# Alien: Earth **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, disney-hulu\ **Created:** [August 13, 2025, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996 "2025-08-13T04:25:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/1 "2025-08-13T04:25:14Z")
The first two episodes are out. Without using heavy spoilers for them, they really tried hard (and succeeded) to get the look and feel of the original _Alien_ settings in the opening spaceship scenes. The epsodes can be very slow-paced for long stretches and some moments are somewhat surreal. It looks as expensive as it probably is. Definitely trying for high-end “prestige TV” and not just yet another sci-fi action thriller. Probably succeeded, I know by the time I finished the second episode I was anxious for the third. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/2 "2025-08-13T05:32:56Z")
I’m halfway into the first episode and digging it. I would have preferred waiting until the end of the season to binge it, but the ubiquitous advertising sucked me in. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/3 "2025-08-13T07:57:57Z")
We watched episodr1 last night and will watch the second tonight. It was certainly engaging and seems off to a good start. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/4 "2025-08-13T13:50:44Z")
My wife and I first heard of this show listening to Timothy Olyphant talk about his role in it while guest-hosting on the ‘Conan O’Brien needs a friend’ podcast. She likes Olyphant, so she became interested. For some reason I thought it was streaming on Prime, which we no longer have, so I was pleased to see it pop up on Hulu. We’ll probably watch ep1 tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/5 "2025-08-13T14:12:12Z")
It’s from Noah Hawley, who gave us Fargo and Legion, both of which were great. I’m gonna hold off on watvhing, but I’m optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/6 "2025-08-13T14:12:55Z")
That first episode was intense, if a bit rushed, but the scene is set. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/7 "2025-08-13T14:57:55Z")
I loathed Legion, too surreal for my tastes, I hope that they don’t go in that direction for this. (I didn’t watch Fargo but my wife loves it and I generally share her tastes) ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/8 "2025-08-13T18:34:43Z")
I have a question for those who have watched the first two episodes. Do they make heavy use of jump scares? I avoid zombie movies and shows (other than Zombieland) due to their overuse of that method of scaring the audience. I don’t mind monsters and gore and I have seen all of the Alien movies up to Prometheus. Feel free to spoiler your response. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/9 "2025-08-13T18:40:21Z")
Not, really, I don’t think? If they tried, none effected me. They did use the classic effect that some jumbled objects in the background the whole time was really the alien and you don’t notice until it moves ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/10 "2025-08-13T22:40:46Z")
I only watched the first episode but I also don’t recall any jump scares. That said, it IS an Alien show and they kinda thrive on jump scares. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/11 "2025-08-13T22:57:05Z")
I tried. I fell asleep. That might be more on me than the show. I’ll give it another shot. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2025, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/12 "2025-08-13T23:13:06Z")
> [@Scoobysnax](#): > > I have a question for those who have watched the first two episodes. Do they make heavy use of jump scares? Not heavy use in Ep 1, but it draws a lot from Alien and Aliens for tone, if those two movies didn’t work for you, this might not either. My wife spent a lot of it peeking over a pillow at the screen. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/13 "2025-08-14T03:55:10Z")
> [@solost](#): > > She likes Olyphant, so she became interested. I do too (well, Deadwood), so this thread convinced me to give it try. Patiently watched both episodes. Nope. Plenty of potential, but way too many exhausted tropes. Rich guy on an island? Really? Space ship with jillions of illuminated pushbuttons and status lights? And there must be a reason for CRT monitors on a 22nd century space vehicle, but I can’t think of any. The sparklers everywhere just never stopped. The aliens’ behaviors were, um, inconsistent. But Wendy is very cute. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/14 "2025-08-14T04:09:21Z")
> [@sunacres](#): > > Space ship with jillions of illuminated pushbuttons and status lights? And there must be a reason for CRT monitors on a 22nd century space vehicle, but I can’t think of any. There is one extremely big reason: the spaceship interior for the movie _Alien_ was designed in the 1970s. This closely reproduces it. It was one of the praise-worthy attentions to detail in the series. > With Maginot, Nicholson took note of the Wey-Yu-owned USCSS Nostromo, which first appeared in the original film and then later in “Alien: Romulus” as wreckage. “That ship remains a benchmark as a spaceship interior, and I believe at the time, elevated the art form of production design in terms of what it brought to it,” he said. “Noah and I talked about what we really liked on the inside of Nostromo that would be good for Maginot.” > > Nicholson studied the iconic ship frame by frame as few blueprints existed, working out set size and what details he should recreate and which to magnify. The result has Maginot boasting dark, industrial interiors and a peppering of futuristic flavor. Its utilitarian bridge hums with flickering monitors, exposed wires, and analog tech – tactile consoles fill the space. The most alluring: an escape room decked out with hundreds of small yellow lights and old-school monitors, a beacon of hope for those who can make it inside. > **[How the Production Design of ‘Alien: Earth’ Wrecks the Future](https://www.indiewire.com/features/craft/alien-earth-production-design-making-of-maginot-1235145037/)** > > Production designer Andy Nicholson expands the look of an iconic franchise for “Alien: Earth” ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/15 "2025-08-14T10:26:24Z")
> [@sunacres](#): > > And there must be a reason for CRT monitors on a 22nd century space vehicle, but I can’t think of any. Same reason they have them in Star Wars, it’s from the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/16 "2025-08-14T10:54:45Z")
The Alien franchise is not the same with ‘made for TV’ violence. I am indeed interested by the first 2 episodes but the PG13 ‘gore’ seems wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/17 "2025-08-14T11:09:09Z")
> [@sunacres](#): > > The aliens’ behaviors were, um, inconsistent. I was thinking that too, but the security cyborg guy from the ship said, “They can sense fear”, which seems to suggest that they only kill the things that are afraid of them. But what does that mean about the brother? Why wasn’t he killed? He seemed to be _showing_ fear, but maybe it was an act? Is he secretly a robot? And that’s another thing! In the original Alien, the robot being a robot was a surprise to everyone, but now, they’re apparently common enough to represent a major ethic group? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/18 "2025-08-14T12:17:30Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > In the original Alien, the robot being a robot was a surprise to everyone That particular crew member being an android was a surprise, but I didn’t get the impression that the _existence_ of androids was unknown (it certainly wasn’t by _Aliens_) - afterwards, there’s no “Robots are real?” conversations or anything like that, and Ripley later interacts with Ash’s head without any questioning of his origins or anything like that . ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/19 "2025-08-14T12:25:00Z")
And they knew enough about androids to know how to hook his head up to a battery and talk to him; and that crew wasn’t exactly a bunch of geniuses. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2025, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996/20 "2025-08-14T12:37:18Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > There is one extremely big reason: the spaceship interior for the movie _Alien_ was designed in the 1970s. This closely reproduces it. It was one of the praise-worthy attentions to detail in the series. Hmmm, thank you for cluing me in, I’ll have to think about whether homage to a earlier era helps or hinders my sense of immersion. I get it, but I also used to watch _Flash Gordon_ episodes and don’t think that aesthetic would fly for me today either (I’m the kind of unimaginative crank who could never quite get the _Star Trek_ gestalt, but bought _2001_ hook line and sinker.) I am curious about where they go with three “ethnic” varieties of robot. That, and this discussion, may get me to give the next installment a try. Oh, one other thing that makes me wary: the schmaltzy music when brother was convinced Wendy was his sister. I see why they needed to draw a contrast with the Blade Runner-iness they’d established, but I think they went too far. Maybe that will continue to be an element that represents “real” humanity, or something. If so, bummer, it seems unnecessarily heavy handed. But maybe that’s just TV for you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-earth/1021996.md?page=2)