A sharp, offbeat sci-fi comedy-mystery with a big heart under its deadpan alien premise. It works best as a character ensemble show, balancing murder-of-the-week plotting, small-town eccentricity, and surprisingly sincere emotional arcs; the later seasons lean more into mythology and continuity, but the early… Read more
Resident Alien
Where to watch: Buy
TV Show · Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Wed
Created by: Chris Sheridan
Starring: Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds
Overview
Crash-landed alien Harry takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor. Arriving with a secret mission, he starts off living a simple life…but things get a bit rocky when he’s roped into solving a local murder and realizes he needs to assimilate into his new world. As he does, he begins to wrestle with the moral dilemma of his mission and asking the big life questions like: “Are human beings worth saving?” and “Why do they fold their pizza before eating it?”
Created by
Chris Sheridan
Cast
Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler, Elizabeth Bowen, Meredith Garretson, Judah Prehn
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, offbeat sci-fi comedy-mystery with a big heart under its deadpan alien premise. It works best as a character ensemble show, balancing murder-of-the-week plotting, small-town eccentricity, and surprisingly sincere emotional arcs; the later seasons lean more into mythology and continuity, but the early stretch is the most consistently fresh.
Best for
Viewers who like genre mashups with comedy and mystery
Fans of deadpan, performance-driven humor
People who enjoy quirky small-town ensemble dramas
Anyone looking for an easy binge with emotional payoff
Skip if
You want hard sci-fi with rigorous worldbuilding
You dislike broad tonal shifts between comedy, mystery, and drama
You prefer tightly serialized prestige drama over lighter genre TV
You need a show with a complete ending and no cancellation concerns
Overview
Resident Alien is one of those rare high-concept shows that mostly earns its premise. Alan Tudyk’s performance is the engine: the alien’s blunt logic, social confusion, and gradual attachment to humanity give the series a distinct comic rhythm that keeps the material from feeling like a gimmick. The murder-mystery framework gives each season enough momentum to keep the town of Patience, Colorado, feeling active and lived-in.
Worth noting
What makes it stick is the balance between absurdity and sincerity. The show can be very funny, but it also gives real weight to loneliness, belonging, and the question of whether people deserve saving. The supporting cast helps a lot, especially as the ensemble expands and the series leans into soapier relationships and broader sci-fi plotting.
Bottom line
The first two seasons are the sweet spot: freshest, funniest, and most confident in the premise. Later episodes become more continuity-heavy and a little less nimble, but the show remains charming and inventive throughout. Even with its cancellation, it’s still an easy recommendation for viewers who like their genre TV weird, warm, and character-led.