The Alien movies make up one of the best horror movie franchises of all time, so there’s no doubt the upcoming horror series Alien: Earth is highly anticipated amongst its fans. The eight-episode TV show was created by Noah Hawley with Ridley Scott serving as an executive producer. It’s set to premiere on the 2025 TV calendar on August 12, and critics have screened the series to help give us an idea of what to expect.
In the Alien movie timeline, Alien: Earth is set two years before the events of the original 1979 film and will not factor the movie’s prequels into its story. The cast is led by Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, mentor to Sydney Chandler’s Wendy, the first human/synthetic hybrid. Brandon Yu of The Wrap praises how Alien: Earth masterfully expands the franchise’s exploration of humanity and writes:
For all its grand lore-building, Hawley’s series is remarkably adept at balancing the old pleasures of the franchise with the newer questions and sensibilities (and a more sprawling narrative enabled by the transition to TV). The alien fights, while less of a focal point in the show (there are also more monsters than just the iconic xenomorph), can be breathtaking, and a standalone flashback spaceship episode is clearly meant to serve as the show’s spin on the original film.
Ben Travers of IndieWire also enjoys Noah Hawley’s statements on humanity, going so far as to say the alien is the least impressive aspect of the sci-fi series. The critic gives it a B and writes:
While not a strict homage to either film (lacking the eerie grace of Scott’s exacting horror show and the linear propulsion of Cameron’s action flick), Hawley’s freaky first season similarly foregrounds a keen appetite for discovery and a healthy fear of the unknown; a drive toward what we don’t know and a respect for what we don’t understand. Alien: Earth doesn’t always keep its footing (at least, not as surely as Fargo tends to), but it’s a fascinating and frightening extension of an oft-confined space.
Clint Gage of IGN gives the Alien: Earth series an “Amazing” 9 out of 10, writing that the show is “an evolution as slick and scary as every good little Xenomorph should be.” Gage continues:
In this, the far flung future of the year 2025 when all that’s on offer is familiar IP, you have to appreciate the ones that do it right. Alien: Earth matches an apex of late ’70s cinema in look and feel, while blowing out the world to create a new context with which to view the franchise. Simultaneously providing fans with the eggs (Easter and Xenomorph) they expect, and shedding concerns of fitting into continuity, Noah Hawley has made an amazing piece of science fiction on the strength of solid production and creature design, an incredible cast, and needle drops that make me want a cigarette.
Fred Topel of UPI calls the series “frightening” and “provocative,” writing that once again Noah Hawley has successfully expanded the story of a beloved movie for a small-screen series. Topel says:
As he did with Fargo, Hawley invented an Alien show that is faithful to the movies while exploring original ideas within. There is more connective tissue to the Alien movies, with the creature itself and broader mythology addressed, but Hawley has enough ideas of his own to warrant investing an hour a week.
Alien: Earth reviews are primarily positive, earning a Certified Fresh 89% on Rotten Tomatoes (as of this writing), but that means there were some critics left wanting. Chris Evangelista of SlashFilm was among those, rating the sci-fi show 5 out of 10. Of the many sins committed by Alien: Earth, according to Evangelista’s review, the biggest is that it’s boring. He writes:
Now here comes Noah Hawley's Alien: Earth, the first Alien franchise TV series, boasting impressive production design and not much else. Like Romulus, Alien: Earth seems hellbent on referencing stuff that happened in the films. The opening scene of the show alone more or less recreates the opening of Scott's first film shot for shot, with underwhelming results. While I'll fully admit the show looks great (and expensive!), it also ends up feeling like a lifeless slog that's a chore to sit through. Maybe it's time to put the Alien series back in hypersleep for a few decades.
While critics mention plenty of easter eggs for fans of the franchise, you apparently don’t need to have seen the movies to enjoy Alien: Earth. If this sounds like a series you’d like to check out, the first two episodes will premiere at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, August 12, on FX and FX on Hulu, with one episode per week coming each Tuesday after.
