Alien Be Cancelled or Will It Continue to a 5th Season? (Updated)

Resident Alien has moved to USA, but it is airing later in the evening and not getting much attention so far in its fourth season.

[Update: This show has been officially cancelled by USA]

What Is It?

This series follows an extraterrestrial being who crash-lands on Earth and takes over the identity of a doctor named Harry. He is on a mission to kill all humans on the planet, but his resolve starts to waver as he spends more time with the people he was sent to destroy.

Airing: USA/Syfy Friday 11 PM EST

Starring: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler

Created By: Chris Sheridan

Why Is It in Danger?

Resident Alien premiered on Syfy back in the winter of 2021 and turned into a hit for the network out of the gate. Fan-favorite Alan Tudyk led the sci-fi comedy that many found quite delightful, and it received renewals for both a second and third season. The viewership numbers did drop each year (in part because of Syfy’s lack of promotion), and by its third season, the audience was down to less than half of what it saw in its first year. The network went silent on the show after it wrapped its third year, and there were doubts about whether Syfy would bring it back. Finally, in June 2024, a fourth season renewal was announced—but the show was switching networks to USA and taking a “significant budget reduction.” So the renewal didn’t come with a vote of confidence, and I expected the fourth season to eventually be announced as the show’s last.

That didn’t happen, though, and Resident Alien started its run on USA (with a simulcast on Syfy) in June 2025. The viewership slipped from the prior season, but when the Syfy broadcasts were factored in, the numbers were not too far off. In addition, the show started its fourth season airing Fridays at 11 PM EST, which is outside of Prime Time and likely not drawing in premium ad rates from sponsors (that switched to 10 PM EST starting July 4th). The current season received good marks from critics and viewers, but the late scheduling suggested the show was more of an afterthought for the network and I moved it to Bubble status early on.  I was working under the assumption that the creative team was approaching the fourth season as the show’s last, and that proved to be true as confirmed by the showrunner after USA officially cancelled it ahead its season finale.

What Can Fans Do to Help the Show?

If fans want Resident Alien to stick around for a fifth season (and possibly more), the best thing they can do is watch it while the current season is airing. They should stage watch parties during the live broadcasts and get the show trending on social media to bring it more attention. Of course, unless you are a Nielsen family, that won’t help the overnight ratings, but the social media presence can give it a boost. Even more importantly, fans should watch the current season episodes on Peacock as they become available. They hit streaming a week after broadcast, and if you watch it there, your viewership will be counted.

Going back and watching prior seasons on Peacock will help as well, and if enough people stream it there, the show could make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings.  The first three seasons are available on Netflix, and that is a venue to target as a possible savior for the show. If it does show up in the Nielsen charts, that would certainly make a case for a fifth season. Any other means of getting the show to go viral would help as well (more on that at this link). Resident Alien has been well-regarded throughout its run, but its audience has definitely trailed off. The showrunner has said that a movie continuation is “plausible”, and if fans can prove that there are still plenty of people watching the show, perhaps that or fifth season could happen.

Where Can You Watch It?

New episodes air Fridays at 10 PM EST on USA and also on Syfy, and the current season will run through August 8th. As mentioned above, those episodes are available a week later on Peacock, and prior seasons are streaming there as well.  The first three seasons of the show are streaming on Netflix.

Have you been watching Resident Alien and will you support fan efforts to get the show a fifth season? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.

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