SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Alien: Earth, both of which are now streaming with a Hulu subscription.
After years in development, Alien: Earth finally landed on the 2025 TV schedule, bringing with it a new and intense story set in the early stages of the franchise’s vast timeline. The first two stress-inducing episodes have already dropped, setting the stage for what could be one of the most harrowing and emotional chapters in the saga so far.
Ahead of the new show’s premiere on Hulu in August 2025, CinemaBlend sat down with key members of the Alien: Earth cast and creative team to talk about everything from working with practical Xenomorphs to what viewers can expect moving forward. During our chat, we asked them to tease the rest of the season in one word, and their responses ranged from genuine to over-the-top.
Sydney Chandler, who plays the hybrid character Wendy with the synthetic body of an adult and the mind of a child, was the first of the bunch to use more than one word to tease what’s next for her character now that she and her brother Joseph Hermit (Alex Lawther) have reunited:
Oh my gosh. I mean, buckle up, man. Buckle up.
When viewers last saw Wendy in the show’s second episode, “Mr. October,” she was chasing after a Xenomorph that had taken her brother in the crashed Weyland-Yutani ship. Lawther, continuing the trend in the group interview, called out our questioning in a cheeky way before settling on one word:
Oh gosh, there's so much to say, isn't there? I think it's actually kind of a tricky question you've asked us to be fair. Because it's eight hours of this thing, and it goes in pretty wild directions. Wild.
I'm very curious to see where their relationship goes moving forward, especially in regard to Joseph coming to terms with his sister’s new appearance.
In another interview, during which CB asked the same question, Timothy Olyphant, responded. Olyphant, who plays Prodigy Corporation synthetic scientist Kirsh a year after voicing a Terminator, totally missed the point of the question but gave an incredible answer nonetheless:
I mean, I can't tell whose side this guy's on. I think, ‘Is he programmed to just do whatever this guy told him? Or has he got a mind of his own?’ It's just, it was fun to play the whole thing. … Is this not a good answer to your question?
When we sat down with Alien: Earth creator and showrunner Noah Hawley, he got the memo about the one-word answer. Not only that, but the Fargo creator also expanded on that sentiment to give us a brilliant tease for what’s to come in the remaining six episodes:
In one word, Character. I mean, the show ultimately is about the characters and their struggles. Especially for these children who are trying to figure out how to be adults, when the adults around them don't seem to be doing a very good job at being worthwhile human beings. … So it is ultimately the characters that define your experience of watching the show.
Alien: Earth already receiving rave reviews from critics, and it’s hard to imagine the show will take a nose-dive from here. The comments that Hawley and members of the cast shared have me even more hopeful of that. If the show continues to explore the characters and their motivations, as well as the absolutely terrifying Xenomorphs, hellbent on taking over the planet, then we could be looking at one of the best shows of the year.
New episodes of Alien: Earth air at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday nights on FX, and they're simultaneously available to stream on Hulu.
