One of the true joys of the Alien movie series isn’t the bloody xenomorph attacks, or even the dark, workmanlike view of space — though both of those things are great. No, the real secret weapon, from the 1979 original through nearly every theatrical entry in the franchise is that filmmakers have put their own, signature take on the material. Rather than merely deliver the same scares and plot beats in different iterations, from the amped up action of Aliens, to the moody darkness of Alien 3, the wild wooliness of Alien: Resurrection, to the bold mythological reinvention of Prometheus, the series never fell in the trap of other horror franchises because it’s been allowed to get weird.
Noah Hawley is a creator known for getting weird. He had a take on Marvel’s X-Men that nobody else could have delivered with Legion, and adapted the Coen Brothers’ Fargo into an ongoing anthology series. And now, Hawley has done it again, wildly expanding the mythology of the Alien franchise with a series that leans into his signature quirks and visual flourishes while not neglecting the blood and horror that is Alien‘s bread and butter. Simply put, the first season of Alien: Earth is the best of the franchise since Aliens back in 1986.
The concept of the show riffs on multiple bits from throughout the movies. While set two years before the events of the original Alien, it in spirit picks up a dangling plotline from the end of Alien: Resurrection: what is Earth like in this dark, corporate-driven future? And what would happen if a ship containing the alien crashed on Earth? That’s exactly what happens here, as the Weyland-Yutani-owned research vessel the Maginot crashes into territory owned by Prodigy, one of the other five corporations that have divided Earth. The ship, of course, has a xenomorph on it, and several xenomorph eggs. But it’s also carting multiple other species from throughout the galaxy, all predators, all unique in their own horrifying ways.
Don’t worry, the xenomorph is still the main event, the apex predator of the Alien universe, even as Hawley and crew find unique ways to use the creature that have never before been seen on screen (and likely will be highly controversial with die-hard fans).
Actually, that’s not entirely true. The xenomorph, as usual, is an outside stressor on the bigger issues the property is dealing with. Shocking spoiler: Alien as a series has always been about how corporations and the rich use and dispose of human beings, not mere haunted house scares. Here, that conflict takes the form of another expansion of the mythology, in this case, the synthetics that have populated the franchise since the beginning. What Alien: Earth does is add several twists on this… Not only are there the morally ambiguous synths, but also cyborgs, and the game-changer from Prodigy: hybrids, who have synth bodies but also (supposedly) the consciousness of human beings, transferred from the dying bodies of children.
Here, the show gets to riff on another plot point from Resurrection through Wendy (Sydney Chandler), who is essentially a combo of Sigourney Weaver and Winona Ryder’s characters… A synth body with a childlike mind, and a possible deep connection to the xenomorphs that gets explored throughout the first season. Chandler is a great anchor for the show, providing wide-eyed, childlike innocence, but able to switch to action mode whenever necessary. The series is not-at-all-subtly pervaded with allusions to Peter Pan, and Wendy is clearly Wendy Darling: capable, in charge, still a child but on the cusp of becoming a woman.
The rest of the hybrid cast takes a little while to settle into their roles, though, as the first season seems to be figuring them out and their places as they go. All the adult actors are channeling children in different ways (the idea is that synth bodies don’t age, so why not throw their child-minds into adult synth bodies now, rather than replace them later), with varying success. Lily Newmark makes an impression as the increasingly unhinged Nibs, who brings into focus a lot of the thorny ethical quandaries inherent in the premise that are initially ignored by the “wanna see a magic trick” introduction in the pilot. And Adarsh Gourav as Slightly takes a lot of focus in the second half of the season, after mostly being paired in a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern-style comedic duo with Jonathan Ajayi’s Smee, the latter of which throws himself around the room like a kid with ADHD.
The “adult” cast, though, is right in it, and there’s a much higher comfort level here from Hawley and company’s scripts when it comes to weird business dealings and unstoppable killers, plot points we’ve seen play out over multiple seasons of Fargo. Timothy Olyphant is excellent and enigmatic as usual as the Prodigy’s science synth Kirsh. Babou Ceesay is that unstoppable killer I noted just a sentence or two earlier as Weyland-Yutani’s cyborg security officer, Morrow. And Essie Davis plays the “mom” role well as Dame Sylvia, one of the two childless scientists who developed the process to transfer human consciousness into synth bodies.
