Resident Alien Season 4 Leaves The Story Open For A Movie, Just Like Firefly

Despite since gathering a devoted following, Firefly struggled to find its audience when it was originally on the air. Its viewing figures were so low that Fox canceled the show before every installment had even been broadcast. Because it ended so unceremoniously, the fans rallied and Fox greenlit a sequel movie to provide a better ending.

Resident Alien had a similar journey to Firefly, although it wasn’t quite so severe. Although it ran for four seasons, Syfy was always on the fence about whether to renew Resident Alien after each finale. In fact, Resident Alien season 3’s ending saw Syfy drop the show completely, and it took a switch to USA Network for another season to happen.

Showrunner Chris Sheridan has stated he had a strong feeling that Resident Alien season 4 would be his last chance to wrap up the story, so he did just that. However, while the Resident Alien series finale does act as a suitable stopping point, Sheridan also left some storylines intentionally unresolved and even introduced some last-minute ones.

So, just as Firefly limped out of existence and then came back for a movie, I think the same could (and should) happen for Resident Alien. While I don’t think a studio would risk making Resident Alien season 5, a feature-length project would probably do well with the show’s devoted fan base.

A Resident Alien Movie Isn’t As Pressing As 2005’s Serenity Was

A Resident Alien movie would be welcomed by many, and making such a project would make sense given the various teases about the characters’ futures in the finale. On the other hand, “The End Is Here” definitely still feels like a good way to say goodbye to Alan Tudyk’s Harry Vanderspeigle and his friends.

Therefore, there’s no real need to add a Resident Alien movie to continue the events of the show. Plus, there are already four entire seasons to rewatch and enjoy. For Firefly fans, the Serenity movie being made came as incredibly welcome news. Other than the lone season that was made, there were no more episodes to engage with.

Furthermore, Firefly ended with clear signs of wanting to make more episodes – a goal that showrunner Joss Whedon was largely prevented from achieving due to the show’s hasty cancelation. Serenity essentially acted as the planned finale that Firefly didn’t include, and Resident Alien fortunately doesn’t need to follow in these footsteps.

Serenity’s Poor Box Office Performance Proves Making A Resident Alien Movie Is A Risk

Serenity did very well with both critics and fans. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has a score of 82%. Sadly, it was a flop at the box office and didn’t even manage to make its budget back. While it was a good movie, the Firefly franchise didn’t have a broad enough appeal for the movie to perform well in cinemas.

Resident Alien‘s following is in the same ballpark as Firefly. The latter has become more well-known over time, but it’s still “just” a cult classic. I can see Resident Alien being remembered in a similar way, which means making a movie runs the same risk of a box office flop, as happened to Serenity.

On the other hand, the TV and movie industries have changed a lot since 2005. Theatrical releases were still the primary method of releasing movies twenty years ago, but the advent of streaming has provided alternative release strategies. Straight-to-streaming TV movies are released all the time, so maybe there is still hope for a Resident Alien movie.

What A Resident Alien Movie Could Be About

Chris Sheridan added several storylines into the Resident Alien finale that could potentially form the basis of a feature-length sequel. However, some would be more entertaining than others. For instance, D’arcy Bloom’s (Alice Wetterlund) new career as a ski instructor probably wouldn’t work all that well as a primary arc.

Similarly, the tease of Sheriff Mike (Corey Reynolds) and Deputy Liv (Elizabeth Bowen) working for a shady organization would be better suited to a spinoff show format rather than sitting at the center of a Resident Alien follow-up movie. Instead, there’s one main moment from the finale that could be suitably expanded.

Harry is replaced on Earth in the finale by Ethan (Michael Cassidy), with Patience’s new alien beginning down a path very similar to that of Tudyk’s character. Before Harry leaves, he gives Max (Judah Prehn) a device that can reach him if Ethan starts to become villainous – an event he says is about “50/50.”

So, a potential follow-up movie could cash in on this possibility, making Ethan the primary villain that he has been teased to be. There are other options that could have nothing to do with anything introduced in the Resident Alien finale, but I think that would be a waste of the brilliant possibilities already present. Either way, Alan Tudyk‘s Firefly history could still repeat itself.