On this episode of Bingeworthy, host Mike DeAngelo is joined by writer, director, and showrunner Noah Hawley (“Fargo,” “Legion”) to discuss his new FX series, “Alien: Earth.” The highly anticipated prequel series debuted on August 12 and runs through September 23, delivering a bold new chapter in the iconic sci-fi horror franchise. Set in a future Earth, the story follows a young woman and a band of tactical hybrid misfits who uncover a terrifying secret after a mysterious spacecraft crash-lands in their corporate territory, forcing them into direct conflict with everyone’s favorite killer, acid-blooded alien species and much more. The series stars Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, Babou Ceesay, and Timothy Olyphant.
The show takes place only two years prior to the events of “Alien,” and Hawley made doubly sure his series felt instantly familiar to fans of the original. “People have to watch it in the first five minutes and go, this is Alien,” Hawley said. That meant using the actual Nostromo blueprints to design the Maginot ship and opening the series just like Scott’s 1979 film—with the crew waking up, smoking, eating, and overlapping their conversations. “It has to feel authentic,” Hawley stressed.
Still, television required a different approach than the films. Hawley explained that while the “Alien” movies are survival stories, a series needs to be about something larger. “The thing that showed me it was a series is that moment in the first film where Sigourney [Weaver] discovers Ian Holm is an android. You think, ‘Oh, humanity is trapped between the monsters of our past and the monsters of our future, and they’re both trying to kill us.’ And so that felt really interesting to me.” From there, he found his thematic way in through transhumanism, with hybrid children inside synthetic bodies forming the backbone of his story.
When it came to the xenomorph itself, Hawley allowed some subtle updates. “Some micro elements are different, just refining away from things that felt too much like a guy in a suit. I wanted it buggier, creepier. For me, creepier is never pointy teeth. Creepier is flat teeth, because that would hurt—and the smile then becomes very human in a way that’s disconcerting.”
The series also explores the rise of powerful corporations competing for dominance on Earth, extrapolating today’s economic realities into a chillingly plausible future. “Is it realistic that billionaires will become trillionaires? Yeah, probably. Is it realistic that corporations will continue to acquire, merge, and get bigger? Yes. Alien’s biggest villain has always been a corporation, so once you create a competitive corporate landscape, now you’re seeding Alien into a global battle that feels authentic to its identity.”
Of course, none of this moved forward without the blessing of Ridley Scott. Hawley recalled multiple conversations with the legendary director, who was often simultaneously storyboarding his latest films. “I wanted to hear from him—was there anything he’d always wanted to do but never found a place for? It was a very fruitful set of conversations. Ultimately, he was happy to let me go and do my thing.”
As for the franchise’s future, Hawley said this first season is about proving the right to exist within the “Alien” canon before even considering legacy characters. He explained that while audiences might eventually see connections, the goal right now is to let the series stand on its own feet. “I knew with ‘Fargo that it needed to stand on its own feet,” Hawley noted. “We did the first three hours in season one, where it was just its own story, and the audience was like, ‘Oh, I guess it doesn’t have anything to do with the movie.’ And then, when we revealed the buried money later, it became a reward for the audience. Here, I think this first season is really about proving our right to be in this field. I don’t think realistically you could incorporate actors who were in the movie 45 years ago into it, nor would I want to recast. But maybe someday we’ll see what’s on the other side of that phone call to the Nostromo.”
And while FX’s priority is firmly on Alien right now, he hasn’t ruled out more “Fargo.” “We’re done for now, meaning the next year or so, but I do have a thought, and I have been talking to FX about it. I love telling stories in that world and that tone of voice. So I’m not done with it.”
‘Alien: Earth’ is already shaping up to be one of the year’s strongest TV entries – a faithful yet inventive expansion that honors the franchise while pushing it in bold new directions. Listen to the full Noah Hawley interview below:
The Playlist Presents: Noah Hawley’s TV & Movie Recommendation Playlist
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 discusses all things 'Alien: Earth,' 'Fargo,' and much more.){kind=link}