‘Alien: Earth’ Hits a Milestone No Other Entry Has Reached Since ‘Aliens’
The Alien franchise has a new hit on its hands. Alien: Earth, the first live-action episodic series in the long-running sci-fi horror saga, premiered on FX, FX on Hulu, and Disney+ internationally on August 12, 2025, and critics are loving it. The reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, with the series already earning a 93% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
That puts it just behind James Cameron’s Aliens, which has a 94% rating, and ties it with the original 1979 Alien, also at 94%.
For fans keeping score, this is a huge moment. The franchise has had its ups and downs over the years. Alien 3 only scored 44%, Alien: Resurrection got 55%, Prometheus landed at 73%, Alien: Covenant had 65%, Alien: Romulus reached 80%, Alien vs. Predator was at 21%, and the franchise-low Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem scored just 12%. Compared to these numbers, Alien: Earth’s early reception is a massive win for the franchise.
Rotten Tomatoes praised the new series, saying, “Stylistically bold and scary as hell, Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth transplants the Xenomorph mythos into the television medium with its cinematic grandeur intact while staking out a unique identity of its own.” Metacritic also confirmed the strong start, giving the series a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 31 critics, a mark of “universal acclaim.”
FX’s Alien: Earth. OFFICIAL TRAILER 2: GREENER WORLD. Prepare. Before it’s too late. Premieres August 12. pic.twitter.com/8KfO4Yr3N0
— 20th Century Studios Canada (@20thCenturyCA) July 17, 2025
Alien: Earth was created by Noah Hawley and serves as a prequel set in the year 2120, two years before the events of the original Alien. The show stars Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, Adarsh Gourav, and Timothy Olyphant. The story follows the space vessel Maginot, which crash-lands on Earth, where a young woman and a small team of tactical soldiers uncover a terrifying threat that could change the planet forever.
Early responses suggest the series is delivering exactly what fans hoped for. Critics and viewers alike are praising the mix of suspense, horror, and cinematic quality, noting that it successfully adapts the franchise’s iconic Xenomorphs and tense atmosphere to the small screen.
Some reactions are so enthusiastic that they jokingly say the excitement is “so loud it could be heard in space,” according to coverage from sources like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.
With these reviews and ratings, Alien: Earth is already cementing itself as one of the best-received entries in the franchise. It not only honors the legacy of the original films but also expands the universe in a way that feels fresh and exciting. Fans can expect the series to keep generating buzz as more people tune in and join the fight against one of sci-fi horror’s most legendary creatures.
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