Being human can feel pretty alienating sometimes. Humans are weird creatures and the rules of our societies can feel baffling, but there’s a great TV series that approaches that theme through the eyes of an actual extraterrestrial. The SyFy original series “Resident Alien,” which stars Alan Tudyk as an alien with a truly unpronounceable name that goes by the assumed name and identity of “Harry Vanderspeigle,” shows us just how bizarre humans are by depicting life for an alien who’s now stuck among us and doing his best to fit in. “Resident Alien” isn’t the first movie or series to poke fun at humanity through the eyes of a space alien, with movies like the hilarious Nick Frost and Simon Pegg-starring “Paul” and even the Jeff Goldblum rom-com “Earth Girls are Easy” playing with the concept, but it does take it to its furthest and most ridiculous conclusions.
“Resident Alien” is based on the comic book series of the same name by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse, created by showrunner Chris Sheridan, who previously worked as a writer on shows like “Family Guy” and “Living Single.” It features some great gross-out gags and a truly terrific turn by Tudyk, who has really made a name for himself as an actor who can do just about anything. Not only that, but for fans without access to SyFy, the show is available to stream on both Netflix and Peacock!
Resident Alien is a showcase for Tudyk’s comedic talents
The general premise of “Resident Alien” is that the alien was sent to Earth to destroy humanity, but he ends up with human emotions as a result of killing and assuming the identity of the real Dr. Harry, the medical examiner who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. This leads him to question whether or not he should destroy all humans and sends him on a quest to figure out exactly what his mission is on Earth. Over the show’s three seasons things get progressively more wacky, and there’s even kind of a mini-“Firefly” reunion because Tudyk is joined by the voice of Nathan Fillion as an octopus and in the upcoming fourth season, Jewel Staite will appear as an FBI agent investigating the strange happenings surrounding Harry’s small Colorado town.
Though “Resident Alien” has a pretty fantastic supporting cast, it’s Tudyk’s performance as an alien desperately trying to act human that really makes the series work. His running voice-over monologues are hilarious, and he’s extremely capable of using his physicality for humor, showing us how an extraterrestrial in a human suit might really react to certain situations. Tudyk is pretty much always amazing, whether he’s a leaf on the wind on “Firefly” or voicing the funniest version of the Joker ever on the animated “Harley Quinn” series, but “Resident Alien” is some of his finest work.