It’s not easy keeping up with all the shows out there in the age of streaming, particularly those on traditional networks. Too often are they eclipsed by the high-concept, big-budget offerings on platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV. Sometimes, though, you just crave the original formula. Sometimes, there’s nothing better than the simplicity and stakes of a network dramedy. Though they couldn’t be more different from the glossier shows that dominate the market now, that’s exactly what makes them feel so special now. And it’s not just the so-called “vintage” finds, like Gilmore Girls or even something as recent as Suits, that fit the bill. There are plenty of shows that have tried to keep that spirit alive in the 2020s, like SyFy’s Resident Alien.
A massively underrated genre bender in its own right, Resident Alien was a difficult show to define — but no less delightful. Touted as “the mystery sci-fi small town doctor dramedy Earth needs now,” SyFy knew the show was a lot. But therein lies its charm: part Invasion of the Body Snatchers, part offbeat procedural like Monk or Bones, Resident Alien was keen to let its freak flag fly. Like a handful of SyFy shows, it was based on a lesser-known graphic novel, lending it a tongue-in-cheek edge that straddled the tone of any quaint network drama and a much darker cable series. Across four seasons, it never quite took off the way it deserved to, but its first season — and even its debut episode — makes a great case for the old ways.
