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Why fans of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit will be out-of-this-world in love with SYFY's Resident Alien
Whether you watch Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for Olivia Benson's equal parts steel and empathy, the interpersonal drama, or just because you love a good procedural, one thing is for certain: You've watched a lot of SVU. That's what happens when there are 22 seasons and over 480 episodes — you binge. Luckily, you're not alone in your obsession. Harry Vanderspeigle, the narrator and lead character of SYFY's upcoming series Resident Alien, is a big binger. After all, he learned how to be human by watching Law & Order: SVU.
Kung Kung.
The catch, of course, is that Harry, played by genre superstar Alan Tudyk, isn't really Harry. He's an alien sent to Earth to destroy us all, which might make him a bit more of a perp in Benson's eyes than someone she'd want on her team. But after crash-landing in rural Colorado, he's stuck in the small town of Patience and forced to disguise himself as Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle. From there, he quickly finds himself unwillingly sucked into the local community after the town physician is found dead, and coming to terms with his newfound humanity requires a lot of legwork (literally) on his part. Luckily, he's got the tenacity of a true binge-watcher.
Harry loves a good sound effect as much as the next SVU fan — and incorporates the famous Kung Kung, usually when it's not quuuuuite appropriate. He also isn't afraid to get his hands dirty; he's equal parts detective and forensics expert, much to Sheriff Mike Thompson's suspicion. Sheriff Thompson is the kind of hard-nosed officer Law & Order executive producer Dick Wolf would approve of, but he's not the only detective in town anymore. Harry's ready to solve any mystery with Rafael Barba-levels of stubbornness.
As SYFY's latest look into all things Resident Alien explains, there's plenty going on in this seemingly quiet town. There's drama, there's community, there's a seedy underbelly, and murder... Sure, it's not New York City, but in Patience, everybody knows each other's business — and that just makes the drama more interesting.
Resident Alien, starring Alan Tudyk, premieres on SYFY on Jan. 27.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premieres new episodes every Thursday on NBC.
