[Music] Spring way back in 2018, Syfy announced that the TV adaptation of Resident Alien would be coming to our screens. The company further mentioned that the show had been given a pilot order, with Chris Sheridan as the creator of the show.

The reins of the plot development then fell on Universal Cable Productions, Dark Horse Entertainment, and Amblin Television. The next year, in 2019, the company then announced that production had started in Vancouver with a release date to be made public a few months later.

With the official trailer already out, the show was based on a Dark Horse comic of the same name. The first footage of the show was shown at the New York Comic Con in 2020. The trailer, which ran for seven minutes, introduced viewers to the resident alien Harry Vanderspiegel in both his alien and human form, and how he navigates his daily life in a small Colorado community. Sounds exciting, right?

Fortunately, the wait is almost over, as the company mentioned that the show will air on the 27th of January, 2021. With a few days to its release, here’s everything that we know about the upcoming series Resident Alien.

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What’s the plot of the series?
The series, a sci-fi comedy-drama, will revolve around the story of an alien named Harry. Harry crash-lands onto Earth and, to protect his identity, he must take on the identity of a human being. Harry takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor.

However, he suffers an internal battle—a moral dilemma—regarding his secret mission to Earth. When he arrives, Harry strives to live a simple life, trying to exist like a normal human being. But his world changes when he gets roped into a local murder. This makes him understand that, to survive in a world full of humans, you need to act, think, and of course, look like them.

He also sees an entirely different side to humanity, which causes him to ask: Are humans worth saving?

The show takes place in the fictional town of Patience, which was originally set in Washington. However, it has since been moved to Colorado for the show. Peter Hogan, one of the co-creators of the comic book series, said, “I mean, they’re doing different things. It’s very different and there’s no denying that. But I really don’t mind because it’s really good. It’s done really well. The whole end product is enjoyable, which is kind of the best you can hope for, really.”

As previously mentioned, the show is based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name. The comic book series, which was created by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse, tells the story of an alien who crash-lands on Earth and then poses as a doctor to protect his identity, pending the time he would be rescued by his people.

However, he is exposed and soon appears under the radar of a government agency. He is pursued, declared wanted—but in spite of all this, he still manages to solve crimes and mystery cases.

The comic series has enjoyed positive critical acclaim. It is partially why it’s being adapted for TV. One of the creators, Peter Hogan, wanted to create a story around an alien who didn’t appear as a monster or an intruder, but rather as a non-human character who readers and viewers would be able to connect with emotionally. Hence, the birth of Harry Vanderspiegel.

The creators have also mentioned that the comic book series was influenced by Twin Peaks and My Favorite Martian. Since 2012, when it was first released, five mini-series have been completed and there are plans for a sixth one.

In 2018, Syfy made its first pilot order—a move that came right after the cancellation of shows like The Expanse, which was in its third and final season. Around this time, Syfy also ended up picking up two interesting projects: Deadly Class, based on a graphic novel of the same name, and Nightflyers, a thriller based in space and adapted from a George R.R. Martin novella.

With this, Resident Alien will join other Syfy projects like Channel Zero, Krypton, Happy!, Face Off, Killjoys, 12 Monkeys, and The Magicians. The network also co-produced movies and series such as Van Helsing, Z Nation, and Wynonna Earp.

Also, the first season will focus entirely on the murder mystery from the first issues of the comic. Even though it was quite short, the creators of the show have expanded this story in order to span the entire first season.

Who will be in it?
The show will feature Alan Tudyk as Captain Ha-Ri—that is, Dr. Harry Vanderspiegel. Alan is well known for his role as Hoban Washburn in the western series Firefly. He’s also appeared in Serenity, a space western film directed and written by Joss Whedon.

Alan has also appeared in films like I, Robot, A Knight’s Tale, 42, Maze Runner, Rogue One, and was the voice of King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph—a performance which earned him an Emmy Award. Alan has significant experience being in sci-fi movies and series, and there is no doubt this would be another incredible performance.

