Resident Alien (1×01) Pilot Review

Alan Tudyk has made a career for himself as the memorable sidekick or that guy from all the Disney animated films, so seeing him lead a series may seem like a gamble, but he just needs the right series to really shine. Resident Alien is adapted from a graphic novel with the premise of an alien who crash lands on Earth and poses as a doctor, helping to solve murders while the government searches for him and he awaits a rescue. The show of course takes some liberties with that premise and changes it slightly, but it looks to be a promising sci-fi series.

Synopsis: An alien hiding in a small Colorado town meets the locals when they ask him to help solve a murder. (IMDb)

Spoilers Below

Like any pilot, the purpose is to set up the world of the series without diving much into the episodic or serialized format of the show. It focuses on the characters, their setting and their ultimate goal going forward that would entice viewers to come back week after week to watch their journeys.

It starts with Tudyk’s alien character crash landing on Earth in Patience, Colorado and proceeding to kill the first human he sees to assume his identity. He then spends the next four months searching the Colorado wilderness for an alien device he lost. However, his life gets flipped upside down when the local police come to find Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle, the man the alien is impersonating, to help with an autopsy of the town’s only doctor. This leads to Harry going into the town, interacting with humans and attempting to appear normal while concluding that the doctor was poisoned and there is a mystery afoot.

Through this storyline a number of subplots and running gags are introduced like the doctor’s assistant Asta (Sara Tomko) who is running away from an abusive relationship and feels like an outcast who can connect with Harry; Max (Judah Prehn), a kid in town, who is able to see Harry in his true alien form thanks to a genetic disorder that adds some complication to Harry’s plan; Harry continuing to learn human behaviors, basing many of his initial opinions and mannerisms on re-runs of Law & Order; and Harry revealing that his mission to Earth was to cause a mass extinction event and deep down he despises humans.

Resident Alien follows in the footsteps of other fish-out-of-water alien series in the past like My Favourite Martian, Mork & Mindy, ALF and 3rd Rock From The Sun. However, while these series were lighter affairs, this series takes a darker turn bringing an anti-hero whose mission is to kill all humans and has no problem hurting anyone who gets in his way. This was a role that Alan Tudyk was born to play. His subtle comedy and line delivery makes him really feel like an alien masquerading as a human with ulterior motives.

It is through his charm that this series finds its legs, but it is in the ensemble that it manages to run. From the weird local law enforcement, overly open clinic nurse, blindly optimistic mayor and flirtatious bartender, the town has set up a number of recurring, memorable characters that can bring their own share of strong moments to this series. The only downside is the simplistic story beats for some of these archetypical characters, but the cast seems able to work with these and create unique people, they just need some episodes to develop within this fun and fascinating world.

Coroner’s Report

• Who poisoned Dr. Sam Hodges?
• Will anyone believe Max about what he sees when he looks at Harry?
• How long until Harry’s secret is revealed?
• Will Harry change his mind about eradicating the human race?
• What is the Sheriff’s deal?

What did you think of the first episode of Resident Alien? Excited for an Alan Tudyk led series? Let me know in the comments below!

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Dylan Phillips