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'Resident Alien' showrunner explains big change they made with Asta compared to the comics
It may happen sometime down the road, but for now, audiences are still learning about these characters.
Chris Sheridan, showrunner and executive producer of SYFY's Resident Alien, has air-tight explanations for every single creative decision made for the hit television series. Why, for instance, is Asta's hair not short like it is in the original Dark Horse comic by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse?
Yes, there's a good answer to that question.
It's such a small visual detail that sparked a notable conversation between Sheridan and his production crew when it came time to shoot the second episode of the first season in which Asta (Sara Tomko) grieves the death of Sam Hodges by ritually cutting her hair.
"We had to talk about that," the showrunner explains in a new video where he fact checks a number of claims made by the ensemble cast. "[We asked ourselves] 'Should we really cut it down short?' But at that point, we were only two episodes into the series and we would be making a drastic change in the look of one of the characters. So I think we sort of decided not to cut it all off. We put extensions in Sara Tomko's hair and then cut a big chunk off of those extensions."
Looking into the future of Patience and it's wacky residents, though, Asta might just get that comics-accurate 'do. "You have a luxury once the show is on for a while, people get to know the characters, and you can have some bigger moves and stuff like that once we get to know them," Sheridan said.
The first half (eight episodes) of Resident Alien Season 2 is now streaming on the SYFY app and Peacock. Be sure to check back in with SYFY WIRE every week for more bonus content that takes us behind the show's sophomore outing!
