{"id":1219892,"date":"2026-02-23T08:27:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T08:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=604472"},"modified":"2026-02-23T08:27:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T08:27:51","slug":"resident-alien-is-finally-leaning-into-science-fiction-with-time-travel-cyborgs-and-alien-abductions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/resident-alien-is-finally-leaning-into-science-fiction-with-time-travel-cyborgs-and-alien-abductions\/","title":{"rendered":"Resident Alien is finally leaning into science fiction, with time travel, cyborgs, and alien abductions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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USA\/Syfy\u2019s Resident Alien<\/em><\/a> <\/em>started as a quirky mashup of Northern Exposure <\/em>and Invader Zim<\/a><\/em>, a fish-out-of-water comedy where Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk of Firefly<\/em>, Rogue One<\/em><\/a>, and Andor<\/a><\/em>), the new doctor in the small town of Patience, Colorado, is actually an alien who wants to take over Earth. Harry\u2019s secret was originally only known to Max Hawthorne (Judah Prehn) \u2014\u00a0a kid with the rare genetic ability to see through alien disguises, who devotes himself to trying to stop Harry\u2019s plans \u2014 and health-clinic worker Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko), who teaches Harry the value of humanity.<\/p>\n

Though the series\u2019 protagonist is an alien, the show\u2019s science fiction elements were relatively subtle in the early seasons. Harry spends as much time investigating the murder of the town\u2019s last doctor as he does trying to fix his ship and get his mission back on track. The locals write off his weirdness because they\u2019re dealing with their own challenges: Asta confronting her abusive ex, her best friend D\u2019arcy Bloom (Alice Wetterlund) dealing with opioid addiction, Max\u2019s parents Ben (Levi Fiehler) and Kate (Meredith Garretson) winding up on opposites sides of a debate about bringing a fancy ski resort to Patience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was a nice way to be introduced to the sci-fi world for people who don\u2019t normally like [the genre],\u201d Tomko told Polygon in a video interview.<\/p>\n

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But as the series went on, more characters wound up uncovering the show\u2019s secrets. Deputy Sheriff Liv Baker (Elizabeth Bowen) began looking for unconventional explanations for the odd crimes Patience experienced. Ben and Kate were abducted by aliens who stole their baby. Asta shared Harry\u2019s true identity with D\u2019arcy so she could stop lying about it. Even skeptical Sheriff Mike Thompson (Corey Reynolds) had a close encounter with an extraterrestrial. The science fiction elements are fully on display in season 4<\/a>, which premieres on June 6.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I love about our show is there\u2019s Harry\u2019s world, which is the world of aliens, and there\u2019s people in town who haven\u2019t know about that, and you care about them because the writing is so strong that everyone is really well developed,\u201d Garretson told Polygon in a video interview. \u201cWhat\u2019s cool about season 4 is that more and more of Harry\u2019s world is bleeding into the town, so I think it\u2019s an opportunity for the characters to become even more three-dimensional. When are people going to find out what\u2019s going on, and then how do they handle that?\u201d<\/p>\n

D\u2019arcy was quick to embrace the chance to help Harry, who is now focused on saving humanity from other aliens. She\u2019s gone on several dangerous missions, including sneaking into the home of a human-alien hybrid and infiltrating a gray alien base on the moon, where she rescued the Hawthornes\u2019 daughter. This season, she even travels back in time with Harry to recover alien technology. Wetterlund, who\u2019s also the co-host of the \u201cTreks and the City\u201d<\/a> Star Trek: The Next Generation <\/em>podcast, is very enthusiastic about the way Resident Alien <\/em>has evolved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that science fiction is a perfect slate on which to examine the human experience, because it removes the historical context that humanity is in and puts it in this imagined world,\u201d she told Polygon in a video interview. \u201cHow would these humans in a small town deal with the exploding of their worldview? That is exciting for me. I\u2019ve always wanted to be part of a sci-fi project like this. The more I can run around on spaceships, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Reynolds said he grew up watching the Aliens<\/em><\/a> <\/em>franchise and RoboCop,<\/em><\/a> <\/em>and he\u2019s excited about the chance to get more involved in Resident Alien<\/em>\u2019s science fiction elements.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proudly a nerd, so this fits my wheelhouse perfectly,\u201d he told Polygon.<\/p>\n

Acknowledging the existence of aliens has fundamentally shifted the dynamics in Patience\u2019s sheriff\u2019s office, where Mike has often been dismissive of Liv\u2019s ideas. Now they\u2019re working together to uncover a dangerous conspiracy and help an alien tracking cyborg played by Lost<\/em>\u2019s Peter Bach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we’ve really stepped into the realm of them being partners, and out of the shadow of the subordinate aspect of things,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cMike understands Liv was right. You don’t earn any more credibility in Mike’s world faster than being right. She was right the whole time. That dynamic fused with what they’ve been through personally has created a bond that is everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scenes involving alien spaceships and time portals cost a lot more than ones set in Patience\u2019s bar or city hall, and showrunner Chris Sheridan has had to get creative as the show\u2019s science fiction elements have expanded \u2014 especially since the series had its budget significantly cut going into season 4. One of the main ways the show is saving time and money is by having the gray aliens remove Harry\u2019s ability to transform into his alien form.<\/p>\n

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