Resident Alien is your next wacky, wholesome binge
Don't miss out on SYFY's dramedy, which stars a never-better Alan Tudyk as an extraterrestrial who falls for Earth
TV Features Alien
A mild spoiler alert: Resident Alien’s March 6 episode ends with a kiss. After briefly resisting each other, two blue-colored otherworldly creatures levitate while making out. One of them is a tall, bald alien with intestines on the outside of his stomach who later goes by Harry (Alan Tudyk). The other is an intergalactic bird named Heather (The Righteous Gemstones’ Edi Patterson). Perhaps this helps you picture the “Resident Alien is wacky” part. So let’s help explain why SYFY’s original drama, whose third season finale airs on April 3, is also very wholesome.
Considering its many zany scenarios, at first glance Resident Alien doesn’t seem like the kind of drama that thrives on being heartfelt. Created by Chris Sheridan and loosely based on the comic book series of the same name, the show nevertheless carves a strikingly distinct path with its themes, central among them being the question of whether saving humanity is a worthy endeavor. Through Harry’s lens, Resident Alien sincerely tries to figure out what makes people tick. The reasons are, of course, love, friends, relationships, careers, and things folks truly enjoy doing. So, you know, the obvious stuff.
Except none of it is evident to Harry, who crash-lands on Earth from another planet with a mission to destroy civilization. He sets up base in the mountains of Patience, Colorado, assuming the identity of Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle, who was pretty horrible. The first two seasons, now streaming on Peacock and Netflix, carefully expand the show’s deeper ideas and dry-as-hell humor. Harry is driven to annihilate everyone and everything so he can gun it back home. By season two, though, he’s made friends and embraced humans despite their flaws. He’s also fallen in love with pie and binge-watching television, especially Law & Order. (We relate.) So how do you give that up?
Harry’s closest confidante is Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko), a Native American nurse who works with him at the clinic and figures out his secret. The two develop a close platonic bond, with Asta helping Harry navigate the complexities of living in a gosh-darn human body and essentially becoming his emotional anchor. Focusing on their friendship helps Resident Alien find an inherent sweetness. Meanwhile, with her assistance, Harry learns how to fake a smile, be socially polite, and not continually express his rude innermost thoughts.
Resident Alien’s writing taps into the real disaster of being alive. No, really. It pokes fun at societal norms and standards in unique ways because Harry experiences them almost like a newborn. It allows him (and the script) to get away with commenting on different issues without sounding preachy. At its core, the show is a breezy watch because of its ability to lightheartedly appraise, empathize with, and laugh about what it’s like to simply exist in the world.
The show also smartly mashes genres, being primarily a sci-fi drama with dashes of a sitcom. (Think eccentric characters forming a close-knit community in a weird, beautiful town that has some sort of Area 51-like backstory, and you get the idea.) As explored in seasons two and three, aliens have been visiting and residing on Earth for decades, and this Colorado community is no stranger to them. Harry isn’t the first extraterrestrial, but he is a rare kind because he teams up with Asta and a few others over time to stop humanity from being permanently obliterated.
Speaking of Harry, Resident Alien’s magic and comedy wouldn’t hit the same without Tudyk’s astounding turn. He’s been a character actor for decades, having appeared in favorites like Arrested Development and Firefly, not to mention plenty of animated works. But playing Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle seems to be his masterclass. His performance isn’t a quirky caricature, even if it involves speaking and moving peculiarly, and he imbues everything with vulnerability, making it easy to fall in love with the guy. The remaining cast, including Tomko, Elizabeth Bowen, Corey Reynolds, Judah Prehn, Levi Fiehler, Alice Wetterlund, Meredith Garretson, and the great Gary Farmer, is commendable, too.
In its ongoing third season, which airs new episodes every Wednesday through April 3, Resident Alien features Harry finally falling in love (not with Asta, at least not yet!) while still striving to save the planet. By now, the writers have a firm grasp on the heartwarming arcs to balance Resident Alien’s insane sci-fi storytelling—expect alien abductions, memory losses, and hybrid babies, to name a few oddball twists. But the show lands because its feel-good angle hasn’t changed, with RA consistently driving home the idea that it actually might rule to find a group of folks who accept you for who you truly are, no matter how out there. And what’s not to like about that?
