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Truth be told, I approached “Alien: Earth” with a degree of skepticism.
That’s not due to a lack of love for the iconic sci-fi universe. As a lifelong “Alien” superfan, introduced to the Xenomorph at an impressionable (and far too young) age, my cautious approach was born out of concern as to how the cinematic world of “Alien” would translate to the small screen. Turns out, I needn’t have worried.
In a word, “Alien: Earth” is a triumph. After streaming the first six episodes, the show has already delivered on its promise to bring the thrills, chills and fear of its big-screen siblings to the TV world, and then some. Creator Noah Hawley has crafted an FX/Hulu original that serves as both a fantastic extension of the universe and a bold new frontier.
Most impressively, “Earth” isn’t just an “Alien” movie shrunk down and stretched across eight chapters. Its overall scale doesn’t quite match its blockbuster counterpart, but the expansion of the “Alien” world is guaranteed to delight longtime fans and draw in even those less familiar with this dark (but rich) universe of Xenomorphs and nefarious mega corporations.
Beyond the rudimentary elevator pitch of “the first ‘Alien’ TV show,” there is so much about “Alien: Earth” worth praising, from the spectacular visual design (some ropey CGI aside) to a cast of well-written, and often complex, characters. And I can’t neglect to call out the phenomenal pacing either.
“Alien: Earth” is pretty much the television show of my dreams.
Building a better world
Alien: Earth | Official Trailer | FX - YouTube
“Alien: Earth” starts, as all good “Alien” stories should, with a doomed crew of space explorers encountering the world’s most lethal killer, and things immediately going south.
But this time, the goal isn’t to prevent the Xenomorph from finding its way back to Earth; it’s too late for that. The space vessel Maginot — which fans will be delighted to know is a dead ringer for the Nostromo — is already on a collision course with our big blue planet.
This spaceship, containing not just a clutch of Xenos eggs but also several other equally deadly extraterrestrial creatures, crash-lands in territory owned by Prodigy, one of five megacorporations that control the now resource-depleted Earth. And the ship's owner, another of the megacorps, Weyland-Yutani, very much wants it back. Alien eggs and all.
This is where “Alien: Earth” sets itself apart from the numerous Xenomorph-focused films before it. As a TV show, it has a greater ability to expand on the sci-fi universe and explore the state of this grim vision of the future.
While you might come to see an Alien burst from the chest of an unfortunate victim, you’ll likely stay for the highly engaging corporate pokliticing.
The machinations of powerful and morally bankrupt businesses are hardly a new theme for “Alien,” but “Earth” has the time to truly develop this plot strand, making it so much more than a mere aside to the terror inflicted by the tooth-tongued creature on the poster.
The excellent performance from Samuel Blenkin as Prodigy CEO Boy Kavalier goes some way to make the corporate-focused scenes, where the Alien isn’t in the spotlight, just as compelling and unsettling.
More human than human
Trillion-dollar CEOs performing ethically questionable experiments in the name of fattening their bottom line is just one facet of “Alien: Earth.” Ironically, humanity is found in the show's cast of (mostly) synthetic protagonists.
The first episode introduces us to Marcy, a young girl dying of terminal cancer. She becomes the first human to have their consciousness transferred into a synthetic body, reborn as Wendy (Sydney Chandler).
The “Peter Pan” reference is intentional and pointed out a lot. There’s also a surprisingly large amount of “Ice Age 4” in the show’s first two installments.
Wendy is the first, but not the last, sick child to be given a new life via a white-blooded body, and soon, Prodigy has created a small family of former humans now synthetic.
Another of the “Alien” series' biggest questions is what it means to be human, and “Alien: Earth” mines this territory more than any of the theatrical movies. It might even labor the point a little too much.
Chandler herself is a fantastic lead. Wendy is a complex role, a child’s mind stuffed inside a powerful robot body, and the actress brings a youthful naivety to the role, which offers viewers something to cling to in such a brutal setting.
Alex Lawther plays her brother, a Prodigy worker and combat medic; their relationship is the show’s beating (human) heart. The two actors noted their closeness on set during a Q&A event at the European premiere (which Tom's Guide attended), and it shows on screen.
Greater star power comes in the form of Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Wendy’s synthetic guardian. While Olyphant brings a necessary coolness to the unfeeling figure, it’s a character archetype we’ve seen across the “Alien” movies. So, yet another synthetic with grey motivations, feels routine and Olyphant has less to do than expected.
The show’s breakout star is likely to be Samuel Blenkin, who plays Morrow, a Weyland-Yutani cyborg (different from a synthetic, the opening credits give a quick explainer).
