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.

Closing out The Closer

TNT's The Closer ended much the same way as the show lived. In "The Last Word," Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) investigates a murder that she is sure Phillip Stroh (Billy Burke, Twilight) is behind. She is reminded of her restraining order, but is allowed to pursue Stroh based on legitimate evidence. Brenda crosses the line a bit, maybe more so here than before, and then the bad guy is caught.

But a few things are a bit different about "The Last Word." Brenda is fired / retires, depending on who is telling the tale. She has crossed the line many times. In fact, she's kind of known for it. But attacking Stroh in an elevator because of some verbal bait is just one instance too many. She knows she won't have a job heading Major Crimes anymore because she's stepped out one time too many. So she accepts a career change when the offer comes along.

The Closer is, by and large, a crime procedural. Even the finale episode focused on the case of the week quite a bit. One might wish for a series finale to stray away from that formula, and it does, a little. But as a fan of story and character, spending even this much time on some random crime seems a waste of a good actress, Sedgwick's swan song being almost every-day mundane, rather than a super special episode.

Yes, there was some personal meaning to Brenda, as the suspect had been in two other episodes, establishing him as a character in this world before now. She is also at a crossroads and takes a witness's words to heart. But Brenda has been so close to having to leave before that it doesn't seem that spectacular or different that this is the time that she flames out. The rest of the world will go on, but she will no longer be a part of this corner of it.

It's kind of a shame she takes a job so close by, then. Viewers are going to anticipate each Sedgwick drop by, and it doesn't feel like she will do many, if at all. Moving her into the job they do leaves the door open, but when the actress is made it clear she doesn't want to continue the character, why tease people like that? Maybe it's to allow Fritz (Jon Tenney), her husband, to appear in Major Crimes on a recurring basis, but it's still kind of a jerk move.

The thing is, with the sets staying up, and most of the cast continuing in Major Crimes, there isn't too much of a sense of closure here. Sure, Brenda is given a purse by her men to replace the one she shoots Stroh through. It's a touching moment for her. But then they all go back to work the next day, as we soon see in the first episode of the new show, airing right after this. In such, it's only a goodbye to one character, and does not feel the end of much of anything.

Well, technically it is a goodbye for three characters. Pope (J.K. Simmons) moves into a new position that, like Brenda, should come into the department's circle from time to time. Unlike Brenda, he may actually pop in periodically. And Brenda takes Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) with her, so he, too, could show up once in awhile, but won't continue on as a main character.

Will Brenda be missed? Of course. Many tuned in for her. But that's the thing about crime procedurals. You can lose a character and continue on just fine. The main point of these kinds of shows are the cases that flit in an out in an hour, never really taking the time to go deep into the characters. That's why Major Crimes will just feel like The Closer continues on. And why neither are really worthy watching on a regular basis.

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