The Alien universe is making its first leap to live-action television with FX’s Alien: Earth, premiering August 12 on FX and Hulu. Created, written, and directed by Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion), the series takes the horror-sci-fi classic into long-form storytelling — building on the franchise’s legacy while inviting in a new audience.
Set two years before Ridley Scott’s 1979 original, the series follows Wendy (Sydney Chandler), the first-ever hybrid — a synthetic infused with human consciousness — as she’s pulled into a high-stakes mission after a deep-space research vessel crash-lands on Earth. Alongside a team of tactical soldiers, Wendy uncovers a threat that could alter humanity’s future. Watch below:
Hawley says the shift from film to TV meant focusing less on constant monster attacks and more on character-driven drama. “An Alien movie is a two-hour survival story. A TV show can’t be that,” he explained. “It’s long-form storytelling about multiple characters you invest in over time.”
That doesn’t mean the xenomorph menace is gone — just that Hawley introduces them strategically, after grounding the show in human and philosophical stakes.
Alien: Earth stays true to the franchise’s female-led identity, with Wendy inspired by Peter Pan’s heroine and the Alien Queen’s matriarchal nature. “It was important to stay true to that identity,” Hawley said.
With a 94% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, Alien: Earth is already earning the same prestige buzz FX has enjoyed with Shōgun, The Bear, and Hawley’s own Fargo.
Produced by FX Productions with Hawley, Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Joseph Iberti, Dana Gonzales, and Clayton Krueger, Alien: Earth blends scale, spectacle, and fresh storytelling — aiming, as Hawley puts it, for “entertainment plus.”
The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
REELated:
Stranger Things 5 release dates revealed
