Alien: Earth. Go back to where you came from, I say
The long-in-development Alien: Earth TV show debuted this week. Based on the huge film franchise IP, it’s the big release of the week and it’s… okay.
What is great about the Alien movie franchise is that all of the films take on different genres, while wrapped around a sci-fi conceit of humans deep in space vs aliens. The first is a horror, the second is a war film, the third is a prison film, the fourth is an arty French fairy tale, and even the most recent one which sought to emulate the first one more than the other sequels did played more like a slasher film.
Then you have this Alien: Earth TV show which just feels like a pretty standard sci-fi conceit - it never quite takes things to a different level.
Meanwhile, it is a prequel that ignores the other prequels, changes up a bunch of the aliens to expand beyond the traditional face huggers and uh, bigger ones, and then there’s a dopey Peter Pan identity decision that completely strips most of the agency away from the supporting cast.
The big problem with the show is that, ultimately, we have seen this all before. Yeah, it looks great, the acting and casting is generally strong across the board, and it’s interesting enough. It just lacks anything special about it.
I kinda wish those aliens would just go back to where they came from. I don’t need this in my life.
Some other things to note for TV this week:
This is a US-only library addition, but US Tubi viewers now have access to the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies library of cartoons. They’re uploaded as compilations (just like I remember watching as a kid). There’s 262 episodes and each one has a couple of shorts in every episode.
If you were watching the Tyler Perry show She The People on Netflix, know that it has been retitled ahead of the release of a second batch of season one episodes. The show is now named Miss Governor.
The Rainmaker TV series debuts in a few hours from the time I hit send on this email. It’s a TV adaptation of the John Grisham book (previously made into a film starring Danny DeVito and Matt Damon). I haven’t seen it yet, but my understanding is that if you are after a pretty generic legal drama, this will tick boxes for you. It stars Mad Men’s John Slattery, so I’ll be pressing play.
I’d been sold on the promise that new Prime Video show Butterfly was great to scratch that “I really miss Alias” itch. And while it kinda leans in that direction, it’s just not as watchable as Alias was back in the day. A shame as I’m very much there for the idea of a spy thriller starring Daniel Dae Kim.
Returning TV
Fatal Seduction (s14), Betty La Fea: The Story Continues (s02), Miss Governor (s01-B)
New TV
Alien: Earth - Hulu (US) | Disney+ (Everywhere else)
Stars: Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin and Essie Davis
When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, Wendy and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet's greatest threat.
Butterfly - Prime Video
Stars: Daniel Dae Kim, Reina Hardesty, Louis Landau, Piper Perabo
David Jung is a former U.S. intelligence operative who lives in South Korea; his past soon comes back to haunt him as a sinister spy organization sends a sociopathic agent to kill him.
Young Millionaires - Netflix
Stars: Abraham Wapler, Malou Khebizi, Calixte Broisin-Doutaz, Jeanne Boudier
After four Marseille teens win €17 million, dreams of yachts, freedom and fast cash take off - but money brings chaos they never bargained for.
In The Mud - Netflix
Stars: Ana Garibaldi, Valentina Zenere
Five female prisoners forge a unique bond after a deadly accident until corruption and turf wars within a ruthless prison threaten to destroy them.
Breakdown - Disney+
Stars: Tini Stoessel
Miranda returns to Mexico to uncover her family history and learns that her mother did not abandon her, but that she was kidnapped at birth.
Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical - Apple TV+
Stars: Terry McGurrin
While everyone settles into camp, Snoopy and Woodstock discover a treasure map that takes them on a wild adventure nearby.
Playing Gracie Darling - Paramount+
Stars: Morgana O'Reilly, Harriet Walter, Rudi Dharmalingam, Celia Pacquola, Annie Maynard, Anne Tenney, Chloe Brink
The series follows the events of Gracie Darling and her friends who haven't seen Gracie since a séance went wrong 27 years ago.
Irish Blood - Acorn TV (US)
Stars: Alicia Silverstone
After receiving a mysterious package from her estranged father, L.A. divorce lawyer Fiona Sharpe travels to Ireland to uncover the truth-only to find herself entangled in a web of family secrets, lies, and danger.
The Rainmaker - USA Network (US) | Stan (AUS)
Stars: John Slattery
Young attorney Rudy Baylor, alongside Bruiser Stone and Deck Shifflet, battles a powerful law firm led by Leo F. Drummond and his girlfriend, Sarah Plankmore, unearthing a dark conspiracy that shows how far his opponents are willing to go to win.
In Flight - Channel 4
Stars: Katherine Kelly
When her teenage son is jailed for murder in Bulgaria, flight attendant Jo enters a murky world of drug smuggling and will stop at nothing to save him.
New Movies
Night Always Comes - Netflix
Stars: Vanessa Kirby, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zack Gottsagen, Stephen James, Randall Park, Julia Fox, Michael Kelly, Eli Roth
Facing eviction in a city her family can no longer afford, a woman plunges into a desperate and increasingly dangerous all-night search to raise $25,000.
The Legend of Ochi - HBO Max (US)
Stars: Helena Zengel; Finn Wolfhard; Emily Watson; Willem Dafoe
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as Ochi. When Yuri discovers a wounded baby Ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.
That’s the TV listings newsletter for this week.
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