After watching the initial six episodes of Alien: Earth, I found myself in a state of perplexity. The Xenomorph franchise takes an unexpected turn in this first series, delving into the realm of transhumanism and straying away from the survival horror essence that defined the movies. While there is no shortage of blood and gore, the narrative lacks the nail-biting suspense that fans have come to expect.
The first series in the Xenomorph franchise surprisingly shifts into a psychological tale of transhumanism, dropping the survival horror vibes that characterised the movies. Sure, there’s blood and guts, but the story lacks suspense.
Although experimenting with various themes and genres is admirable, in this case, it backfires. The show created by Noah Hawley, well-recognised for TV shows such as Legion and Fargo, struggles to establish its identity.
Plenty of gore, but little build-up
We’re seven films into the universe set in 1979 – nine if we count the two crossovers with the Predator franchise. We’ve learnt all the Xenomorph’s tricks, and nothing can bring back the terror of the unknown from the first Alien movie by Ridley Scott.
But I still want some elements of surprise, and Noah Hawley lets go of the Xenomorph’s mystery too easily.
Every Alien fan deeply values the slow reveal of the terrifying creature in all its slimy glory. However, in FX’s series, the teasing is practically non-existent, as the Xenomorph is shown off in the very first episode. While there is plenty of gore, the lack of tension is a disappointment. Without an emotional buildup, the onscreen slaughter is nothing more than a few buckets of red paint splashed over dissected fake limbs.
The Xenomorph gets a demotion
If you’re a fan of the earlier Aliens movies like me, you will appreciate the aesthetic of FX’s series, which is a retrofuturistic feast for the eyes. The technology, interior design and colour palette take the viewer straight back to the 70s and 80s.
But while Alien: Earth resembles Alien and Aliens visually, the plot is more like Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. The Xenomorph must share the stage not only with other extraterrestrial life forms, but also with androids, cyborgs and hybrids (the results of transitioning children’s minds into synthetic bodies). It’s their dilemmas that are the centre of attention, not the fight against the monster.
Sadly, this shift dilutes the terror that’s the hallmark of the franchise. Noah Hawley discussed the challenges of creating a survival horror for the small screen in a press conference for the series, and it may come as a disappointment for the fellow monster fans out there:
Well, an Alien movie is a two-hour survival story, and a television show is long form in which you have to invest in a lot of characters who don’t die and explore these characters and the themes that were introduced in the Alien franchise. The challenges are, for me, let’s take the monsters out of it for a minute and think about what the show? Where’s the drama that we’re investing in week to week? I’m not worried about the monsters. When we put the monsters in, that’s the money-back guarantee, right?
The kids aren’t alright
I understand that the most successful TV series are character-driven and explore the psyches of the protagonists. The problem with Alien: Earth is that I’m unsure if Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and the other hybrid kids are compelling enough to carry an entire series on their shoulders.
From the beginning, I was hesitant about the concept of children’s minds locked inside adult bodies – and the series didn’t prove me wrong. The synthetic bodies are enhanced, but mentally, the hybrids are still naive children. How can anyone send them to the battlefield or to study alien species with their lack of expertise? It makes it hard to take the bloody clash with the aliens seriously, even if some parts are funny and fascinating to watch.
All these flaws become very apparent after episode 5, In Space, No One… (which refers to the famous slogan from Alien), which is the best part of the series I’ve seen thus far. And why does it work? It features proper adult characters, plus those classic mysterious horror vibes that were so prevalent in the original Alien films.
That being said, there are two final episodes of the show I’ve still not seen. These instalments may turn things around… but even if they do, it feels a tad late.
For a show that has ‘Alien’ in the title, there’s far too much emphasis on the hybrids for my liking, and not enough of the looming dread that made this franchise so iconic in the first place.
Alien: Earth drops on FX in the US on 12 August 2025, and on Disney+ in the UK on 13 August 2025.
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