39 Comments
I’m going to watch this after True Detective I think…not too keen on the love story stuff but if that starts overwhelming the good stuff I’ll just stop watching.
I mean, there are relationships, but generally speaking, the romances this season are there for both comedic effect and humanization. The heartwarming stuff has more to do with friendships and family.
Oh good! I hate shoehorned romance storylines.
This post obliquely suggests that Harry and Asta could get together at some point or are doing some sort of standard “will they/won’t they” sort of thing but none of that is close to true. They love each other, but it is very platonic and much more of a brother/sister or parent/child sort of thing, with the dynamic of who is the parent and who is the child changing regularly. It’s a very fun relationship and I don’t think they would be so dumb as to spoil it with romance. I don’t even think there are any internet weirdos shipping them.
Oh that actually makes me want to watch it, male/female platonic relationships without dumb will they/won’t they shit is my jam!
Having now watched the episode which inspired the article, this particular episode did leave the WT/WT tension a bit higher than typical. On the Reservation, Harry is referred to as Asta’s boyfriend (which is a callback to an excuse made in a prior episode), and the final conversation between Asta and her father is unfortunately ambiguous about her intentions. I agree with you that the majority of episodes do not give this impression. 2-3 episodes ago, Asta told D’Arcy that Harry is like a newborn (paraphrasing) when it comes to personal – emotional issues. It’s a good example of how TV shows are written by a writer’s room, who are not always in unison on subjects like this one. While I genuinely hope this is not where the storyline is going, nor do I suspect this is the intention of the showrunner, I at least see the threads Ms. Gajjar picked up in this past weeks’ episode.
“I want to touch you where the eggs pop out.”That’s the kind of love story we’re talking about.
Just watched the latest episode. Very funny. Tudyk’s displays of romance toward his avian crush was quite funny. But he’s always funny, even when he isn’t.Very good third season so far, though the story is getting a bit large.
The balance this season seems to be better than the first two. I can’t put my finger on it, but the comedy aspects have gotten sharper and the B plots haven’t stolen the momentum as much as S1 and early S2.
We’re close to finishing season 2 right now, and the show IS very fun, but it has very, VERY stupid writing at points. I’m not talking about the alien stuff or anything, or the pacing, or whatever. Like certain plot points only happen out of very forced convenience or defy all logic.
SPOILER ALERT FOR AN EXAMPLEIn season 2, the “alien baby” disguises himself using the DNA of a kid who died in the local abandoned mine. Because apparently the bones of the kid were literally RIGHT AT THE ENTRANCE, neatly in a pile for anyone to find. Which no one did, despite looking for the kid. After 10 decades or something.
Stuff like that happens all the time and you don’t even have to search for it. But does it ruin the show? No! Is it fantastically stupid? Yes. Yes, it is.
Baby pooping!
It’s a rare show that can pull off this kind of terrific absurd comedy but also have so many great serious and moving scenes. My wife and I are currently rewatching the first two seasons before we start on S3.Edit…Any chance I can get ungrayed here? I’ve been around these parts for years and years and am approved on most of the other sites.
I don’t know how to help you, friend. I’ve been in the Greys at io9 for years.
It’s a really fun show that has a lot of “Northern Exposure” in its bones. Which is intended as one of the greatest compliments it could receive.
Which is now finally streaming, incidentally. I just started watching from the beginning…it’s as good as I remembered.
I think of it as “Northern Exposure” meets “Invader Zim” myself.
I LOVE Resident Alien! I’ve been recommending it to anyone who will listen since it started. It’s one of the only shows that makes me actually laugh out loud.
I enjoy Resident Alien. It does seem to have a bit of the same inconsistently in continuity with story, plot and characters as Wynonna Earp. But this is a Canadian show and it seems to balance it out a little better in comparison. To be fair, Season 1 was the kind of show where it was fine to watch it on a weekly basis. But season 2 was kind a slog and would benefit more to being binged. So far season 3 seems to be fun watching it on a weekly basis.
With all of its inconsistencies, Wynonna Earp was, and still is, a wild ride. I still binge it a couple times a year (along with other shows).
