Alien Nation TV Show: Gone But Not Forgotten

1988’s Alien Nation was a sci-fi twist on the classic buddy cop formula. While only a modest hit, it did have some devoted fans (we covered it in a Best Movie You Never Saw), and the premise was gold. In fact, it was so good that the fledgling Fox Network decided to spin it off into a TV series the following year. The show, which starred sci-fi vet Gary Graham (star of Robot Jox) as Sikes, the human cop, and Eric Pierpoint as George, the alien (or rather newcomer), was well-reviewed. Many thought the Alien Nation TV show, which V’s Kenneth Johnson ran, improved on the film significantly. Yet Fox, in their lack of foresight, opted to cancel the show after one season, only to bring it back for a series of TV movies a few years later when the show spawned a series of successful comics and novels.

Now mostly forgotten, the Alien Nation TV show is nonetheless an interesting, socially conscious addition to the eighties sci-fi cannon, and it’s this week’s Gone But Not Forgotten. In this episode, we look at the show’s origins, its cancellation and eventual return, and whether or not it could ever be rebooted. This episode is written, edited and produced by Dave Arroyo. Jesse Shade narrates. Watch previous episodes below and tell us in the comments if you think Alien Nation is due for a comeback.