Alan Tudyk is a man of many voices. In a career spanning more than twenty years, he’s brought to life superheroes, villains, robots (most recently in Andor and Superman), and Disney characters (in Moana and Frozen), to name a few, with a lot of his impressive work happening off the screen. In Resident Alien, Tudyk gets to be a man of many faces on camera, playing an extraterrestrial who struggles to adjust to the human form while trying to destroy (and later save) the planet. And boy, does he run wild with this premise. He has probably pulled off every peculiar facial expression you can think of during the show’s four-season run, which wraps up August 8.
Created by Chris Sheridan, the Syfy series features Tudyk’s most memorable role to date—sorry to diehard Firefly stans—because of his portrayal of the character’s ever-expanding identity crisis. After crash-landing in a small Colorado town determined to wipe out the species, this alien begrudgingly realizes that humanity is worth saving. Still, trapped in the skin of local town doctor Harry Vanderspeigle is limiting for the large gray-green creature with no ears, bulging black eyes, and scaly fingers. The duality of trying to be a person without truly understanding what it entails allows Tudyk to go all in on physical comedy. His awkward, restrained, yet never cartoonish performance will leave you wheezing, whether he’s hogging down pizza slices, fighting with a kid who can see his real self, giving CPR to an octopus, making out with an avian alien (played by Edi Patterson), or just attempting to smile. No, really, the way he grins in Resident Alien is straight out of a horror movie, but kudos to Tudyk for grounding a kooky fish-out-of-water story with humor and surprising nuance.
Think of Harry at the start of Resident Alien as a baby who doesn’t know how adults operate, or, plainly, as a rude killer robot who lacks emotions. Tudyk takes on the challenge of playing someone completely disassociated from being human—and his commitment to the bit makes the show tick even when the plot feels a tad repetitive. Tudyk crafts a quirky character with his body language, rigid movements, and the way he walks (the latter being a major point of discussion in the series’ penultimate episode). Even when there isn’t any narration from him, it’s easy to understand Harry’s thoughts and feelings. That said, Tudyk delivers a punchline like no one else. (Comedy is all about the timing, after all, as Harry says.) The most noteworthy aspect of his turn is his countenance, though. It’s as if Tudyk’s face is made of elastic, contorting to communicate Harry’s confusion, elation, depression, and rage as transparently and comically as possible as he observes those around him, often whining about their stupidity. (Add him to the list of greats like Jim Carrey and Rowan Atkinson, known for their slapstick style and rubbery facial expressions.)
Over time, Harry bonds with townsfolk like Asta (Sara Tomko), Max (Judah Prehn), and D’Arcy (Alice Wetterlund), gaining insights into the pains and joys of simply existing. He grows to love binge-watching, food, and caffeine. Heck, he even becomes a parent to alien offspring. The connections he forms on Earth embolden him to stand up to his people and other aliens who want to decimate it for their benefit. There are other classic genre shenanigans over the years, like time travel, alien abductions, suspicious murders, and portals to different dimensions. All of this only brings more pathos to Harry as his perspective expands, allowing the character to evolve through more than just dry humor and sarcastic one-liners. He becomes an empathetic figure who is as complex and messy as the people he once loathed and wanted to annihilate.
Tudyk’s impressive streak in sci-fi (Dollhouse and Doom Patrol) and comedies like Arrested Development and Santa Clarita Diet has prepared him to play Resident Alien‘s bizarro hero. As the show starts tapping into more emotionally resonant areas, Tudyk bringsmore layers to his work.In season four, Harry is a prisoner on a spaceship while a mantid-alien pretends to be him for months. (As this duplicate, the actor briefly plays Harry like a douchebro who puts too much gel in his hair and moves with too much swagger.) Crucially, the final season emphasizes the “real” Harry’s vulnerabilities as he misses his friends, cheesy pizza, and Law & Order, fighting desperately to get back to the place he calls home.
Resident Alien‘s run offers a lot to enjoy besides its star, of course. The show’s ensemble, including Tomko and Corey Reynolds, helps make RA wholesome. Even the list of guest actors is pretty remarkable, ranging from Terry O’Quinn and Linda Hamilton to Stephen Root and Alex Borstein. Sheridan and the show’s writers juggle a lot of cool twists, some that spin in circles, to keep Harry on Earth when he could’ve easily jetted off to live with his avian girlfriend on a different planet. And the dramedy’s makeup and prosthetics teams deserve some recognition, too. Ultimately, though, Resident Alien rests on the shoulders of Tudyk, whose very funny performance is so distinct that it feels like no one else could’ve done justice to the character and series.
