Drama Review: Alien: Earth

Very Average Joe
Sep 27
4 min read

Title: Alien: Earth

Director(s): Noah Hawley, Dana Gonzales, Ugla Hauksdóttir

Screenwriter(s): Noah Hawley & others

Studio: 26 Keys Productions, Scott Free Productions, FXP

Released: 2025

Runtime: 8 episodes, 46m – 1h 6m each.

Starring: Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, Essie Davis, Adarsh Gourav

Set in 2120, two years before the events of Alien (1979), the premise is that those running the world are focused on attempting immortality through some sort of transhumanism.

With that excuse, Prodigy Corporation produce six “hybrids” by transferring the consciousness of terminally ill children into a synthetic body.

I generally try not to question the premise too much but when it is not the first piece of work within a given fictional universe, consistency to its internal logic matters. The Alien franchise is presented as somewhat gritty and grounded. Understanding the human consciousness to the point of transference is therefore a bit of a stretch.

Meanwhile, Weyland-Yutani’s research vessel, Maginot, is returning to Earth after its decades-long mission. Full of dangerous creatures, including our beloved xenomorph, it all goes wrong and the vessel crash-lands into a building in Prodigy territory. As a competitor, Prodigy takes custody of whatever it can find whilst Weyland-Yutani wants it all back.

So this leads to the second problem regarding the premise. In the films and other works, the xenomorph is presented as so dangerous that it cannot be allowed on Earth. Granted, the comic Aliens: Outbreak (1988), the original direct sequel to Aliens (1986), has an Alien invasion of Earth. But this just shows how bad things can quickly get.

Alien: Earth tries to mitigate this problem by limiting the number of xenomorphs and setting much of the plot on Prodigy’s secure island, but it is still quite a departure from the franchise.

Accepting the premise, the series is not bad. The first episode, “Neverland”, shows the transference of Marcy Hermit into her new body. As the first hybrid, her name is Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and she demonstrates unique skills like hacking.

References to Peter Pan, consciousness transference and the use of cartoon films in the operating room/lab are obvious references to trauma-based programming and mind control. Indeed, the themes of programming (not necessarily trauma-based), identity and control are apparent throughout the series. The hybrids are Prodigy’s investment; it wants to see them excel but only if they can be controlled.

Prodigy is owned and run by trillionaire Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin). Whilst Blenkin does a good job and looks like he’s having fun doing it, he is written as too much of the stereotypical eccentric rich genius. Five more hybrids follow Wendy and the adult cast is commended for convincingly acting like annoying children, particularly Adarsh Gourav. One really wants to jump through the screen to slap him.

In the first episode, the hybrids led by synthetic Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant) are sent to the crash site to “help” and, of course, to test them out. It is a risky move. Wendy meets up with her brother, Joe (Alex Lawther), who is serving as a Prodigy medic, even though she is not supposed to, and the group is exposed to Maginot security officer Morrow (Babou Ceesay) who survived the crash.

The parties and their conflict are nicely set up, and the plot progresses from there. The pacing is steady and measured. Every episode reveals at least one significant detail and makes at least one key progression, the episode finishing on a mild cliffhanger.

That said, there are plot conveniences that can be better executed. For example, Prodigy is trying to keep its hybrids secret for the time being. One would think they would have better security so that Wendy cannot hack so easily and be more emphatic with their instructions to the children to keep their mouths shut. They’re going to do it anyway and the plot needs it to happen but at least show the effort.

More pertinent to the sci-fi horror is the lack of protocols by both Weyland-Yutani’s Maginot crew and Prodigy in keeping the creatures secure. Of course the monsters are going to break out, but don’t just rely on someone being lazy and stupid.

Nevertheless, the series is intriguing enough and keeps one watching. It wisely avoids overdoing the xenomorph. It may be the first time these characters encounter it, but not for the audience. Instead of the usual human–synth conflict as a layer of the Weyland-Yutani–employee conflict, the series has the human–hybrid–synth-cyborg conflict as part of the conflict between Prodigy and its employees and between Prodigy and Weyland-Yutani. Whilst this takes away some of the mystery regarding the corporations, it does reveal a little more about the Earth’s political landscape without being heavily political.

Also, by having the Maginot, it has a good excuse for introducing more monsters to keep things fresh and without the need to rely on the xenomorph all the time. In some instances, the visual effects can be better but it is never so bad that it is jarring.

The series mostly looks good. Utilizing the slow dolly and tracking shots typical of the genre with slower fades and transitions, as well as interior designs true to the original film, it mostly feels like watching a prequel without being dated. The flash and staccato cuts in the first episode on the Maginot set the tone nicely and it is genuinely eerie, only hinting at what went wrong on board in the first episode. After all, we have probably seen it all before. Nonetheless, this is revealed in a later episode.

Overall, despite some conveniences, it is an intriguing and generally well-produced show. It is mostly dark, with some grit that is true enough to the original film. Timothy Olyphant is mostly his usual self as Kirsh, which is entertaining, and Babou Ceesay gives an excellent performance as Morrow.

The premise can be questioned but at least it does explain why Weyland-Yutani is so interested in the xenomorph in the films: they weren’t just interested because it’s another thing that has commercial potential, they had possession of it before and are desperate to regain it. The ending is not a cliffhanger and although the conflicts are in essence sorted, it can be more complete. It is presumably making way for a second season.