Sara Tomko will also join Alan as Asta Twelvetrees on the show. She is popular for her roles in Sneaky Pete (2015), Girls Girls Girls (2018), and Once Upon a Time (2011). Asta Twelvetrees is an extremely sarcastic health clinic worker with a turbulent past. She’s best friends with D’Arcy Morin, a carefree and blunt bartender that works at the town’s local bar. She’s also a former athlete who’s fascinated with the strange ways of the main character.

Also appearing on the show is Alice Wetterlund, a comedian and actress known for her role as Carla Walton in Silicon Valley, the HBO sitcom. She’ll play the role of D’Arcy Morin, the best friend of Asta Twelvetrees.

Furthermore, Corey Reynolds will appear on the show as Sheriff Mike Thompson. The actor, a musical theatre, television, and film performer, is known for originating the role of Seaweed in the Broadway adaptation of Hairspray. Interestingly enough, Corey Reynolds also brought a fun twist to his Sheriff Mike character on the show. While shooting the pilot episode, he improvised some beat-making, which ended up being one of the defining traits of his character.

Levi Fiehler will also be featured as Ben Hawthorne, previously seen in Mars (2006) and The Fosters (2013). There are also going to be recurring characters like General McCallister, played by Linda Hamilton. You would, of course, remember Linda as Sarah Connor in The Terminator film series and as Catherine Chandler in the TV series Beauty and the Beast—a performance which earned her two Golden Globe Awards and an Emmy.

On the show, she appears as a general whose duty it is to find aliens.

Elizabeth Bowen will take on the role of sheriff deputy Liv Baker, alongside Mandell Maughan as Lisa Casper. Maughan’s performance as Maggie in the short-lived series Me, Myself & I shot her to the spotlight. Afterwards, she played Victoria King for four seasons on Bazelon Dollar Properties. Alex Barima will also star as David Logan.

Who’s directing the show?
The pilot episode of the show will be directed by David Dobkin, an American director and screenwriter most popular for Shanghai Knights, Wedding Crashers, and The Judge. On the show, he’s also one of the executive producers, alongside Chris Sheridan, Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg, Justin Falvey, and Darryl Frank.

When filming the show, the director made a conscious effort to precisely recreate individual frames from the comic series. So if you’re excited and can’t wait to see how the alien would look, you can grab the comic and steal a quick peek.

When will it be released?
On the 13th of February 2020, Syfy had announced that the show would premiere in the summer of 2020. Unfortunately, due to several technical issues and the global health situation, Syfy announced in October 2020 that the premiere had been moved to January 2021.

Now, it’s actually set to premiere on the 27th of January 2021 in Canada on CTV Sci-Fi Channel, and on the 28th of January in the UK on Sky 1.

What inspired the show?
Showrunner Chris Sheridan was on the islands in the Bahamas 20 years ago when he suddenly saw a dot rise up from the horizon. He was with his wife, enjoying their honeymoon, when this dot turned into a triangle-shaped ship with bright lights and hovered over them for a bit before it moved away. Chris and his wife were weirded out.

Chris later said that he didn’t immediately think they were aliens, but something about the entire encounter just didn’t feel right.

The series is his first attempt at running a live-action series, and he calls the adaptation a fun process. He said in an interview, “I took the storyline from the first graphic novel, Welcome to Earth, which is the death of Sam Hodges, and I’m arching that out for the first season as the town story. And Harry the alien’s story is about him coming to terms with his emotions. And I’m also trying to pick and choose stuff from the comics for the fans.”

He continues, “The jacket that Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko) wears is from the comic, and we had that made specifically. In the comic, there’s an image inside and out of this diner in town. We took the picture from the comic and gave it to our production designer, Michael J.—who’s brilliant—to design a diner for us. In the comic, one of the nurses’ names is Ellen, so we’re calling ours Nurse Ellen too. In the comic, the mayor is Burt Hawthorne, but he was older—in his 60s or 70s. We did a younger guy and made it Ben Hawthorne.”

And that’s how we wrap up this video. Thank you so much for watching, guys.