I must admit, when I first heard about Alien: Earth (way back in 2020!), an original TV series set within the Alien universe, I had my doubts. It functions as a prequel to Ridley Scott’s original masterpiece, but sees the titular creature appear on humanity’s home world. It didn’t seem to make much sense to me. But then I learned Noah Hawley would be showrunning, and after being pretty impressed with Alien: Romulus, I grew more interested in the project. So, does the show start off promising or were my concerns warranted? Let’s find out.

Taking place two years before the original Alien, Alien: Earth focuses not so much on the creatures from space (although they are involved, alongside a slew of other new nasties too), but on the Megacorps that run the planet. Fans are already pretty familiar with Weyland-Yutani, the company from the original films and the upcoming Predator: Badlands, but now we’re learning about the other four, chiefly Prodigy, which is in the midst of creating human/synthetic hybrids. Using Peter Pan as a reference, the company operates on the island of Neverland under the care of human CEO Boy Cavalier (Samuel Blenkin), our Peter, as he takes terminal children and implants their consciousness into that of a synth. Our protagonist, the first child to make this transition, adopts the moniker Wendy (Sydney Chandler, daughter of Kyle) and becomes the mother figure to the gang of Lost Boys, so to speak.

Meanwhile, at the same time, the Weyland spacecraft Maginot finds itself crashing down to earth with nothing but a cyborg named Morrow (Babou Ceesay) and some collected alien creatures left alive on board. How the crew died and what set the aliens loose remain a mystery for now, but all signs point to some shady plans by Weyland and Morrow, who is clearly in communications with MU/TH/UR. Helping out with the search and rescue on the planet is Joe (Alex Lawther), Wendy’s brother, a medic who believes his sister to be deceased due to her terminal illness. Of course, Prodigy wants whatever Weyland may have on that ship, and Boy ends up sending Wendy and the Lost Boys to recover any samples they may have. Getting to rescue her brother is just a happy byproduct for Wendy, who volunteers herself for the job, but has to take orders from the company’s synth named Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant).

Now, this may not click for everyone, but it did for me: Alien: Earth feels like it was made in the 1970s. And I don’t just mean that aesthetically. This is a slow-burning show, using cross-dissolves and long takes to set tone and ambience. It doesn’t feel like a product of the 21st century, as these filmmaking techniques have long since faded into obscurity in favour of faster-paced offerings. Noah Hawley, who directed this episode and wrote or co-wrote every episode of the season, clearly wanted this show to stand apart from other big-budget TV projects that are out there today. It ends up feeling way more cinematic than I thought it would as a result.

The show also has a really strong sense of unease and dread. Instead of just being about a scary monster, most of the creepy vibes instead came from the editing department, who spliced in rapid shots of horror at certain points, particularly the beginning, that worked to unsettle the viewer. Since we know this is a sci-fi horror show and we know all about Xenomorphs, we get this sense of “something is wrong” throughout the episode. And when something slithers just out of view, such as on the crashed ship, and a silhouette moves just out of frame, we tense up and start checking the corner of each frame, searching for the threat.

It’s still too early to talk about the script and where this story is going, as the episode is very much an introduction chapter, but one thing I can say is that from a technical level, Alien: Earth is firing on all cylinders. The sets feel appropriately retro, full of buttons and dials. There’s also a shocking amount of green, as the show was shot on location in Thailand. When Weyland’s ship crashes into Prodigy City, my reaction was that I should be watching this on the big screen. It was that cinematic. The music by Jeff Russo is also fantastic, invoking that original Alien score and tapping into that fear and the wonder of space. Speaking of the original Alien, Ridley Scott serves as an executive producer on this show.

The cast is also doing a solid job, which is particularly noteworthy as most of the actors involved are lesser-known or even unknown. The biggest name attached to Alien: Earth is Olyphant, whose synthetic character aids Wendy with her transition from human to hybrid. The hybrid actors, particularly Wendy, do a great job of acting like they’re still children, despite being in a body much older than their minds.

That naturally taps into the philosophical side of the show. There are a lot of themes to digest, and many aren’t fully fledged yet, but we have a clear concept of aging and of eternal youth. To achieve that, Prodigy put an organic mind into the body of a synth, which eerily mirrors the Xenomorph forcing its way into a human body via facehugger to create a new specimen, a creature Weyland often dubs “the perfect organism”.

I think some audiences may find Alien: Earth slow and too methodical. It definitely doesn’t feel modern, and I think those with shorter attention spans may tap out sooner than later. I hope I’m proven wrong though. I’m invested and curious as to where all this is going. The production design is through the roof, and the show feels properly cinematic. Let’s see where this goes.

Stay tuned for the review of episode two tomorrow!*