Resident Alien : First Look

Here’s the deal. SYFY’s new series Resident Alien just dropped, and quite honestly I’m not impressed. I’m not giving the show a rating after one episode, but I’ll just say this:

I like my scifi to be “smart.” This show isn’t smart. This show follows the typical sitcom mold and this pilot did not inspire my confidence that it would be anything more than an endless series of “alien posing as human gets in sticky situations and has to get out.”

EDIT: I’ve watched the next two episodes, and I’m done with it. It’s just a lame sitcom with a sometimes alien in it. Taint jokes and random swearing attempting to pass for humor doesn’t cut it for me, guys. I’m done. Soooo… I’m not gonna give this a rating, unless I wind up watching the entire thing, but that’s a long shot. Maybe if I get bored someday. If you like SMART scifi and comedy, then avoid this, because its neither.

The setup goes like this: An alien that was sent here to eradicate the human race crash lands, and has to assume the identity of retired doctor Harry Vanderspiegle (Alan Tudyk). Since he crashed, he has to do this to keep himself a secret until he can locate the macguffin that destroys humanity.

In the meantime he’s thrust into the role of town doctor after the real town doctor is murdered. He gets drunk, scared a kid, and hilarity ensues. The only thing missing is a laugh track.

Now, Alan Tudyk is a decent enough actor, but my experience with his work is limited to good old Firefly/Serenity (and a hearty fuck you to Joss Whedon for killing him off) and his role as the voice of K2-SO in Rogue One. Honestly these are all the same character, and this alien has more in common with K2 than anything.

I’m hoping that there are bigger things in store and that the show isn’t just an endless series of sitcom gags and slapstick, but I’m cynical. We shall see.

SYFY: https://www.syfy.com/resident-alien

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8690918/