Meet the New RESIDENT ALIEN

 Article first published as TV Review: RESIDENT ALIEN on Seat42F.

SyFy’s latest dramedy is RESIDENT ALIEN. Based on the comics of the same name, the series follows an extraterrestrial that crash-lands on Earth and has to fit in among the local population. He tries to stay apart initially, taking the identity of a doctor who lives in a remote cabin in Colorado near the crash site. But when the town’s local physician dies and no one else can get through the roads at this time of year, the mayor pulls “the doctor” out of retirement and forces him to fill in. Toss in a murder mystery, possible romance, a child nemesis, and a planned genocide, and there’s a lot going on.

Alan Tudyk stars in RESIDENT ALIEN as Harry Vanderspeigle, the human appearance of the alien (once the real man is killed). Tudyk has a long resume full of lots of voice-over work (Rogue One, Harley Quinn), as well as both comedic and dramatic turns in the series Firefly and its film spin-off, Serenity, so he’s already proven his bona fides and is overdue for a starring role. He mixes just the right amount of levity to a very dark story, and his humor is beautifully downplayed. Tudyk finds plenty of good moments for subtle acting, both physical and emotional, and is highly believable in a very strange part.

Harry, as I’ll refer to the alien from here, was on a mission to wipe out mankind when he crashes. It’s evident from the pilot that, living among the species, he’ll grow to have affection for humans, and likely protect them. Despite a couple of heinous acts, it’s still easy to root for Harry – as long as he is able to be stopped from murdering young Max (Judah Prehn, Kinderwood), the only one who can see his true form. I just don’t see how Harry could come back from killing a kid.

It would be very easy for Harry to fall into stereotypes, but so far RESIDENT ALIEN deftly avoids them. Harry is neither heartless nor full of emotion. He is intelligent, yet socially awkward, but neither to the point where it defines him or distracts from the story. He isn’t easy to pin down, and this complexity makes the character work in a way he very easily might not.

The supporting cast of working, but mostly not yet household name, actors are excellent, too, finding the absurdity of individualism and small-town life, making the most awkward group of delightful individuals this side of Stars Hollow. Sherry Mike Thompson (Corey Reynolds, The Closer) is a tough guy who’d like to be referred to as Big Black. His deputy, Liv Baker (Elizabeth Bowen, Upload), is awkward and open-minded. The two share a touching sing-along moment in the RESIDENT ALIEN pilot. D’arcy (Alice Wetterlund, Silicon Valley) stands out as the fun bartender. Mayor Ben Hawthorne (Levi Fiehler, The Fosters) is a liberal in a conservative town. And the second lead of the show, Astra Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko, Once Upon a Time), is a loner who finds the hidden kindness in Harry. Or maybe she just needs someone and he’s there.

I like that RESIDENT ALIEN has a sizeable ensemble cast. I like that it has a distinctive look that works for it. I like the mystery of the doctor’s murder that extends beyond the first episode. I like a lot of things about this show, including that I can’t adequately describe it one sentence. Mostly, I like that it’s a fully realized world, and despite some coincidences that stretch believability, it’s a well-thought-out story of complicated people, and one alien, that stands apart in its lack of cheesiness that often suffuses similar premises. It probably helps that its not a sitcom.

RESIDENT ALIEN airs Wednesdays at 10 ET on SyFy.

Welcome-ish, PEOPLE OF EARTH

Article first published as PEOPLE OF EARTH Review on Seat42F.

TBS is a network for experimental sitcoms, so their latest offering, PEOPLE OF EARTH, should fit right in. An accomplished journalist is assigned to cover a support group for people who believe they have been abducted by aliens. Anxious to get past that waste of time and onto something meaningful, he barely gives the theories of the crazy people a second thought… until he has an extraterrestrial encounter of his own.

Yep, it sounds like a bizarre premise, and it is. It gets even more bizarre when viewers get to start seeing the aliens, knowing this isn’t just conspiracy theories, and is actually a real problem. The aliens plan to take over the world and aren’t too happy that our hero, Ozzie Graham (Wyatt Cenac, The Daily Show), is onto them. After all, no one is going to listen to a bunch of crackpots, but an actual reporter who is determined to find proof? That could threaten all of their plans!

I like the cast of this show. Besides Cenac, the large ensemble includes Ana Gasteyer (Suburgatory, Saturday Night Live), Luka Jones (Up All Night), Brian Huskey (Another Period), Michael Cassidy (The Magicians), Oscar Nunez (The Office), Nancy Lenehan (My Name Is Earl), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Selfie), Alice Wetterlund (Silicon Valley), Daniel Sherman (Run All Night), and Tracee Chimo (Orange Is the New Black). This isn’t an A-list bunch, but there are quite a few familiar faces, and some very funny people on the list.

I also like the concept. Alien abductions are usually dismissed as nonsense, and if they were to be played for laughs, it’s by laughing at the characters. Here, we have some people who fit that stereotype of someone who isn’t to be believed, but knowing they’re right changes the dynamic and feel of the series. It’s kind of a weird world that doesn’t feel like our own reality, even though it looks and sounds like it, which makes for an interesting watching experience.

Where it goes wrong for me is the execution. The aliens themselves aren’t portrayed nearly as well as they could be. They are an inept bunch, even though they’ve been able to operate in the shadows for some time. They’re too sloppy to feel realistic. There are plot holes, one of the invaders making a very strange decision in retrospect, which feels very obvious by episode two. We’re still very much in the dark about who they are and what they want, but there doesn’t appear to be a cohesive idea behind them that will make the mystery worth it. And, while some have cool designs, others are pretty lame.

Because of that, I don’t know where this is going, and I’m not that interested in finding out. If PEOPLE OF EARTH can’t get through two half-hour installments without making me doubt the reality they’re presenting, I don’t know that I can stomach a weekly show that may not pay off.

The one aspect that gives me a bit of hope is that delusions that Ozzie experiences. By setting the narrator up to be unreliable, there is a possibility that the inconsistencies and plot holes could be purposeful, clues that not all is as it seems to be to those of us watching at home (another level beyond the ignorant, unprepared humans who don’t know the aliens are coming). If this were embraced more fully, PEOPLE OF EARTH could be a ground-breaking sitcom.

I just don’t think that’s where it’s going, though, so while I was amused and interested in the first couple of installments, I’m not sold on continuing, especially on a network that had yet to distinguish itself as consistently reliable in the comedy realm, airing both good series and total duds, often at the same time.

PEOPLE OF EARTH premieres tonight at 10/9c on TBS.