Skip to main content Tom's Guide Tom's Guide Search Tom's Guide View Profile Newsletters Best Picks Entertainment OpenAI announcement Switch 2 Restock Galaxy Z Fold 7 iPhone 17 Air Best laptops Wordle Today Best Mattress Recommended reading The first 'Alien: Earth' trailer just landed — and it was more than worth the wait Disney Plus and Hulu summer preview trailer offers fresh look at 8 upcoming shows — here's the 3 I'm adding to my watchlist How to watch the 'Alien' movies in order 'Weapons' just took the lead as my most anticipated movie of summer 2025 — here’s why All ‘Predator’ movies ranked from best to worst 'Predator: Killer of Killers' on Hulu brings back the thrill of the hunt — and it’s the most fun I’ve had in ages ‘Andor’ season 2’s gripping premiere sets the stage for an epic final season — and I’m convinced this will be the best Star Wars show yet Entertainment ‘Alien: Earth’ is my most anticipated new TV show in years — here’s 3 reasons I’m excited, and 2 I’m worried Rory Mellon 19 July 2025 ‘Alien: Earth’ is less than a month away, and I’m feeling the hype When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Patrick Brown / FX) “Alien: Earth” premieres in less than a month. On August 12, the first TV show set in the iconic sci-fi universe arrives on FX and Hulu (or Disney Plus in the U.K.), and to say my hype is reaching intergalactic levels would be quite an understatement. I’m a superfan of the “Alien” franchise, with the 1979 original ranking as my favorite movie of all time, and the franchise as a whole my favorite in all of media. Naturally, “Alien: Earth” has been on my must-watch list since its initial announcement back in late 2020. It’s been a long five years to get to this point, but finally, after so much waiting and speculating, we’re just a few weeks away. Now that “Alien: Earth’s” debut is on the horizon, my excitement is certainly increasing, but there are a few pesky voices in my back of my mind preaching a degree of caution. After all, I’ve been burned by the “Alien” franchise before. You may like The first 'Alien: Earth' trailer just landed — and it was more than worth the wait Disney Plus and Hulu summer preview trailer offers fresh look at 8 upcoming shows — here's the 3 I'm adding to my watchlist How to watch the 'Alien' movies in order So, here’s why I’m very hyped about this show, but also forcing myself to keep my excitement in check ahead of “Alien: Earth” arriving in less than a month. Alien: Earth | Official Trailer | FX - YouTube 3 reasons I’m excited about 'Alien: Earth' It looks like ‘Alien’ (Image credit: Patrick Brown / FX) Perhaps most importantly, at this pre-release stage, “Alien: Earth” appears to have nailed the distinct look of the Alien universe. The retro-futuristic aesthetic, which blends advanced technology with grimy industrialism, gives the series a unique look, and I’m glad to see that clearly a lot of attention has been paid to making “Alien: Earth” match this design ethos. This gives me confidence that even if I ultimately have some problems with the show’s narrative chops (though at this stage, I have little reason to believe that will be the case), at least “Alien: Earth” will always be appealing to my eyes. Overall, it’s a good sign that the show’s creative team is taking the universe seriously and wants “Alien: Earth” to fit within it from a visual standpoint. Spotlight on synthetics (Image credit: FX / Hulu) Much of “Alien: Earth’s” story is being kept under wraps, and as somebody who doesn’t want too much spoiled before watching, I’m very thankful for this approach. However, the narrative morsels we have received are pretty darn tasty. We know the show will focus on Wendy (Sydney Chandler), a young girl who has her mind implanted within the body of a white-blooded synthetic. It’s an intriguing setup and feels fitting for the “Alien” franchise, which often explores what it means to be human, especially in Ridley Scott’s divisive prequel duology (Nevertheless, I'm a "Prometheus" defender to this day). Plus, I’m glad to see “Alien: Earth” appears to be mining fresh material, instead of being yet another tale of deep space truckers who stumble upon a Xenomorph and are stalked through various claustrophobic corridors. ‘Alien’ feels well-suited for TV (Image credit: FX / Hulu) Anybody who’s consumed some of the extended “Alien” fiction, such as the various original novels out there, will tell you that “Alien” is well-suited to episodic storytelling. While the movies are the franchise’s core, more meaty stories can be successfully told in this world. Of course, I love the movies, and thought last year’s “Alien: Romulus” was a phenomenal return-to-form, but with a two-hour runtime, the narrative has to progress at a pretty fast clip. Therefore, I'm pretty intrigued to see what showrunner Noah Hawley can do with an eight-episode arc. This should allow us to fully connect with its cast before