Alien: Earth has the feel of a franchise retread at times, but it does offer some interesting concepts and characters and has the potential to turn into a decent sci-fi series.
What Is It?
This prequel series takes place in 2120, two years prior to the events in the 1979 film Alien. A research vessel carrying three alien species crash-lands in a city controlled by the powerful Prodigy, one of the five major corporations on the planet. A group of machine/human hybrids is sent in to investigate, while the CEO of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation (which owns the ship) tries to reclaim its cargo.
Airing: FX, Airs Tuesdays at 8 PM EST (New Episode Available on Hulu Next Day)
Starring: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, Timothy Olyphant
Developed By: Noah Hawley
Johnny Jay’s Thoughts:
Before proceeding with this review, I have a confession to make: I have not seen any of the Alien movies beyond 1997’s Alien Resurrection. I consider the first film in the franchise to be an all-time Top 10 sci-fi entry, and the second a notable genre accomplishment as well. The third film had its moments, but I hated that they killed off (Spoiler Alert?) Hicks, Newt, and Bishop. By the time they got to the fourth film, it seemed like they had run the franchise into the ground, and I just lost interest. From what I’ve heard about the films that followed, it appears that trend continued, though perhaps I’ll catch Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, and Alien: Romulus at some point.
The TV series seemed promising enough at the start, introducing the hybrids, which differ from the synths of the films in that they have a human consciousness implanted in a synthetic body. It also fills us in on how people on Earth knew about the aliens prior to the events of the 1979 movie. But as the show quickly cycled through these concepts and a few others, by the second or third episode I started to feel like I did when watching Alien: Resurrection: we’ve done all this before, and there doesn’t seem to be enough new material to justify the latest entry. Still, I’ve stuck with the show through its fifth episode, and I’m starting to warm up to it a little more.
On the good side, the hybrids are interesting, and there are plenty of directions the creative team can go with them. The show also successfully replicates the look and feel of the early Alien movies, while finally giving us a glimpse of Earth, something we haven’t seen up to this point. I also find it intriguing that five companies control the planet, something I don’t recall being mentioned before (though perhaps that came up in the more recent films). Plus, that eyeball alien is super creepy, and hopefully we learn plenty more about it.
On the bad side, there are not many characters here you can sympathize or identify with. The medic Hermit (aka Joe) is one of the few I liked early on, and I eventually warmed up to Wendy (aka Marcy). Timothy Olyphant gives his usual excellent performance as Kirsh, and that character does seem interesting. But he’s not necessarily someone I’m rooting for. Boy Kavalier is pretty close to a comic-book character, though Samuel Blenkin is clearly having fun chewing the scenery. Security Officer Morrow could have been a much more compelling character, and while Babou Ceesay delivers a strong, moody performance, I’m starting to worry that the writers may waste his potential.
Despite these issues—and the retread feel—overall I am enjoying the show so far. I wonder how far they can go with this as a prequel, and I certainly hope they don’t start re-writing canon the way several Star Trek prequel shows have. They could eventually jump forward past the first two Alien movies and carry on the series from there, or spin off and focus on the hybrids. There’s enough of interest to keep the show going for a while, and I just hope they keep moving forward with minimal recycling of concepts already covered by the franchise. The potential for a really great sci-fi series is here; it just hasn’t been realized yet.
What’s Next?
Alien: Earth has not yet received a second-season renewal, but viewership has been good and I like its chances. Creator and showrunner Noah Hawley (Legion, Fargo) has indicated that he has more seasons planned and that he sees the first year as a “proof of concept.” There’s no word on how long he wants the series to run, but he has said that “endings are what give a story meaning” and that he knows where the show is headed.
Where Can You Watch It?
New episodes air Tuesdays at 8 PM EST on FX, and the first season will wrap up on September 23rd. The new episodes are also available to stream on Hulu the day after broadcast.
Are you watching Alien: Earth, and do you believe it is a good continuation of the franchise? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
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