One of the programs I have been impatiently waiting for has been Alien: Earth. It's safe to say I have been a rabid fan of the franchise (through good and bad) for most of my life. Now, after half a decade of development and production, the show is dropping today on FX and Hulu, and hits Disney Plus, internationally, on Wednesday, Aug. 13. It's about time.
If you read my review of the series, you'll already know I love the show. The set design is incredible, the story takes things into exciting new territory and, honestly, it feels like it'll do for Alien what Star Wars: Andor did for Rogue One.
Alien: Earth was created by Fargo's Noah Hawley and boasts a talented cast, including Sydney Chandler (who plays Wendy), Alex Lawther (who plays Wendy's brother, Hermit), Timothy Olyphant (who plays Kirsh), Samuel Blenkin (who plays Boy Kavalier) and Babou Ceesay (who plays security officer Morrow).
I spoke with most of the cast and creator over Zoom, and earlier this year, I attended a press screening and conversation with Hawley. I pored through all our chats all to give you the biggest pieces to the Alien: Earth puzzle.
Read more: Hulu Review: A Strong Library of Network TV and Exciting Originals at a Competitive Price
Timothy Olyphant's Kirsh leads a gang of new synthetics in Alien Earth. FX
What's the difference between these new synths and the ones we've seen in the Alien movies?
Alien: Earth introduces a new race of synthetic humans that push ethical and moral boundaries, to say the least. Gone are the days of Bishop and the androids featured in the movies. Now, we're putting the consciousness of sick children into adult bodies. What could possibly go wrong?
"I think the question for them is, humanity is a choice now, right?" Hawley said during our Zoom chat. "Do they endeavor to stay human? Are they allowed to become something else? It becomes a push-pull."
Of the group of child-minded synths (who are called the Lost Boys, because, Peter Pan), Wendy is the leader. The key for Chandler to get into the right mind-set for the character was to study the kids around her. "They're so honest and present, and they're not self-conscious," she told me. "They're not overthinking, which is the thing that we try and do as actors, which is show up and be vulnerable."
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