The pickup for the Alan Tudyk dramedy comes nearly three years after the project was first put in development at the cable network under an executive regime that is no longer there.
Resident Alien is staying in house.
Syfy has handed out a second season renewal for the dramedy starring Alan Tudyk. The news comes as the 10-episode series based on the Dark Horse comics of the same name is inching toward its March 31 season finale — and three years after the project was first developed by an executive regime that is no longer at the NBCUniversal-owned cable network.
In announcing the pickup, Syfy noted the series ranks as Syfy’s highest-rated new drama in more than six years. (It’s also one of very few originals Syfy has launched in the past few years that haven’t been low-cost acquisitions.) The basic cable network, which is now overseen as part of a content group that also includes Peacock, NBC, USA and Bravo (among others), says the Jan. 27 premiere pulled in 9.3 million total viewers across all platforms. (Streamer Peacock is home to the first three episodes, with additional installments arriving Fridays.)
“With Resident Alien, everything just came together in perfect harmony — a script by Chris Sheridan that leapt off the page, a lead performance by Alan Tudyk, whose nuance between comedy and menace was pitch perfect, and a team of producers, cast and crew who were all striving to do something great,” said president of scripted content for NBCUniversal TV and streaming Lisa Katz. “The appeal of this show transcended the sci-fi genre in a way that enabled us to bring in a broader audience, and as the series continues we hope to encourage more and more fans to discover Harry’s very particular perspective on humans.”
Resident Alien was developed by former Syfy and USA Network president Chris McCumber and head of originals Bill McGoldrick. The duo has both moved on from NBCUniversal after being left out of last year’s executive reorganization. The series is produced in-house by Universal Content Productions, with showrunner Sheridan (Family Guy) executive producing alongside Dark Horse Entertainment’s Mike Richardson (Hellboy) and Keith Goldberg (The Legend of Tarzan). Amblin Television’s Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank also exec produce. David Dobkin (The Judge) exec produced and directed the pilot. Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund and Levi Fiehler co-star.
Syfy is part of a content group overseen by Frances Berwick and Susan Rovner at NBCUniversal. The pilot aired 10 times over five straight nights on Syfy and was also simulcast on USA Network with additional broadcasts on E! and Bravo. The moves were part of a larger strategy under Berwick to harness NBCU’s multiple brands to expose pricey originals to the biggest and broadest audience possible.
Resident Alien is part of a dwindling roster of originals. The cabler this year will say farewell to acquisition Wynonna Earp, with Resident Alien officially becoming its longest-running original now. Syfy’s upcoming slate includes Chucky, Day of the Dead and The Surrealtor, all of which are expected later this year. Syfy will also likely air content from across NBCU’s other platforms as part of Berwick’s larger strategy.
RSS