Eureka. Chuck. Warehouse 13. Haven. Grimm. iZombie. These five-season series have a certain unique brand of pop culture commonality: humor plus singular twists on supernatural, fantasy, and science fiction equals shows anyone can drop in on for a good fix of genre fun. In its third season, showrunner Chris Sheridan firmly established Resident Alien as the kind of series with the potential to have a similar enduring place in TV land. Alan Tudyk turned what could have been just shtick into a performance in the league of Don Knotts’ Barney Fife. Yeah, it’s goofy. But it’s goofy with sincerity. Last season the writers’ room started playing games with the supporting cast. These are characters we now love, but the puppetmasters moved them around in strange ways. If the series makes it to a fourth and fifth season, will we look back years from now and see Season 3 as a turning point, like those other five-season gems? Check out this trailer for the upcoming Season 4, arriving in only one month, then let’s get caught up on where we last left our favorite alien in doctor’s clothing:
Last season saw Sara Tomko’s Asta Twelvetrees and supporting actress Alice Wetterlund’s D’arcy dabbling in comedy duo territory–the vintage kind with lay-up jokes in the style of Abbott and Costello. The writers clearly had fun, and that fun made it to the audience. Was the season arc all that memorable? Probably not. But for this kind of TV phenomenon, that’s not always mission critical.
Wetterlund continued to dazzle in the gritty realms, too–her character is a fascinating, almost-drowning heroine always trying to make her way to the surface but never quite getting there. Storywise she must, eventually.
Tomko and Wetterlund weren’t the only comedy team getting a weekly stand-up comedy night. The best humor is consistently from Corey Reynolds and Elizabeth Bowen. The writing for their sheriff and deputy should be taught in comedy school. Reynolds’ sheriff is zany, but a zany that hasn’t been done before. Some of his dialogue is so creative you want to dissect it, contact the writers and interrogate them about the anatomy of a gut-busting laugh. Bowen’s deputy is pure straight man, but updated. She is the 2020s heroine in every way. She says what she thinks in light of all the wrong she is confronted with from her boss. The relationship seems like it could work in real life somehow, like a shared understanding and respect for the idiosyncrasies of their opposites.
Then there’s the mayor and his wife–the kind of cookie cutter characters you’d find in a sitcom-dramedy. Meredith Garretson seemed like she’s an actor with much more potential than this show, and she showed that in her small role in The Offer, and finally she was given the opportunity to showcase more of her talent as she became the target of alien abductions and–gasp–aliens taking her baby. This left Levi Fiehler’s mayor in a bit of a Howdy Doody position, yet Fiehler can convey sincerity, too, and when he gets his chance he shows this character also has at least two seasons left to grow.
The quaint mountain town of Patience saw some new faces, too–standouts in every way. Edi Patterson’s Blue Avian alien in the form of Heather was a perfect foil for Tudyk, a love interest similarly wacky, requiring an actor who could really sell the believability. And their enemy who became a friend was of a similar mold. That was Enver Gjokaj as the Grey Alien Hybrid, Joseph Rainier.
The best drama of the season came from a surprising place: Jenna Lamia’s Judy Cooper–usually the best at sweet but shocking comedy in the series–she got jilted by the sheriff, and her performance was so well done the episode jerked viewers from comedy territory to Downerville drama.
The writing and acting are so well handled it’s easy to overlook the visual effects, beginning with the alien effects of alien kid Bridget and Blue Avian Heather. The third season finale delivered The Mantid (voiced by Clancy Brown!) and a new direction that could carry an entire season if done right in Season 4.
And of course great genre shows make the best of stunt casting. In Season 3 that was the return of mega-genre star Linda Hamilton as General McCallister, still on the scent of the aliens in the vein of Jack McGee on The Incredible Hulk. And just when you thought you’d seen it all, Silver Bullet and Lost’s Terry O’Quinn’s alien tracker returned–this time as a borg. It’s enough to make a sci-fi fan absolutely giddy. Let’s not forget that like iZombie, Resident Alien sprouted from the comic books–these by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse.
Now is the time to catch up on the first three seasons now on Peacock. Resident Alien begins earning its way to at least a fifth season with the Season 4 opening episode June 6, 2025, at 10 p.m. Central on USA and Syfy, also streaming on Peacock.
C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg
