'Resident Alien' is both hilariously funny with an intriguing layered plot. It's four seasons of five star binge. Here's why.
Sometimes looking for something to watch can feel like doomscrolling, because there’s so much available but so little that piques any kind of interest.
When you’ve watched what’s good, what’s left? Quite a bit, it seems.
Even when choosing a show just because you’re settling for something, it can turn out to be the best TV decision you’ve made.
Resident Alien on Showmax is a happenstance decision just like that.
And it wasn’t just a good find; it was a spectacular discovery. And while the title of the show conjures up a few mental images, they were all wrong.
In my case, anyway. Because the four seasons of this epic, hilarious and adventurous romp of a show are worth every minute of your time.
The series, which debuted in 2021 and completed its fourth and final season this year, is based on a comic book series with the same name.
An alien in a small town
In brief, here’s the plot.
An alien crash lands on earth and lands up in a small town called Patience in Colorado.
There, he sneaks up on a guy, kills him, and, using alien technology, morphs into his biological makeup.
The alien, whose name in his own language goes something like Schtloutasoodpt, becomes Dr Harry Vanderspeigel.
The man whose body he kept in the freezer of the home that Schtloutasoodpt, now Harry, took over from the good doctor.
Harry’s mission was to get to Earth and annihilate humanity, but in human form, he ends up getting involved in the quirks and conundrums of small-town living.
He becomes the unlikely town doctor after an actual healthcare professional was murdered.
In between, he learns how to be a human being. With Google as his teacher, the alien slowly integrates as one of the town’s more eccentric residents.
When nobody’s watching, Harry scours the mountains around the town to find his ship and the doomsday device he intended to use to disintegrate humans.
But, as the adventure rolls out, he becomes more human by the day.
Dr Vanderspeigel ends up feeling emotions, and he starts doubting his mission. As the series progresses, it takes a turn as Harry ends up choosing to protect Earth instead of against the threat of other aliens and his own kind.
WATCH: The Trailer
Then, of course, there’s the US government and alien detection, a young boy who’s the only person that can see through Harry’s human form and the murder mystery.
In between the plot, the subplots and the sub-sub-plots that keep viewers intrigued, there’s the humour. And there’s a lot of it.
Alan Tudyk, of Dodgeball and 28 Days fame, plays Schtloutasoodpt, aka Harry.
And he is absolutely brilliant at it. Learning human behaviour, trying to fit in, along with mixed in alien instincts and idiosyncrasies, lends itself to highly entertaining moments in the show.
Tudyk is so believable and his characterisation so on point that he leads the small town motley crew cast into viewing brilliance. Because that’s how good he is at it.
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Alongside Harry is the chief nurse at the clinic, who becomes his closest friend.
Sara Tomko plays Asta Twelvetrees and together with the balance of the characters, from the wobbly town mayor through to the ditsy town sheriff with his own back story, the stage is set for outrageous adventures. And again, there are many of them.
Maybe aliens are real?
If you were a conspiracy theorist or an alien believer, Resident Alien also shows audiences how they could already be walking amongst us.
Harry also refers to several species of aliens already resident on Earth. Of course, this does include the lizard race.
However, suspected conspirators, such as those fingered by lizards like Justin Bieber, do not cameo in the show. It’s all special effects, fabulous scripting and great performances.
Resident Alien is the perfect show to binge on either side of a rugby match. It’s a show that once you discover it, you’ll be glad you did.
