How Netflix’s Resident Alien became a hit, according to star Alan Tudyk – by blending absurdity with ‘emotional reality and touching scenes’
- This comic book adaptation about an evil alien who warms to people after landing on Earth became a Netflix hit after the platform acquired its first two seasons
- Alan Tudyk, who leads a cast that includes Linda Hamilton from The Terminator, talks about what makes the show successful, and his character’s evolution
When the first two seasons of Resident Alien premiered on Netflix in February, star Alan Tudyk could only guess at how audiences would react.
“We’ve always been on [American TV channel] Syfy and it’s been great, but the pandemic and the [2023 Writers Guild of America] strike really changed the way shows are being released,” he says of the sci-fi TV series, which is set in the fictional mountain town of Patience, in Colorado, in the United States.
“Getting the first two seasons on Netflix gives us a chance to catch people up and turn them on to the show.”
The show became the most viewed TV show on Netflix upon premiering on the streaming platform, and has appeared on its top 10 chart (usually within the top five) every day since.
Tudyk clearly has no problem finding work, given that he’s appeared in some of the biggest movies on the planet and acted on screen regularly since 1997’s 35 Miles from Normal.