‘”Resident Alien is your next wacky, wholesome bingeDon’t miss out on SYFY’s dramedy, which stars a never-better Alan Tudyk as an extraterrestrial who falls for Earth”’Been watching this for a while. I just noticed the other day that it’s now also on Netflix but it’s only it’s prior seasons. It should be noted it’s still on going. The 3rd season is currently airing.
“The other is an intergalactic bird being named Harriet…”*Heather
Resident Alien and Poker Face are the two best reasons to get Peacock; the streamer is also showing Season 3 concurrently with SyFy’s airing. Not mentioned in this good write-up of what the show does so well is recurring guest star Linda Hamilton. (I’d love a Schwarzenegger cameo with her character.) The comedy is very funny, and the show has a big, sincere heart. I appreciate that when all our real life news involving real people is terrible. From the cast interviews I’ve seen, it seems like the actors all like each other, get along very well, and work on a happy and warm set.
Ugh. Quit this sappy ass garbage after season one and felt like I’d wasted precious time – because I did. Love Tudyk in other roles but this is abysmal. Never laughed. Never smiled. So much better stuff to watch.
I just started this a couple of days ago! Just finished another binge of Dollhouse which led to me needing more Alan Tudyk in my life. God, I have such a crush on him.
“Firefly” is now on HULU.
My mom, of all people, checked the show out when the first seasons popped up on her Netflix. She mentioned to me that the lead actor couldn’t act. I told her, “Uh, Mom, actually, he’s a very talented actor who’s being told to act like a complete spaz.” I didn’t have the heart to also tell her that the writers/directors stubbornly insisted upon him continuing to do that long past the point where it made any sense at all.As far as the show goes, it started off as two shows crammed together, and now I think it’s up to three at least. A lot of very talented performers in the ensemble are being unfairly asked to perform weird juggling acts and genre leaps while also sharing far-too-limited screentime relative to all the arcs and relationships.Setting aside that they’ve turned Tudyk into a neverending alien minstrel show, the writers do somewhat impress me in a backhanded way. The juggling act that they’re doing with these three shows and wide ensemble shouldn’t work as well as it does. Alas, I think they’re married to the mess they made now.
“Uh, Mom, actually, he’s a very talented actor who’s being told to act like a complete spaz.”
“I cannot binge watch a show I have already watched. That is some bullsh—.”- Me, channeling Tudyk’s character. Glad to see the show is getting a bit of an attention bump due to the prior seasons making their way to Netflix. It’s dumb fun.
Binge? I’ve been watching it weekly as it’s been released. It’s worth it.
Also, the show is a sci-fi comedy set in a country town, not really a dramedy. Even most of the relationships in the town are played as a comedy. Almost every interaction ends with a funny moment. If that’s not a comedy, I don’t know what is.
I think the modern definition of “comedy” is when they hang a neon sign on every fuckin’ joke and beat you over the head with it. Being “funny” leaves some ambiguity…for morons.
I’ve only seen the first season – haven’t been able to find anywhere showing the second yet – and had a great time with it. It’s worth mentioning that the early episodes feature a storyline where the protagonist is sincerely trying to murder a small child.
Who among us has not sincerely wanted to murder a small child at some point?
If you’re not in the US (S1 & 2 are both on Netflix here), maybe a VPN & a torrent client is the solution to your query.
This is such a fun, incredibly dopey show. I love it.
The bird lady alien’s name isn’t “Harriet;” it’s “Heather” and rhymes with “feather.” Did you even watch the episode?
The bird lady alien’s name isn’t “Harriet.” It’s “Heather” (rhymes with “feather” one of the better jokes from this episode). Did the reviewer take a bathroom break during that scene?
Alan is always fantastic but this part was made for him. But the rest of the show is very good too (mostly! the drunk friend gets old in a hurry).
Resident Alien is your next wacky, wholesome binge There’s nothing as wholesome as watching an alien drink milk from the tap.
I love me some Tudyk.I think my favorite thing in the show so far is how all the women react casually and even flirty in response to his immense creepiness. “All right, let’s get a look at that tit.”
really?! its pretty hackey genre stuff filled with worn to death cliches. Lazy pseudo whedon dialogue and characters