Alien Nation (TV series)

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Alien Nation
Genre Science fiction
Created by Kenneth Johnson
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 22
Production
Running time approx. 45 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel FOX
Original run September 18, 1989 – May 7, 1990
External links
IMDb profile

Alien Nation is a science fiction television series, loosely based on the movie of the same name. Gary Graham starred as Detective Matthew Sikes, a Los Angeles police officer reluctantly working with "Newcomer" alien George Francisco (from the planet Tencton), played by Eric Pierpoint. Sikes also has an on again-off again flirtation with a female Newcomer, Cathy Frankel, played by Terri Treas.

Contents

[edit] Storylines

The storylines generally revolved around morality plays on the evils of racism and bigotry using Newcomers as the discriminated minority. As fictional immigrants, Newcomers could "stand in" for hot-button social issues about African-Americans and Mexican-Americans (as well as sexual minorities like gays) and invert the usual expectations. For example, during the run of the series, George became pregnant (the male of his species carrying the fetus for part of its gestation) and during much of the episode dialog included such lines as, "If you females had to feel the pain we males feel during pregnancy, there wouldn't be any babies." The series offered insightful social commentary by illustrating what it means to be human and the often bizarre rituals we observe.

[edit] Differences between the movie and the TV series

  • In the movie version the human detective is named Detective Matthew Sykes (played by James Caan). In the TV series Gary Graham plays Detective Matthew Sikes.
  • Detective Sam 'George' Francisco, the Newcomer detective, is played by Mandy Patinkin in the movie, and Eric Pierpoint in the TV series. These are played as much the same character.
  • The TV series has a much lighter tone than the movie, with extensive subtle humor and wordplay. The movie is essentially a noir piece, very gritty and hard-bitten.
  • Many aspects of Newcomer culture are explored in the TV series, including childbirth, religion, family, history, longing for their home planet, etc. In the movie Newcomer culture is hinted at, but never explored.
  • In the TV series, Newcomers have integrated pretty successfully into Los Angeles civilization. In the movie, the majority of Newcomers appear to be on the fringes of society as drug dealers, prostitutes and petty criminals.
  • In the movie Francisco has a wife named Susan (played by Kendall Conrad) and a son (called "George Jr." in the credits; although, Mandy Patinkin states, within the film, that he was named "Richard Nixon") played by Brian Lando. In the TV series his wife is named Susan (Michele Scarabelli), his son is named Buck (Sean Six) and he also has a daughter Emily (Lauren Woodland).
  • Both detectives work for Captain Warner (Francis X. McCarthy) in the movie and Captain Bryon Grazer (Ron Fassler) in the TV series.

[edit] Cancellation

The weekly series ran for just one season, from 1989 through 1990, when a financial crunch at the fledgling Fox Network caused Fox executives to cancel all dramatic series. A second season was clearly expected by the producers, as the season ended with a cliffhanger. The show built a strong fan base, and popular demand led to "Dark Horizon", the episode that would have begun the second season, being novelized and adapted as a comic book as well as spawning a series of novels. Four years later, after a change of management at Fox, the story of Alien Nation finally continued with five well-received television movies (including all the original cast).

