# Resident Alien, aka Quincy, E.T **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [January 28, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719 "2021-01-28T22:00:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/81 "2021-02-18T22:57:51Z")
**Apparently, you have to have a cable or satellite service to use this app?** In which case it’s not for me - I have neither of those and no interest in acquiring them. If that’s the case then I’ll catch this series when my library gets a DVD or perhaps never if that doesn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/82 "2021-02-18T23:17:39Z")
Not for everything. _Most_ of the content appears to only be available if you also have a cable subscription that includes SyFy, but you can watch a few things with just the free app, including _Resident Alien._ Cite: I have a Firestick, do not have cable, and have been able to stream all four episodes so far, for free (with ads). ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/83 "2021-02-19T15:57:02Z")
It’s up for free at the Syfy website. Just watch on your computer. Or run an HDMI cord from your computer to your TV. I’ve watched them all and I don’t have cable. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2021, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/84 "2021-02-20T15:54:23Z")
> [@Fair\_Rarity](#): > > I think they’re alien agents looking for Tudyk So we can agree episode 4 pretty firmly established they’re human agents, working for “The General”, correct? Who certainly isn’t active military or even part of any government agency. At a guess, the woman is ex-special forces of some type, while the guy is a computer nerd. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/85 "2021-02-21T05:18:03Z")
This is a fun show for me because it was filmed in Ladysmith, British Columbia which is where I grew up. The entirety of the show seems to take place on First Ave between Roberts and Gatacre Streets. The clinic is actually the Credit Union, the bar is in a coffee shop and the Sheriff’s Office is in the Traveller’s Hotel (which predates Nazi Germany and has [a large row of swastikas on the front of the building](https://evelazarus.com/swastikas-and-the-travellers-hotel/) which are digitally edited out on the show). There is giant lettering on the building across Roberts from the clinic that says LADYSMITH TRADING CO and that was left intact. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/86 "2021-02-21T07:01:28Z")
Super cool! Must be a real rush for you. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/87 "2021-02-21T07:38:04Z")
They love to film TV series in the parts of Canada that are at most ten feet away from the American border. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/88 "2021-02-21T07:47:31Z")
Literally, in this case. Ladysmith is on the 49th parallel so if the border cut across Vancouver Island, most of the town would actually be in the States. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/89 "2021-02-21T12:31:21Z")
I was in the tire shop having a flat tire replaced, and they had this on the television. From what I saw, it looked pretty good. If I had cable, I would watch again. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/90 "2021-02-21T13:17:00Z")
You don’t need cable to watch again. It’s streaming free on the SyFy website, and on the free SyFy app. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/91 "2021-02-21T13:21:20Z")
Cool, thanks. I’ll check the website. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/92 "2021-02-22T00:33:31Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > > [@Fair\_Rarity](#): > > > > I think they’re alien agents looking for Tudyk > > So we can agree episode 4 pretty firmly established they’re human agents, working for “The General”, correct? Who certainly isn’t active military or even part of any government agency. At a guess, the woman is ex-special forces of some type, while the guy is a computer nerd. OK, I watched the first four episodes this weekend but didn’t catch that they were supposed to be humans. Are they the ones who found the desiccated corpse levitating next to the cliff? Because most humans would freak out if they saw something that crazy, which would swiftly be followed by calling in the authorities, including scientists, and presumably the alien craft would be discovered. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/93 "2021-02-22T00:40:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > … didn’t catch that they were supposed to be humans. Are they the ones who found the desiccated corpse levitating next to the cliff? Because most humans would freak out if they saw something that crazy, … Yes, this. I don’t agree with those who say it’s established that the two agents are human. (For example, if they’re reporting to “the General,” that entity could be alien or human.) We shall see! ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/94 "2021-02-22T01:08:05Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Are they the ones who found the desiccated corpse levitating next to the cliff? Because most humans would freak out if they saw something that crazy, which would swiftly be followed by calling in the authorities, including scientists, and presumably the alien craft would be discovered. But they’re agents who are working for someone else (The General) to find an alien. They didn’t freak out because they already knew there’s a crashed alien out there somewhere. > [@Sherrerd](#): > > Yes, this. I don’t agree with those who say it’s established that the two agents are human. (For example, if they’re reporting to “the General,” that entity could be alien or human.) I think the scene in the crappy RV at the gas station is pretty definitively showing them as human. They kept referring to Harry as “the alien” or “an alien”, not either by name (if they’re of the same species as him) or by species, if they’re not. And all the tech they were using looked Earth standard, you’d think if they were also aliens capable of interstellar travel, they’d have some more advanced equipment to track him. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/95 "2021-02-22T02:17:17Z")
That and the one agent was directly observing Harry’s antics thru the front windshield - and in the bathroom - and said/did nothing at all. If an alien - I would suspect he would have seen thru Harry’s disguise. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2021, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/96 "2021-02-23T01:09:11Z")
muldoonthief and simster, those are good points. I still suspect a twist is coming (as opposed to ‘these are ordinary humans working for some governmental agency’). ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/97 "2021-02-25T23:51:24Z")
Well, that was literally fun while it lasted. The first four episodes streaming for free were apparently a tease, and it requires a subscription to continue watching from Episode 5 on. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/98 "2021-02-26T01:20:21Z")
SyFy requires a subscription? ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/99 "2021-02-26T01:26:28Z")
Apparently? I’ve been using the SyFy app on the Amazon Firestick, and I was able to watch the first four episodes for free (with ads). Episode 5 of _Resident Alien_ is locked, as are most of the shows on the app. To unlock the episode, the app wants me to create an NBCUniversal profile, which will give me “3 Free Credits!” I’m guessing that’s three free episodes on NBCUniversal channels (there’s a whole family of channels including SyFy and Peacock), and then I’ll have to pay? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719/100 "2021-02-26T01:32:05Z")
This appears to be something new. SyFy use to be free but with commercials. Though it looks like if you have a channel provider you can still get it. I had to let the website know I have DirecTV. I’m pretty sure I didn’t use to have to do that. It was a fun episode. No spoilers, but I thought this one was excellent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resident-alien-aka-quincy-e-t/931719.md?page=6)