Alien: Earth premieres its first two episodes on August 12, available on Hulu at 8 PM ET in the United States, while international audiences can catch the debut on FX and Disney+ at 8 PM PT / ET. Following the premiere, new episodes from the eight-episode season will be released weekly every Tuesday.
Set in the year 2120—placing it well after the events of Prometheus and just two years before the original Alien and the doomed voyage of the Nostromo—Alien: Earth is helmed by Noah Hawley and explores a pivotal moment in the franchise timeline. The series kicks off when the deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, thrusting a young woman named Wendy (played by Sydney Chandler) and a group of tactical soldiers into a harrowing chain of events. Their fateful discovery forces them to confront a terrifying new threat lurking on the planet.
For context, the recent interquel Alien: Romulus is set between Alien and Aliens, further expanding the timeline. Meanwhile, Alien: Earth dives into a world where Earth is no longer governed by nations but by five dominant corporations: Weyland-Yutani (the infamous megacorp central to the franchise’s dark legacy), Prodigy, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. In this era, cyborgs and synthetics coexist with humans, but the balance shifts dramatically when the visionary CEO of Prodigy Corporation pioneers a breakthrough: hybrids—humanoid robots infused with human consciousness. Wendy is the first successful hybrid prototype, embodying the franchise’s enduring theme of humanity’s pursuit of immortality.
Here’s where things take a darker turn: after a Weyland-Yutani spacecraft collides with Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids come face to face with mysterious life forms “more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.” This hints at the presence of multiple new threats—possibly more than one type of Xenomorph or entirely new alien species. Reports suggest there may be five distinct creatures in total.
The official synopsis reads:
In the year 2120, Earth is ruled by five powerful corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans enhanced with artificial components) and synthetics (AI-driven humanoid robots) live alongside ordinary humans. The game changes when the brilliant founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unveils a revolutionary advancement—hybrids: humanoid robots imbued with human consciousness. The first hybrid prototype, “Wendy,” signals the dawn of a new era in the quest for immortality. But when a Weyland-Yutani vessel crashes into Prodigy City, Wendy and the other hybrids are exposed to mysterious life forms far more terrifying than anything humanity has ever encountered.
Alien: Earth Cast:
- Sydney Chandler as Wendy
- Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh
- Alex Lawther as Hermit
- Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier
- Babou Ceesay as Morrow
- Adrian Edmondson as Atom Eins
- David Rysdahl as Arthur Sylvia
- Essie Davis as Dame Sylvia
- Lily Newmark as Nibs
- Erana James as Curly
- Adarsh Gourav as Slightly
- Jonathan Ajayi as Smee
- Kit Young as Tootles
- Diêm Camille as Siberian
- Moe Bar-El as Rashidi
- Sandra Yi Sencindiver as Yutani
AI Characters (Synthetics) in the Alien Franchise
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Back in January of last year, showrunner Noah Hawley clarified that Alien: Earth would not follow the mythology established in Prometheus. He expressed a strong preference for the “retro-futurism” of the original Alien films, favoring their aesthetic and narrative tone over the prequels’ bioweapon-centric origin story. Hawley revealed he had extensive discussions with Alien series creator Ridley Scott about various elements of the franchise, including its connections to the prequels, but ultimately chose to chart a new course—rooted more in the lore of the classic entries.
The Alien universe is experiencing a major resurgence. Alongside Alien: Earth, Alien: Romulus 2 is already in development, and fans can expect another crossover event as the franchise converges once more with Predator in the upcoming Predator: Badlands.
