The Alien franchise has terrified audiences for decades, and bringing it to television was a big risk. After watching the premiere of Alien: Earth, that risk has paid off. FX and Hulu's series is brutal, smart, and compelling, pulling me back into the nightmare of facehuggers, corporations, and survival.
If you had any doubts about whether Alien could work as a television series, fear not. After watching the two-part premiere of Alien: Earth (FX/Hulu), I can say with confidence: this is the real deal. Not only does it honor the DNA of the franchise, but it expands on it with fascinating new themes, sharp character work, and some truly unforgettable horror. And yes, the gore hits hard.
Episode 1: “Neverland”
The year is 2120. Earth is controlled by five powerful corporations, one of which is the Prodigy Corporation. There, we meet Marcy, a terminally ill child whose consciousness is transferred into the body of an adult synthetian (a human-synthetic hybrid). She renames herself Wendy and becomes a beacon for other children undergoing the same transformation.
Meanwhile, the USCSS Maginot, a research vessel returning from a 65-year mission, carries extraterrestrial specimens including facehuggers and a fully grown Xenomorph. A malfunction sets the nightmare loose, leading to a fiery crash in Prodigy City. Most of the crew are lost, but Morrow (Babou Ceesay), a cyborg who eerily echoes Alien’s Ash, survives and prioritizes the preservation of the specimens over human life.
Prodigy’s CEO, Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), asserts ownership of the Maginot’s cargo and dispatches Krish, Wendy, and other hybrids to assist in rescue operations. But Wendy has her own mission saving her human brother, Joe.
Episode 2: “Mr. October”
This chapter digs deeper into Boy’s motives: the hybrid project was designed so he could create someone smarter than himself—someone who could challenge him. Weyland-Yutani, meanwhile, demands the Maginot’s contents, but Prodigy refuses.
During a search-and-rescue, Joe encounters the Xenomorph in one of the premiere’s most jaw-dropping sequences. He tries to warn a soldier to move, but the creature strikes with brutal force, slinging the man like a rag doll. It’s a shocking reminder of the franchise’s unrelenting brutality.
Morrow intervenes, stunning both Joe and the Xenomorph. Yet when soldiers arrive, the creature revives and decimates them, leaving Morrow unharmed—perhaps because, as he chillingly observes, it cannot sense fear in him.
Elsewhere, Krish and the hybrids encounter bizarre alien specimens, including a leech-like parasite that drained two soldiers. But the emotional gut-punch comes when Wendy reunites with Joe, revealing that she is actually his sister, Marcy. Just as the truth comes out, Joe is dragged away by the Xenomorph, leaving Wendy shattered.
Review
In just two episodes, Alien: Earth proves itself as one of the most ambitious and gripping sci-fi debuts in years. It threads together Alien’s classic DNA, corporate greed, bio-horror, and survival with fresh explorations of artificial intelligence, identity, and humanity. The tone feels unmistakably Alien, but the story dares to carve its own path.
The cast is phenomenal. Sydney Chandler makes Wendy both otherworldly and heartbreakingly human. Samuel Blenkin plays Boy Kavalier with a restrained eeriness that recalls Jesse Eisenberg but is more subdued. Babou Ceesay’s Morrow is a standout, channeling the unsettling ambiguity of Ash while still making the role his own. And Timothy Olyphant brings gravitas in limited but impactful scenes.
Most importantly, these episodes left me completely hooked. I can’t wait to see how Wendy’s arc develops, how the hybrids evolve, and what further horrors the Xenomorph has in store. This is Alien television done right terrifying, thought-provoking, and a masterclass in sci-fi horror.
Rating: 9.5/10
What did you think of the series premiere of Alien: Earth? What did you like or didn't like? Leave a comment.
You can catch Alien: Earth Tuesdays at 8/7c on FX and streaming on Hulu.
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