Item: Resident Alien
Rating: 8
Author: Alex Maidy

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Plot: Based on the Dark Horse comic, Resident Alien follows Harry, an alien that crash lands on Earth and passes himself off as a small-town human doctor. Arriving with a secret mission to kill all humans, Harry starts off living a simple life… but things get a bit rocky when he’s roped into solving a local murder and realizes he needs to assimilate into his new world.

Review: Alan Tudyk is one of the most versatile actors working today. From on-screen to voice work, the veteran of Joss Whedon's Firefly has been a key voice in everything from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Disney films Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6, and more to a recent stint on the first season of DC's Doom Patrol. Now, he headlines the adaptation of the comic book series Resident Alien. A very funny combination of shows like Northern Exposure and Parks and Recreation along with some genre conventions, Resident Alien takes the formulaic elements of police and medical procedurals and upends them in a wholly hilarious blend of comedy and drama set in a quirky small town full of three-dimensional characters…and a murderous alien.

Developed by Chris Sheridan (Family Guy) with a pilot directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), Resident Alien follows an extraterrestrial who must assume the physical form of Dr. Harry Vanderspiegle while getting a crash course in what it means to be human. In the remote small town of Patience, Colorado, Harry (Alan Tudyk) is enlisted when the town doctor dies under suspicious circumstances. Joined by Sherrif Mike Thompson (Corey Reynolds) and Mayor Ben Hawthorne (Levi Fiehler), Harry meets the townsfolk of Patience who run the gamut from nurse Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko) to bartender D'Arcy Morin (Alice Wetterlund). As he tries to help resolve the cause of death for the late doctor, Harry must adapt to the foibles of everyday life as a human while not divulging the true nature of his mission.

Resident Alien works, first and foremost, because it is played straight. Like the strange residents of Pawnee, Indiana, the town of Patience is full of oddballs but nothing you wouldn't actually see in suburban or rural America. Sure, Alan Tudyk is playing an alien but he does so with the bluntness of his Star Wars role as K-2S0 blended with the naivete of Data from Star Trek. Learning everything from slang to bedside manner, Harry goes from believably human to bizarrely alien, sometimes within the same scene. Tudyk's voice-over also lends some hilarious insight into everything from how alcohol and sex affect him to pondering methods to murder a child. Yeah, this series does not shy away from some truly taboo conversations that are handled refreshingly and to great comedic effect.

Everyone in the supporting cast is excellent, too, with a lot of talented comedians. Alice Westerlund, who was excellent in HBO's Silicon Valley as well as the short-lived TBS series People of Earth, gets to play D'Arcy as a smart-ass but also a person looking for meaningful companionship. Corey Reynolds plays Sherrif Mike as a badass who needs the thrill of real crime in the idyllic small town he defends. Levi Fiehler's young mayor is both a hypochondriac as well as a parent to a child with animosity towards Harry for reasons you have to watch to understand. But it is Sara Tomko who shines the most as Asta, an indigenous person escaping an abusive relationship while dealing with a decision from her past that ties directly into the death of her friend. Tomko gets to really stretch here while still trying to play against the weirdness that is Harry Vanderspiegle.

While the murder mystery is an overarching plot element during this season of the show, it often plays secondary to the character stories going on here. Over the seven episodes made available for review, there are incremental reveals that further the story along, but I continued to find myself enjoying learning more about the citizens of Patience rather than needing to know more about the mission that brought Harry to Earth. That being said, there is a subplot involving those searching for Harry that holds the answer to a larger part of the plot of this series. The source material was spread over six arcs, this first season representing the first. If the show becomes a hit, I imagine it may follow that same narrative fairly closely.

Resident Alien could completely discard the science-fiction premise and would still work thanks to the layered characters whose pasts are an integral part of their storylines on this show. Because there is a science fiction element, this series can blend the supernatural with the mundane and it makes for a refreshing viewing experience. If you are not prepared to suspend your disbelief when you see a grotesque alien dancing to Nicki Minaj's "Starships", this may not be the show for you. For everyone else, from Alan Tudyk fans to comic book aficionados, this is a really fun show that can also deliver some solid drama. Be prepared for awkward interactions, circumcision jokes, lots of profanity, and plenty of dismembered body parts.

Resident Alien premieres on January 27th on SyFy.