In the 46 years since Alien first (chest) burst onto the scene in 1979, it’s proven to be one of Hollywood’s most enduring franchises — averaging at least one new entry per decade. While these movies have varied in quality, what has remained consistent is audience interest. Be it James Cameron’s sci-fi action-heavy take in Aliens (1986) or Ridley Scott’s return to space horror in his two prequels, people just love watching Xenomorphs on the big screen. Which brings us to the first hurdle Alien: Earth (2025) must clear. Does the iconic Alien franchise hold the same appeal on television? If so, can it sustain viewers’ attention for nearly 7 hours? FX and Hulu certainly seem to think so.
Alien: Earth is an odd project. The new series is a prequel set two years before the original Alien film in the year 2120. Yet, creator Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) has notably decided to disregard the “canon” and sever all connections to Prometheus (2012), Alien: Covenant (2017), and, ostensibly, Alien: Romulus (2024). Michael Fassbender’s David was never created. Peter Weyland never sought out the Engineers, and so forth. Presumably, Hawley wanted to craft this story on his own terms without any lore-based restraints. It’s an admirable choice that, admittedly, leads to certain elements that feel fresh and engaging.
However, the flip side to this decision is that Alien: Earth often retreads ideas and themes that have already been explored in the aforementioned movies, and to a lesser effect.
Noah Hawley Tackles Familiar Themes to Less Success
This wouldn’t be an Alien story if it didn’t get into how capitalism is just as much a ravenous and parasitic creature as the Xenomorphs. From its inception in 1979, the series has always centered on the struggle between those working under the corporation’s boot and the corporation itself, which views its workers purely as expendable tools. These ideas are, of course, present in Alien: Earth, but they are never conveyed in a more compelling way than what’s come before. The same can be said of the recurring narrative of the 1% seeking immortality, as well as the underscoring of humanity’s inherent flaws.
Familiar plot threads are present in Alien: Earth, though not a single moment is as fascinating as, say, Prometheus’ exploration of those very same topics. In fact, they often feel juvenile in comparison, an afterthought compared to Ridley Scott’s fully formed ideas. The show’s standout aspect is its Peter Pan-inspired framing device. Much of Noah Hawley’s series serves as a dark mirror to J.M. Barrie’s classic tale, with many core cast members being named after characters from the book. Wendy (Sydney Chandler, Apple TV’s Sugar) is obviously Wendy Darling, while her fellow “Neverland” synths, Tootles, Slightly, Smee, Curly, and Nibs, are The Lost Boys. This makes their creator, Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin, Black Mirror), the eponymous Peter Pan.
Peter Pan and the Lost Xenomorphs
Using J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan as a launch pad opens the door for Alien: Earth to traverse uncharted territory. Primarily, what does it mean to “grow up” and to choose your own fate? Throughout this first season of eight episodes, Wendy — the first hybrid (a synthetic with a human consciousness) created by Weyland-Yutani competitor Prodigy Corp — and her android siblings are faced with these difficult “adult” choices. Things get further complicated when the USCSS Maginot mysteriously crash-lands on Earth, unleashing new creatures and the planet’s greatest threat. It’s a hook that’s both gripping and slightly overindulgent in some instances of showrunner Noah Hawley’s writing.
Another theme explored in Alien: Earth is the question of what it means to be human, to be conscious. Is it our biological, physical bodies, or is it the “soul”, some unseen essence that grants us our humanity? The FX show does a great job of navigating this through the actions made by The Lost Boys and Wendy as they try to live out their new lives amidst the political machinations between Prodigy and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. While the Alien series is no stranger to this thematic thread, especially when it comes to synthetics, never have the humanoid robots been so young and thus, so desperate to find the answer to this question.
In this specific way, Alien: Earth manages to be a better version of the young adult-centric story Alien: Romulus attempted to tell.
Young Synthetics take Center Stage in Alien: Earth
By extension, the entire concept of “synths” is dissected with more care here than in any other Alien entry. For the first time in the franchise, synths make up the majority of the cast, and we also get to see just how different their existence is from that of humans. The longer runtime that comes with a television series allows the writers to flesh out their conflicted perspectives thoroughly. Babou Ceesay’s Morrow is the one synth character with the most complexity aside from Wendy. A cyborg agent of Weyland-Yutani, he has a singular mission that gives his life purpose. As we come to find out, Morrow has good “human” reasons for doing the horrific things he does as well.
On the other side of the coin is Kirsh, played by The Mandalorian and Justified star Timothy Olyphant, a synthetic mentor to Wendy who is more in line with the archetype of androids we are accustomed to seeing in this series. Exacting, morally ambiguous, and quietly misanthropic. Nothing groundbreaking, but Olyphant’s performance itself feels refreshing, and the character gets quite a few satisfying moments. Fans of Ash, David, and the franchise’s other synths will likely find both of these characters to be the most interesting in Alien: Earth.
Weak Pacing Might Lose Weekly Viewership
All that said, season one of Alien: Earth takes a considerable amount of time to find its footing. It doesn’t gain momentum until midway through, and by then, you can’t help but wonder if it’s too late. Noah Hawley’s previous works are known for their slow start and precise, methodical pacing. Still, it’s difficult to gauge whether this TV show will be able to keep an audience engaged enough to return week after week. This problem, like many others in Alien: Earth, would not be present if the main plot weren’t sluggishly dragged out over the course of 8 episodes.
This Alien TV series undoubtedly has moments where it shines and offers unique perspectives that have never been attempted before, but fans may be left underwhelmed due to these intriguing ideas being wrapped in the empty air of streaming television.
The first two episodes of Alien: Earth premiere on FX and Hulu on August 12, with new episodes then releasing weekly!
Created by Noah Hawley.
Based on Alien created by Dan O’Bannon & Ronald Shusett.
Showrunner: Noah Hawley.
Series Writers: Bob DeLaurentis, Bobak Esfarjani, Lisa Long, Maria Melnik, & Migizi Pensoneau.
Series Directors: Noah Hawley, Dana Gonzales, & Ugla Hauksdóttir.
Executive Producers: Noah Hawley, Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Joseph Iberti, Dana Gonzales, & Clayton Krueger.
Main Cast: Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Essie Davis, Adarsh Gourav, Kit Young, David Rysdahl, Babou Ceesay, Jonathan Ajayi, Erana James, Lily Newmark, Diêm Camille, Adrian Edmondson, Moe Bar-El, Sandra Yi Sencindiver, Karen Aldridge, & Amir Boutrous.
Composer: Jeff Russo.
Production Companies: 26 Keys Productions, Scott Free Productions, & FX Productions.
Networks: FX, FX on Hulu.
Episode Count: 8 (Season One).