Morrow is intensely threatening in stature and capable of manipulating the hybrid children as he seeks to reclaim the Alien artifacts that he views as his “life’s works.” He’s more than a tough enforcer; we’re also drip-fed clues that point to a tragic backstory.
Morrow is also the star of one of the show’s best very episodes (of the six seen for review), an extended flashback to the Maginot right before the crash that brought the Xenos to Earth. It plays out like an entire “Alien” movie delivered in a single, adrenaline-spiking hour.
The Alien in the room
OK, I’m aware that at this point, I’ve said very little about the Xenomorph in all this. Fans worried that the black-domed creature has been sidelined, fear not. There’s a generous scoop of the Alien present throughout the show. Right from the drop, it’s as deadly as ever.
Much like last year’s big-screen “Alien: Romulus,” “Earth” works hard to establish the Xenomorph as a serious threat. We see the savage intergalactic animal perform some truly horrific acts of violence, including a creative scene where one rips through a squad of soldiers while the camera focuses on Morrow’s grim expression. We only see the blood-drenched aftermath, but it's chilling stuff.
To add to the fear factor, “Alien: Earth” delivers new creatures of nightmare, including a tentacle-creation that latches onto the eyes of its victim and takes over their mind. It’s skin-crawling in the best way. And I’ve not even covered the various mutant insects on display, too.
Rest assured, viewers simply looking for sweat-inducing scenes as doomed victims attempt to survive against a shrieking Xenomorph will be more than pleased with what’s on offer. And I should also give a shout-out to the show’s use of practical suits in many of these scenes. You can have all the expensive computer effects in the world, but sometimes you just can’t beat a man in a rubber costume.
“Alien” movies typically ratchet up the tension until an explosion of chaos in the third act, but as a TV show, “Earth” takes on a different structure.
It thrives on moments of intensity, before dishing out meaty story beats between the numerous high-octane scenes. It helps to keep “Alien: Earth” well-paced throughout, and viewers seeking Xenomorph carnage above all will be pleased to know you’re never far from the next stomach-turning moment of violence.
Everything looks just right
“Alien: Earth” absolutely nails the look of the franchise. Its vision of the far future is grim, grotty and humid enough that you can see the cast sweating in almost every scene (the shooting location of Bangkok may be responsible for all the perspiration on display).
While most of the show is set within a high-tech Prodigy compound, we also get to spend a generous amount of time on the Maginot.
As noted, this spaceship is practically the Nostromo from 1979’s “Alien” under a different name. I felt jealous of the show’s cast, such was my eagerness to leap onto these sets and explore every inch for myself.
Much of the design aesthetic is inspired by the industrial sci-fi that dominated the original “Alien” movies, but the more modern look of later efforts like 2012’s “Prometheus” is also present in various high-level boardroom scenes.
This creates a nice contrast and is a not-so-subtle way of displaying the disparity in wealth between corporate executives and the average workers forced to come face-to-face with Xenomorphs in the name of profit.
Because the vast majority of “Alien: Earth” looks so good, and is so faithful to the design philosophy of the franchise, the moments where it doesn’t stand out all the more.
Green scenes are mostly kept to a minimum, with lots of physical sets in use, but one critical character beat barely connects because it’s extremely obvious the actor is performing their lines not in a real location but instead in front of a vast green (or maybe blue) canvas.
Why you need to stream ‘Alien: Earth’
‘Alien: Earth’ is better than even my most optimistic hopes. It’s a show created with clear reverence to the source material — even if the lore implications of Xenos arriving on Earth two years before “Alien” muddy the waters — and it spins an intriguing sci-fi story that asks some big questions.
It’s packed with moments that had my eyes glued to the screen, and some of the most wince-inducing kills in the “Alien” canon to date, which is quite some achievement.
Crucially, despite its name, it’s not a show defined by the Xenomorph. Yes, the lethal creature is a vital component, but even in the stretches when there’s no Aliens on screen, the show remains gripping thanks to strong performances across the cast and a well-paced narrative that escalates with each episode. I can’t wait to see how it comes to an end.
“Alien: Earth” isn’t just the clear frontrunner for my favorite TV show of 2025 so far (though this caveat is largely unnecessary, I can’t see anything surpassing it), but one of the best pieces of “Alien” media ever made. And that’s the highest praise a fan like me can dish out.
"Alien: Earth" episodes 1-2 premiere on FX and Hulu (or Disney Plus in the U.K.) on August 13.
English (US) ·