Resident Alien (TV series)
Resident Alien is an American science fiction mystery comedy-drama television series created by Chris Sheridan, based on the comic book of the same title by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse, that premiered its 10-episode first season on January 27, 2021, on Syfy. The series stars Alan Tudyk in the title role. In March 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on January 26, 2022. The second season is set to consist of 16 episodes, split into two eight-episode parts, with the second half premiering in mid-2022. Premise. After crash -landing on Earth, an alien sent to wipe out humanity kills and takes on the identity of a vacationing pathology physician. He is asked to do an autopsy on the town's doctor, who has died in unknown circumstances. He wrestles with the moral dilemma of his secret mission, while also dealing with a nine-year-old boy who can see his true appearance. Production. Development. On May 31, 2018, Syfy announced that the TV adaptation of "Resident Alien" was given a pilot order with Chris Sheridan as the show creator and Universal Cable Productions, Dark Horse Entertainment, and Amblin  Television developing the pilot. On February 28, 2019, Syfy gave a series order with production starting in Vancouver, and David Dobkin directing and serving as an executive producer for the pilot. Robert Duncan McNeill executive produced and was producing director for the remaining episodes. On March 17, 2021, Syfy renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on January 26, 2022. Casting. On September 20, 2018, Alan Tudyk was cast as the main character "Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle" in the pilot, along with Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, and Levi Fiehler. On January 31, 2020, Linda Hamilton, Mandell Maughan , and Alex Barima were cast in the recurring roles in the series. On February 12, 2020, Elizabeth Bowen was cast in the recurring role of Deputy Sheriff Liv Baker in the series. Filming. Principal photography for the first season began on September 10, 2020, and concluded on October 14, 2020, in Delta, British Columbia, Canada. Filming for the second season began on August 3, 2021, and concluded on April 1, 2022. Filming for the first half of the second season took place in Ladysmith, British Columbia, with filming for the second half taking place from February 27, 2022. Release. On  February 13, 2020, Syfy announced that the series would premiere in summer 2020. However, on October 9, 2020, the premiere was moved to January 2021, specifically January 27 in the United States. Internationally, the series premiered in Canada on CTV Sci-Fi Channel on January 27, 2021, and in the United Kingdom on Sky One the following day. Reception. Critical response. For the first season, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported a "certified fresh" approval rating of 94% based on 31 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.79/10. The website's critics consensus reads, ""Resident Alien" takes a minute to  settle into its skin, but once it does it finds fresh humor in a familiar framework and proves a perfect showcase for Alan Tudyk's singular comedic skills". Metacritic gave the first season a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 based on 15 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".