the Alien shows up to wreak havoc, and probably murder more than a few of the characters we’ve grown seriously attached to. 2 reasons I’m worried about 'Alien: Earth' Will it mess up the lore? (Image credit: Courtesy of The Joelsons) My single biggest concern is how “Alien: Earth” will fit into the series’ established canon. “Alien” and its first three sequels are all about Ellen Ripley’s quest to stop even a single Xenomorph getting to Earth, because in her own words, “If one of those things gets down here, then that will be all!” Yet, “Alien: Earth” appears primed to tell us that Ripley’s quest to stop the Xenos from finding a way into our big blue planet was seemingly in vain. They already made it, and years earlier. Granted, it's not like previous “Alien” media haven’t played fast and loose with the series’ previous canon, but I’m hoping “Alien: Earth” finds a satisfying way to fit into the timeline and doesn't totally contradict what came before it. The Predator in the room (Image credit: 20th Century Studios) There’s an increasing sense among “Alien” fans that everything is building up to a new “Alien vs. Predator” crossover event. For example, the latest trailer for “Predator: Badlands” features a brief sight of the Weyland-Yutani logo, and the first “Alien: Earth” preview includes a line about “predatory” creatures, which feels like an explicit wink towards viewers. I believe that the “Alien” and “Predator” franchises work best standalone, and I would rather the two remain separate going forward. But based on all this teasing, not to mention comments from “Alien: Romulus” director Fede Alvarez, it does appear the two sci-fi titans will be meeting again in the future. I’m hoping that “Alien: Earth” can be a great “Alien” show first and not just a backdoor setup for a new stab at an “Alien vs. Predator” movie. The “Alien” universe is great enough on its own that it doesn't need added Predators. More from Tom's Guide 'Alien: Earth' — everything we know so far Noah Hawley confirms multi-season vision for 'Alien: Earth' Hulu just got every “Alien” movie — 3 to watch, and 1 to skip Streaming service deals not to miss Disney+ Annual Premium Get first month fr... Hulu - Monthly (with Ads) Max Monthly With Ads Paramount Plus Premium - Monthly Peacock Premium We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Rory Mellon Social Links Navigation Senior Entertainment Editor (UK) Rory is a Senior Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. The first 'Alien: Earth' trailer just landed — and it was more than worth the wait Disney Plus and Hulu summer preview trailer offers fresh look at 8 upcoming shows — here's the 3 I'm adding to my watchlist How to watch the 'Alien' movies in order 'Weapons' just took the lead as my most anticipated movie of summer 2025 — here’s why All ‘Predator’ movies ranked from best to worst 'Predator: Killer of Killers' on Hulu brings back the thrill of the hunt — and it’s the most fun I’ve had in ages Latest in Hulu This Rami Malek action thriller just landed on Hulu — but critics and audiences are sharply divided 'I have great plans and ambitions': Noah Hawley’s multi-season vision for 'Alien: Earth' has me counting down like it’s Christmas This overlooked sci-fi thriller blew my mind — and you can stream it now on Hulu 5 best new to Hulu movies with 90% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes The most surreal noir thriller of the year just landed on Hulu — and it will stick with you for days New on Hulu in July 2025 — all the new shows and movies to watch Latest in Opinion I've slept on memory foam and latex luxury mattresses — here's which one should you buy I was underwhelmed by the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE — here's why it could be worth buying anyway I can't wait to see 'Superman' again — but there's 3 things that are bugging me a week later I finally tried the "FhiFho" decluttering rule in my home — here's what happened I ditched music during my 30-minute workout and exercised in silence — here's what happened to my performance Experts say the caveman method can help you sleep in a heatwave — but I tried it and no thanks LATEST ARTICLES GPT-5 will be here soon — here's why I'll be using it over Claude, Gemini and Grok We benchmarked Cyberpunk 2077 on Mac: here's how well it runs on Macs vs. Windows PCs I finally tried the "FhiFho" decluttering rule in my home — here's what happened I’m a personal trainer — improve your squats and runs with this 5-move ankle mobility routine I put the Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs. Galaxy Z Flip 6 through a 10-round photo shootout — here’s the winner Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Terms and conditions Contact Future's experts Privacy policy Cookies policy Accessibility Statement Advertise with us Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Please login or signup to comment Please wait...