Lost and House of the Dragon are two of the biggest shows of the 21st century, and in 2016 those worlds collided for a short-lived sci-fi series that was cancelled too soon. The series ran for just three seasons, during which it earned high critical acclaim, and eight years after it was cancelled, fans can stream every episode of the sci-fi gem completely free on Tubi.
All 36 episodes of Colony, the sci-fi drama about an alien invasion in Los Angeles created by Lost’s Carlton Cuse and House of the Dragon’s Ryan J. Condal, are now streaming on Tubi. Despite initially being planned as a five-season arc to fully explore the alien invasion story, Colony was cancelled by USA Network in July 2018 after only three seasons due to steep declines in viewership and high production costs. In the years since, revisiting the series has been a bit touch and go. Following its departure from Netflix in 2022, Colony’s streaming availability shifted between subscription platforms, with fans having to shell out some money to view it, but that all changed when the complete series joined Tubi’s free streaming platform on May 1st.
Colony is something of a prematurely cancelled hidden gem in the broader scope of sci-fi TV, a short-lived show that delivered high-quality production, stellar performances, and timely themes. Starring Lost’s Josh Holloway and The Walking Dead’s Sarah Wayne Callies, the series is set in a dystopian near-future where Los Angeles is occupied by mysterious alien invaders, who divide the city with massive walls and maintain control through a brutal, human-collaborator police force. Colony largely centers around the Bowman family, including former FBI agent Will and his wife Katie, who are separated from their son during the invasion and unbeknownst to each other join opposing sides of the resistance to protect their family.
During its three-season run on USA Network, Colony averaged a high 92% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, even scoring a 100% in Season 2, with critics calling the series “fresh, interesting and worth following” and as having the potential to be “the best series to hit the network since Suits.” Rather than focusing on the high-octane laser battles that typically come with alien invasion stories, Colony stood out and earned plenty of praise for its grounded, slow-burn “day after” the invasion story that served as a tense, grounded study of occupation and moral compromise. It forced its characters into impossible situations, making them choose between their safety, their morality, and their family, and it did it all while also delivering plenty of tension and excellent world-building. And Colony isn’t a show that loses momentum. The series gets better with each season, making it a strong option for a binge-watch.
May is a strong month for sci-fi at Tubi. In addition to Colony, the streamer just stocked every episode of Fox’s one-season sci-fi drama Terra Nova. On the movie front, Tubi’s free streaming catalog now boasts movies like Battlefield Earth, Predators, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, and several and Stark Trek titles.
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