[edit] Television movies

[edit] Main cast

The cast of Alien Nation.220px
The cast of Alien Nation.220px

[edit] Episode List

Ep# Title Original airdate Production code
1 "Pilot"  September 18, 1989 1
As resentment toward the Tenctonese Newcomers builds, Matt Sikes and George Francisco investigate a string of murders that appears to be the work of a giant, insect-like creature. 
2 "Fountain Of Youth"  September 25, 1989 2
A pair of surgeons has been killing Newcomers for their spartiary glands and implanting the life-lengthening glands into humans. 
3 "Little Lost Lamb"  October 2, 1989 3
George and Sikes go undercover to investigate a prostitution ring, and Uncle Moodri convinces Buck to confess to a murder committed in self-defense. 
4 "Fifteen With Wanda"  October 9, 1989 4
Sikes and George struggle to cope with their rebellious children while simultaneously protecting a sex-crazed witness from a mobster. 
5 "The Takeover"  October 16, 1989 5
Amidst a bloody, city-wide riot, Sikes and George must stop the hoodlums who lay siege to the police precinct in order to raid its evidence locker for contraband. 
6 "The First Cigar"  October 23, 1989 6
Behind on his taxes, George accepts a loan from a Tenctonese businesswoman, only to discover that she is involved in a drug ring plaguing Slagtown. 
7 "Night Of The Screams"  October 30, 1989 7
A series of grisly murders is patterned after the mythical Tagdot, a Tenctonese boogeyman who severs the hands of his victims as they bleed to death. 
8 "Contact"  November 6, 1989 8
In the wake of an astronomer's murder, George and Sikes must prevent an Overseer from sending a signal into space which could result in Earth's enslavement. 
9 "Three To Tango"  November 13, 1989 9
Someone has been murdering Binnaums, a unique caste of Newcomers required in Tenctonese procreation, and Sikes and George fear it is the work of Purists intent on preventing Newcomers from multiplying. 
10 "The Game"  November 20, 1989 10
George is forced to confront his past when a Russian Roulette-style game once played on the slave ship resurfaces to plague Newcomer society. 
11 "Chains Of Love"  November 27, 1989 11
George goes undercover to track down a murderous female Newcomer who has been using a dating service to lure victims. 
12 "The Red Room"  December 18, 1989 12
Sikes and George join the search for an elusive killer, a Newcomer trained in the quarantine camps to be an assassin for the C.I.A. 
13 "The Spirit Of '95"  January 15, 1990 13
As Newcomers lobby for the right to vote, the violent kidnappings of prominent campaigners are blamed on the Purists. 
14 "Generation To Generation"  January 29, 1990 14
A mysterious Tenctonese artifact is passed along from person to person, leaving a trail of dead in its wake. 
15 "Eyewitness News"  February 5, 1990 15
While George is featured on a news show as a model Newcomer, Sikes investigates an attack on a Tenctonese porno star. 
16 "Partners"  February 12, 1990 16
When George is implicated in a scandal involving an illegal narcotic known as Jack, it is up to Sikes to clear him. 
17 "Real Men"  February 19, 1990 17
Sikes and a pregnant George track a thief who is stealing Newcomer blood to sell Tenctonese hormones to human bodybuilders. 
18 "Crossing The Line"  February 26, 1990 18
Sike's vacation plans are thwarted by the return of The Doctor, a ruthless serial killer who eluded him years ago. 
19 "Rebirth"  March 12, 1990 19
Following a life-after-death experience, Sikes is convinced that a Tenctonese criminal has the ability to bring the dead back to life. 
20 "Gimme, Gimme"  April 9, 1990 20
George's investment in a Tenctonese fabric company is jeopardized when one of the firm's corporate executives meets with foul play. 
21 "The Touch"  April 30, 1990 21
Cathy is reunited with a friend from the Newcomer slave ship, but when he exhibits bizarre behaviour and appears emotionally troubled, she attempts to intervene. 
22 "Green Eyes"  May 7, 1990 22
Sikes and Cathy struggle with their romantic feelings for one another, while a plot to exterminate the Tenctonese race via a deadly bacteria unfolds. 

[edit] DVD release

The series was released on DVD January 3, 2006 by 20th Century Fox. The five telefilms that followed after the series was cancelled were released in Region 1 by Best Buy exclusively on September 11, 2007, and are set to be released wide on April 15, 2008 [1]

DVD Name Ep # Release Date Additional Information
Alien Nation- The Complete Series 22 January 3, 2006
  • Commentary by Kenneth Johnson on the two-hour pilot telefilm
  • Behind-the-Scenes featurette
Alien Nation- Ultimate Movie Collection 5 September 11, 2007

[edit] References

  1. Alien Nation Episode Guide. TV.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.

[edit] External links

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