Because why the fuck not, right? We have countless video games based on one of the most, if not the most, popular science fiction franchises and a lot of books too, so it was just a matter of time when we were going to see an Alien television show. I, for one, welcome our new alien overlords, especially since there’s a good vibe about the whole thing. Hopefully, this will not be another commercial mess like Star Trek: Discovery but something more in line with The Expanse. Very few details are available right now and I will update this page with new info regularly.
In case you were wondering, Disney now has the rights to the Alien franchise and the upcoming television show will be released on the FX network. FX network on Hulu, to be more precise. So, we have FX, Hulu and finally Disney+ streaming service in the mix. Considering that Disney+ already features highly successful The Mandalorian, I’m guessing they’re trying to anchor Hulu with this show but who knows.
I first noticed the FX network in 2002 when they premiered The Shield, one hell of a television show. The Shield was an edgy and no-holds-barred dirty cop extravaganza with morally ambiguous but very authentic and realistic characters. I still remember it fondly. Almost ten years later and I stumbled upon another awesome FX show, American Horror Story. It featured the same vibe as the previously mentioned show bringing even more blood and carnage to the screen. And while we’re on a subject, I also have to mention The Americans, Breeders, Devs, American Crime Story and Fargo.
Alien television show creator is producer/writer Noah Hawley who previously worked on Fargo and Legion. So far, so good. I liked Fargo, at least the first season and Legion seems like an okay show. The story is set on Earth in not too distant future. This is a somewhat odd choice that makes me skeptical about the atmosphere and main story. What makes me even more afraid about the future of the show is the involvement of Ridley Scott. His immense contribution to the world of cinema is undebatable and he did direct the original movie that started this franchise. However, the recent Alien movies, although visually stunning and with a great atmosphere, lacked the authenticity of the original quadrilogy.
A few new details emerged from Noah Hawley’s interview with Vanity Fair about the show. He claims it will continue the tradition of focus on the workers and those doing the dirty work while the rich and powerful watch all this from a distance. I also liked the transition from closed environment, a staple of the franchise to what Noah refers to as “wide open spaces”. If I had to guess this means that the new Alien television show follow in the footsteps of Predator 2. Very underrated sequel to the eighties classic is set in the rough neighborhoods, the urban jungle and I’m thinking this one will be too. Although they could go for the AVP vibe where the setting would be a small town or a forested area. We’ve seen what a single alien can do to a group of soldiers in Alien: Covenant out in the field.
It also plays well with the whole woke culture and focus on the forgotten and exploited. This is not a new approach as the same concept has been in play for almost forty years. I can just imagine new Alien running around decrepit parts of Detroit looking for its hosts. And then a band of misfits will have to join forces to survive. Of course, the evil corporation is looking all this from distance, gathering data about their latest experiment. And don’t get me wrong, I like this idea and I think it could work. It’s just it needs to avoid all the commercial bullshit and cliches we’ve seen in so many other shows.
At this moment, we don’t know the release date or anything about the cast. We’re still in the early stages of development and same as with the Lord of the Rings television show, there are a lot of things we simply don’t know.
