At the Television Critics’ Association winter press tour today in Pasadena, Syfy presented its new series, including the science-fiction noir comedy, Resident Alien. Actor Alan Tudyk plays an alien who takes human form with a set mission to kill everyone on Earth. Things get complicated.
On the panel were Alan Tudyk (Harry Vanderspiegle), Alice Wetterlund (Darcy Bloom), Sara Tomko (Asta Twelvetrees), Corey Reynolds (Sheriff Mike Thompson), and executive producer Chris Sheridan.
“He is a sociopath but not in the way that adult men are,” Sheridan described Tudyk’s alien visitor. “He can learn and he’s starting to feel things.”
Mayor Ben, played by Levi Fiehler, is the father of the young boy who can see Harry (Alan Tudyk) in his true alien form.
“Ben thought he was signing up for an easy job as mayor,” Chris Sheridan said. “He didn’t sign up for this sh**.”
And when the alien stuff goes down in town, actor Corey Reynolds says his character, Sheriff Mike, is suspicious of everyone. And Harry is definitely on Sheriff Mike’s radar.
In a goof on Ancient Aliens star Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, Sheridan kicked off the panel with a funny story about seeing an odd-shaped triangular alien spaceship while honeymooning. He said: “I’m not saying it was aliens… but it was aliens.”
When the graphic novel was sent to him, Sheridan says he knew he wanted to do the TV version
What’s Resident Alien about?
Tudyk plays the titular alien who has taken a human form. He came to Earth to kill the humans but finds himself starting to feel emotions and care for his intended victims.
Based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse, the show sees Harry crash on Earth and he assumes the identity of Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle in a small Colorado town.
Harry is now the star of the ultimate intergalactic fish out of water story.
In the graphic novel, the reader always sees Harry as an alien, but in the show, we only see his alien form when he is viewed by Mayor Ben’s son. The first graphic novel has been stretched over the course of the premiere season. And the mystery of who killed Sheriff Hodges? By the end of the first season, we’ll know who did it, Sheridan said on the panel.
As the season progresses, Harry learns more about the town of Patience, Colorado — his earthly home.
The series is set to air in the Summer of 2020.