Today marks the debut of Alien: Earth on FX and Hulu, a highly anticipated series from acclaimed showrunner Noah Hawley.
Alien: Earth Debuts Today
One of the TV shows I am most excited about seeing is Alien: Earth, which debuts today on FX and Hulu. The show is helmed by Noah Hawley and features a mix of human and synthetic characters, a staple of the Alien universe.
Cast Overview
The cast is led by Sydney Chandler, portraying Wendy, a meta-human with the mind of a child and the body of an adult. She is joined by Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, a synth and mentor figure to Wendy. Other notable cast members include Alex Lawther as soldier CJ, Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier, the CEO of the Prodigy Corporation, Essie Davis as Dame Silvia, and Adarsh Gourav as Slightly. Rounding out the main characters are Kit Young as Tootles and David Rysdahl as Arthur.
Intriguing Logline
The logline has me on the edge of my seat: “When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat.”
Noah Hawley’s Vision
Noah Hawley is one of my favorite showrunners, known for his reinvigoration of Fargo and his work with the X-Men on Legion. Recently, he hosted an event in Austin, where he shared insights about the show and its themes.
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Reflecting on Our Present
One of the things I think Hawley excels at is sensing the world around him and weaving topical themes into any genre. He did this with every season of Fargo, which tackled various social and economic issues. From what I’ve seen of Alien: Earth, it may explore many of the challenges we face with big tech today. Hawley remarked, “I could not have predicted when I first started writing the show a few years back that we would be where we are now in terms of tech companies.” He emphasized the theme of class, stating, “I wanted to bring that element into this as well.”
The Alien Timeline
With numerous Alien films, the timeline can become confusing. Hawley is not overly concerned with connecting to the existing films but focuses on telling a compelling story. “I think we’re telling a parallel story,” he said. “I’m not actively engaging with the films themselves… I think it’s more about taking elements of original films and expanding them for my own purposes.”
Decisions in the Series
One significant decision is that the movies Prometheus and Alien: Covenant do not exist in this iteration. Hawley explained that this was a challenging choice, but he trusted his instincts. “I think that for me, other than the shark in ‘Jaws,’ this is the most iconic monster in all of film history,” he stated.
Final Thoughts
All of these elements make me eager to check out this series tonight and discuss it here in the coming weeks. Hawley is an intuitive and exciting showrunner, and the story and characters promise to be engaging. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
