Resident Alien is your next wacky, wholesome binge

Don't miss out on SYFY's dramedy, which stars a never-better Alan Tudyk as an extraterrestrial who falls for Earth

By Saloni Gajjar  |  March 7, 2024 | 2:00pm
TV Features Alien
Resident Alien is your next wacky, wholesome binge
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Alan Tudyk in Resident Alien Photo: James Dittiger/SYFY

A mild spoiler alert: Resident Alien’s March 6 episode ends with a kiss. After briefly resisting each other, two blue-colored otherworldly creatures levitate while making out. One of them is a tall, bald alien with intestines on the outside of his stomach who later goes by Harry (Alan Tudyk). The other is an intergalactic bird named Heather (The Righteous Gemstones’ Edi Patterson). Perhaps this helps you picture the “Resident Alien is wacky” part. So let’s help explain why SYFY’s original drama, whose third season finale airs on April 3, is also very wholesome.

Considering its many zany scenarios, at first glance Resident Alien doesn’t seem like the kind of drama that thrives on being heartfelt. Created by Chris Sheridan and loosely based on the comic book series of the same name, the show nevertheless carves a strikingly distinct path with its themes, central among them being the question of whether saving humanity is a worthy endeavor. Through Harry’s lens, Resident Alien sincerely tries to figure out what makes people tick. The reasons are, of course, love, friends, relationships, careers, and things folks truly enjoy doing. So, you know, the obvious stuff.

Except none of it is evident to Harry, who crash-lands on Earth from another planet with a mission to destroy civilization. He sets up base in the mountains of Patience, Colorado, assuming the identity of Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle, who was pretty horrible. The first two seasons, now streaming on Peacock and Netflix, carefully expand the show’s deeper ideas and dry-as-hell humor. Harry is driven to annihilate everyone and everything so he can gun it back home. By season two, though, he’s made friends and embraced humans despite their flaws. He’s also fallen in love with pie and binge-watching television, especially Law & Order. (We relate.) So how do you give that up?

Harry’s closest confidante is Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko), a Native American nurse who works with him at the clinic and figures out his secret. The two develop a close platonic bond, with Asta helping Harry navigate the complexities of living in a gosh-darn human body and essentially becoming his emotional anchor. Focusing on their friendship helps Resident Alien find an inherent sweetness. Meanwhile, with her assistance, Harry learns how to fake a smile, be socially polite, and not continually express his rude innermost thoughts.

Resident Alien Season 3 Official Trailer | Don’t Worry, Harry’s Going to Save Us All | SYFY

Resident Alien’s writing taps into the real disaster of being alive. No, really. It pokes fun at societal norms and standards in unique ways because Harry experiences them almost like a newborn. It allows him (and the script) to get away with commenting on different issues without sounding preachy. At its core, the show is a breezy watch because of its ability to lightheartedly appraise, empathize with, and laugh about what it’s like to simply exist in the world.

The show also smartly mashes genres, being primarily a sci-fi drama with dashes of a sitcom. (Think eccentric characters forming a close-knit community in a weird, beautiful town that has some sort of Area 51-like backstory, and you get the idea.) As explored in seasons two and three, aliens have been visiting and residing on Earth for decades, and this Colorado community is no stranger to them. Harry isn’t the first extraterrestrial, but he is a rare kind because he teams up with Asta and a few others over time to stop humanity from being permanently obliterated.

Speaking of Harry, Resident Alien’s magic and comedy wouldn’t hit the same without Tudyk’s astounding turn. He’s been a character actor for decades, having appeared in favorites like Arrested Development and Firefly, not to mention plenty of animated works. But playing Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle seems to be his masterclass. His performance isn’t a quirky caricature, even if it involves speaking and moving peculiarly, and he imbues everything with vulnerability, making it easy to fall in love with the guy. The remaining cast, including Tomko, Elizabeth Bowen, Corey Reynolds, Judah Prehn, Levi Fiehler, Alice Wetterlund, Meredith Garretson, and the great Gary Farmer, is commendable, too.

In its ongoing third season, which airs new episodes every Wednesday through April 3, Resident Alien features Harry finally falling in love (not with Asta, at least not yet!) while still striving to save the planet. By now, the writers have a firm grasp on the heartwarming arcs to balance Resident Alien’s insane sci-fi storytelling—expect alien abductions, memory losses, and hybrid babies, to name a few oddball twists. But the show lands because its feel-good angle hasn’t changed, with RA consistently driving home the idea that it actually might rule to find a group of folks who accept you for who you truly are, no matter how out there. And what’s not to like about that?

 
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