‘Alien: Earth’ Review: New FX Series Is A Properly Disgusting And Poignant Take On The Alien Universe
In space, no one can hear you scream. But on Earth, lots of people can, and that still won’t help you. At least, that’s the case in the new FX series Alien: Earth, created by Noah Hawley (who also helmed the Fargo and Legion series). The first two episodes of Alien: Earth, which aired on August 12, 2025, on FX/Hulu, are shining achievements of gnarly sci-fi horror telling as well as incredible pieces of world-building for a universe many of us have come to know and love over the decades.
The series opens in 2120 (just two years before the events of Alien) on the U.S.S. Maginot, a vessel heading back to Earth after acquiring some very important species samples while on a research mission for Weyland Yutani. Among these species is the Xenomorph, but they also have quite a few other extraterrestrial nightmares on board, too. It’s here, quickly after the crew wakes up, that we learn that Earth is essentially owned by five corporations, which include Weyland Yutani and the newest company, Prodigy, run by Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), the boy genius. Already, Hawley is setting up a world not unlike what we saw at the beginning of Alien: Romulus: a world ruled by money and constant grabs at immortality via synthetic technology.
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But, as can be expected, the Maginot and her crew are doomed after a containment breach, and the ship crashes right in the middle of New Siam, a densely populated city right in the middle of Prodigy territory. Hawley quickly sets up the stakes as the clock starts ticking and the creatures on board start finding their way out into the city.
Meanwhile, another storyline unfolds regarding Mandy, a girl with terminal cancer who is undergoing a rather unorthodox treatment: transferring her consciousness from her sick body into a new one. But there are two twists. First, the new body is that of an adult, so despite her new appearance, Mandy is still a child. Second, she has to keep this whole thing a secret, even from her brother. So she changes her name to Wendy (our typical female Alien protagonist, complete with curly bob and contemporarily short bangs, played by Sydney Chandler), and everyone in her life believes she succumbed to her illness. Now, she can start her new life as a super-powered hybrid human, living in a secret research facility called Neverland under the supervision of human Dame Sylvia (Essie Davis) and synthetic Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant).
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At Neverland, Wendy becomes the leader of the band of Lost Boys (which is quite literally what Kavalier calls them), a group of children inside the synthetic bodies of adults. Sure, they look grown up, but they all still talk and act like children. It’s quite nauseating and quickly establishes the sick, capitalistic world of Alien: Earth, especially when those Lost Boys head off to help with the search and rescue efforts in New Siam.
While Xenomorphs have run amok on Earth before (here’s looking at you, Alien Versus Predator 1 AND 2), this setup is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Yes, Hawley taps into expectations by still having our search and rescue teams navigate an abandoned, wrecked ship full of creatures lurking in the shadows and air ducts. The opening sequences even feel like the opening of Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien as the camera pans over a quiet, empty ship and lingers briefly in Mother’s control room, full of white, soft light. There’s a retro vibe here that establishes a strange sense of comfort: we’ve seen this before, we can surely predict what’s coming next, right?
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And that’s what Hawley wants you to think. Because once Maginot hits the ground, all bets are off when it comes to what unfolds both inside and outside of the wreckage. Even in the first two episodes, there have been plenty of disgusting and unique set pieces, including a dinner party gone horribly wrong. And, like I mentioned earlier, there are other matters of hellish creatures besides the Xenomorph crawling around the mangled concrete. With almost all of the sets and creatures rendered practically, the world of Alien: Earth feels inhabited and grounded, even as a science-fiction horror story.
But the horrors aren’t just extraterrestrial in nature, as is always the case in Alien. Hawley swiftly establishes that plenty of human beings on Earth are just as cruel as any bloodthirsty creature. Boy Kavalier is, so far, our prime villain, a tech boy nightmare whose motivations are purely selfish. He quite literally watches through the eyes of his creations, violating their autonomy and viewing them as nothing but machines that prove his vast intelligence. And Blenkin embodies that role so well that I found myself mumbling, “I really just want to punch that kid in the face,” on more than one occasion.
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Alongside Blenkin are stellar performances from Olyphant as a pseudo-parental figure and synthetic Kirsh, who looks uncannily like Sting in David Lynch’s Dune. Aesthetics aside, he strikes that uncanny balance of familiar yet distant, a figure that is able to exhibit something like care for his young charges, but still speaks in a voice that’s just devoid enough of warmth to connote he isn’t quite human. Plus, Chandler as the naive young Wendy is a fascinating addition to the Alien protagonist universe, playing a child who still believes in good while the capitalistic hellscape around her blazes on.
Moving at a breakneck pace and supported by fascinating characters (and performances), these first two episodes of Alien: Earth set up a violent series that isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty. Hawley has already demonstrated he isn’t here to mess around and deliver fan service; he’s here to rip bodies apart and make a bold statement regarding our growing dependence on technology and artificial intelligence. Start the series for Xenomorph chaos, stay for the horrific implications of an army of adult-appearing hybrids with the literal minds of children.
New episodes of Alien: Earth air every Tuesday at 8 PM on FX/Hulu.
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Alien: Earth
Summary
Moving at a breakneck pace and supported by fascinating characters (and performances), these first two episodes of Alien: Earth set up a violent series that isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty.
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