Alien: Earth Series Review (Season 1)

Released: 12th August - 24th September 2025

Number of Episodes: 8

Where To Watch: Disney+

Created by: Noah Hawley

Starring: Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, Adarsh Gourav and Timothy Olyphant

For more than four decades, the Alien series has stood at the top of sci-fi horror; the films have had many ups and downs but the beast at the centre has always frightened audiences. After many years in development, a prequel series has arrived; it creates a well-defined foundation.

Two years before the events of Alien, the USCSS Maginot is on its way back to Earth, carrying several extra-terrestrial specimens. When the hulking vessel crash lands in a major city, the creatures are taken to an island for experimentation. Meanwhile, a group of children find new life in android bodies, being named after the characters of Peter Pan. Wendy (Sydney Chandler) is their leader and their interactions with both humans and the creatures build the main narrative. Across eight episodes, Alien: Earth is a mixture of science, corporate espionage and horror. The show’s biggest success comes through the world-building; previous entries mostly hinted at a universe dominated by corporate profiteering; Earth goes all the way and presents our planet under the control of five mega-corporations who are racing to perfect artificial life. Weyland-Yutani is present, but the series homes in on Prodigy. Like the name implies, this behemoth is led by the eccentric and callous Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin). The rules of the setting are clearly established and the series succeeds at creating intrigue while staying true to continuity. With that said, the titular creature does feel a bit underpowered; the decision to focus on other elements is intentional but when the Xenomorph is let loose, it feels less vicious than it did in previous iterations.

With a large and very diverse cast, Alien: Earth has many characters to juggle. Many of them are played by younger actors and in the case of the androids, Sydney Chandler and Adarsh Gourav are the best of the bunch. The two actors present child personalities finding their way as deceitful schemes take hold. Wendy reconnects with her human brother Joe (Alex Lawther) and Slightly is manipulated by rival company interests. Timothy Olyphant and Babou Ceesay craft some very fascinating characters too; one is an android, the other a human with cyborg implants, but both have winding motives throughout the episodes. Samuel Blenkin is a great antagonist; with a snooty voice and endless disrespect, Kavalier is thoroughly unlikeable, especially when you see him conducting business negotiations. Alien: Earth does fall short when it comes to the side characters; many of them don’t have much to do and other actors like Essie Davis have a shallow presence. Curly, Nibs and Smee don’t contribute much to the central plot; a second season will need to do more with their individual arcs.

The analogue tech of the Alien series comes to life in strong fashion as well. The corporations may be on top, but there’s a big commitment to staying in line with the wider iconography. The corporation towers loom large over their lowly employees and the series places us on both sides of the social divide in the early going. One of the episodes is a full-blown tribute to the 1979 original and it does a brilliant job recreating the look and feel of the franchise. A self-contained flashback with all the winding claustrophobia and gruesome death is a great choice for the halfway mark and the series carves out its own identity with different creatures. A sinister plant with a strange diet is creepy enough, but the real show-stealer is a small tentacle creature that attaches to its prey in grisly fashion. The Xenomorph itself is a combination of costume work and CGI which also works well. Admittedly, the island setting does limit the glimpses into wider human society, but every so often a small scene like a room full of classically dressed apartment dwellers creates some light background detail. The music features pulsating beats and a set of rock tracks over the end credits; it stands apart from the echoing sirens and military marches of past efforts.

The central monster is deemphasised and many of the side characters are hollow, but Alien: Earth is a good start for a property that has long been ripe for small-screen treatment. There’s a lot of detail for fans and newcomers to absorb and the core performances are well-executed. As the franchise continues to expand, the small-screen can branch outward with new characters and scenarios.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Good)