It’s rare for a series that got its start on Syfy to become a mainstream, critically acclaimed hit. Now, the final season of a show that did just that is making its way to Netflix and will be available to stream on June 6th, tying the whole series up in a nice bow despite fans’ hopes for more from their favorite small-town extraterrestrial. And while there’s always hope that once Netflix gets its hands on a series, there might be one or two more seasons, even if this one ends here, it ends on a high note.
Resident Alien, starring Alan Tudyk and Sara Tomko, centers on a doctor named Harry Vanderspiegle—or, at least, the alien currently wearing his skin who crashed in the remote mountains near a small town in Colorado. Assuming the identity of the town doctor is the perfect cover to enact the mission given to him by his people: kill all humans. But there’s a wrinkle in his plan. The mayor’s son, a nine-year-old boy, can see his true form. As Harry gets deeper and deeper into his cover, things begin to feel more complicated, and he’s assimilated far more than he realizes, kicking off a whole train of moral dilemmas.
And both of those things are the series’s best qualities—apart from Alan Tudyk pretending to be a human being while simultaneously plotting the murder of a child. It’s campy and weird, but there’s so much heart at the center of the story, and neither of those things takes away from the other. And it’s how the series earned its 97% critics’ score. “Resident Alien knows what it is doing and does it with admirable sincerity. It deploys well-worn tropes without cynicism and plays with others without winking exhaustively at its audience,” says critic Lucy Mangan.
Audiences also enjoyed Resident Alien, despite its slightly lower audience score of 87%. While some viewers didn’t relate to the show’s particular brand of humor, others found it wildly entertaining. One viewer said, “Best show ever! Brilliantly executed and so unique, with a stellar cast. It’s hilarious, touching, shocking, and dramatic, all bound together with a wonderfully quirky delivery. Love everything about it, especially Alan Tudyk.” Overall, Resident Alien is one of those shows that manages to blend its inherent sci-fi weirdness with a heavy dose of silliness and heartfelt moments, pulling together a story that easily deserved to continue past this newest season.
Do you have a favorite moment from Resident Alien? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fans are saying.