Slightly less successful is Samuel Blenkin as Boy Cavalier, the head of Prodigy who is clearly inspired by Peter Pan but mostly — perhaps purposefully — channels the annoying tics of a boy who won’t grow up. And Alex Lawther as Hermit takes a central role that ties him directly to Wendy, but through his low-key line delivery and general lack of purpose outside of helping move the plot forward doesn’t get to be nearly as interesting as the script wants to make him.
That’s okay, though, because there are a lot of interesting things going on in the show otherwise. Science fiction is best when it’s representing and expanding on the world outside our window, and the idea that five corporations could take over the world less than a hundred years from now is a timely and pressing concern, almost as terrifying as a killer alien crash landing in a major city. When it comes to the idea, the first season feels like it’s just getting started with what Hawley wants to say about this… We get a lot of focus on Prodigy, a fair amount on the Yutani half of Weyland-Yutani (played by Sandra Yi Sencindiver), but the rest mostly remain a mystery for further seasons. Is there something to be said about an anti-corporate show being broadcast on FX and Hulu, which is owned by Disney? Sure. Hawley doesn’t really go in that direction (yet), but there’s a broad canvas for him to expand when/if the show continues.
It’s also the bloodiest and most violent Alien entry yet. Which is a pretty high bar, but Alien: Earth crosses it easily. The show doesn’t shy away from the xenomorph or its rampages — don’t worry, this is no Surf Dracula, you’re going to see the titular character every episode — from bisected bodies crawling across the floor, to heads ripped apart, to hallways slathered in blood. This is as visceral and horrifying as horror fans could want, in between the big sci-fi ideas, social commentary, and character dynamics. It’ll also unlock entirely new fears thanks to the array of additional horrors (the show calls them “monsters” and they really are) that Weyland-Yutani has brought to Earth. The stand-out is an adorable/terrifying octopus eyeball called The Eye that provides some of the most disturbing imagery on the show and is surprisingly central to the plot. But there are others, from a mysterious plant-like creature hanging from the ceiling in the pilot, to killer blood-suckers, to a late addition called The Fly. And speaking of new fears, particularly in the show’s stand-out fifth episode, which is the most direct tribute to the original Alien and on its own the best Alien “movie” since the original, get ready to never drink from a thermos, ever again.
But the absolute best part of Alien: Earth is that it avoids the prequel trap of laying breadcrumbs up to the original properties. This series is decidedly Hawley and company telling their own story in the world of Alien, in a way that could only exist on TV, rather than merely filling in the gaps. It’s also clear this is just the beginning of a multi-season story, instead of a done-in-one miniseries, a la other franchises like Marvel and Star Wars. This should be a baseline: to make a TV series in the TV format for TV. But with something like this, it’s a rarity. So thankfully Alien: Earth leans into the medium and its strengths, rather than just delivering “more of an eight episode movie.”
While die-hard fans will likely be debating the xenomorph mythology and how it all fits in with the pre-existing series… Who cares? We’ve got new horrors to thrill and terrify, pressing and timely societal questions ranging from the dominance of corporations to the ethical quandaries of transhumanism, some excellent acting and gorgeous ’70s-inspired set design and visuals. In space, no one can hear you scream, but on TV, the message is loud and clear: Alien is in great hands with Hawley and FX. Let’s get weird.
Alien: Earth premieres Tuesday, August 12 on Hulu and FX with two episodes.
Alien: Earth Official Synopsis:
When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, “Wendy” (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat in FX’s Alien: Earth.
In the year 2120, the Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) exist alongside humans. But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness). The first hybrid prototype named “Wendy” marks a new dawn in the race for immortality. After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides into Prodigy City, “Wendy” and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.
Led by Chandler, the series showcases an expansive international cast, which includes Timothy Olyphant (“Kirsh”), Alex Lawther (“Hermit”), Samuel Blenkin (“Boy Kavalier”), Babou Ceesay (“Morrow”), Adrian Edmondson (“Atom Eins”), David Rysdahl (“Arthur Sylvia”), Essie Davis (“Dame Sylvia”), Lily Newmark (“Nibs”), Erana James (“Curly”), Adarsh Gourav (“Slightly”), Jonathan Ajayi (“Smee”), Kit Young (“Tootles”), Diêm Camille (“Siberian”), Moe Bar-El (“Rashidi”) and Sandra Yi Sencindiver (“Yutani”).
FX’s Alien: Earth is created for television and executive produced by Peabody and Emmy® Award-winning Noah Hawley. Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Joseph Iberti, Dana Gonzales and Clayton Krueger also serve as executive producers. Alien: Earth is produced by FX Productions.
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