5 things we desperately need to see in Resident Alien Season 2

Resident Alien was one of the best surprises of the 2021 TV season so far, so naturally, we have to wonder what’s next for the series.

Executive producer and showrunner Chris Sheridan (Family Guy) and his talented creative staff have turned the Dark Horse comic into a compelling and clever sci-fi comedy on SYFY that mixes Fargo with The X-Files to tell a story that pulls off the rare feat of surpassing the quality of its source material. The show centers on Harry (Alan Tudyk), an alien hiding in the town of Patience, Colorado, while on a mission to destroy it and every human life on the planet. 

When he’s not enjoying pizza or talking to the vision of the human doctor he killed (and whose body he now sports as camouflage), Harry is forging new friendships that make it harder and harder for him to complete his mission — which, thankfully, he fails to pull off in the Season 1 finale. With a big change of heart, Harry leaves humanity relatively unscathed (minus the aforementioned dead doctor) and, aboard his ship, sets a course back to his home planet.

There’s just one catch: He has a stowaway aboard, Max (Judah Prehn) — his child frenemy.

This hilarious, clutch-the-pearls complication that ends Season 1 provides several story areas to kick off the recently greenlit Season 2. Of all the rich possibilities Resident Alien Season 2 could afford fans, here are a few we can’t wait to hopefully see.

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Credit: SYFY

Or, at least, a glimpse of it that doesn’t break the bank for the show’s budget. 

What we know so far about Harry’s planet is what his narration tells us: His species don't have pizza, or alcohol, or much in the fun department. They literally share the same DNA as Earth’s octopus and they despise humans. What made them so belligerent? And how does Harry’s sudden and newfound change of heart about wiping out humanity impact his relationship with the planet that ordered him to destroy ours? 

Harry had one mission and he was unable to do it, which probably won’t sit well with whatever alien he reports to or pulls his string. If Harry ever gets back home after returning Max to Earth, there seems to be no shortage of conflict waiting to be mined once Harry returns to his people. 

Honestly, just give this guy his own spinoff already. 

Every week, Corey Reynolds’ performance makes Sheriff Mike one of the most entertaining and interesting characters on television right now. Resident Alien has a deep bench of dynamic supporting characters, but Mike emerges often as the MVP. His relationship and friendship with his partner, Liv (Elizabeth Bowen), is both comical and endearing. They are a Fargo-ized, small-town version of Mulder and Scully — or at least are poised to be once the truth about Harry gets out. 

And judging by how many townsfolk know Harry’s secret by the end of Season 1, Mike and Liv should be getting closer to discovering it for themselves — especially as Mike further investigates the murder of Dr. Sam Hodges, which the season finale revealed was at the hands of the human (and now deceased) Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle.

Asta (Sara Tomko) quickly emerged as the beating heart of Resident Alien this season. She is one of the most confident and fully realized characters on TV right now, and her seemingly constant desire to do the right thing (despite going about it sometimes the wrong way) gave the show an emotional depth that was both surprising and refreshing. 

The first season finale hints to Asta and her estranged daughter, Jay (Kaylayla Raine), making some inroads, which therefore teases the possibility of more of our heartstrings being tugged on as these two do their best to make up for lost time. However, there’s also the risk that the rift between the two could widen, especially if Jay ever learns the truth about her mom’s new friend. Or the guy he killed and stuffed in his freezer. 

Credit: James Dittinger/SYFY

So far, thanks to a genetic anomaly, Max is the only one who can see Harry’s alien self underneath his skinsuit. It’s only a matter of time before either others who share Max’s “gift of sight” or General McCallister (Linda Hamilton) and her secret Black Ops group, find a way to exploit and weaponize this ability for their benefit. 

Both spell trouble for Harry and anyone he cares about, which could make Season 2 a very difficult one for our pizza-loving alien. (Though it would be totally worth it if Max's bestie Sahar, played by Gracelyn Awad Rinke, could see Harry’s real alien form just so we can hear her signature snark in response to it.) 

Credit: James Dittiger/SYFY

In the episode “End of the World As We Know It,” Harry reveals to Asta details about his real name, his family, and his children back home. It’s the closest we get to a glimpse of what Harry’s life was like before he was charged with ending all human life. In doing so, we saw a tender and complex side of the character, one that makes us curious about seeing some of these other characters in action come Season 2. Clearly, Harry isn’t going back home as fast as he hoped, so that could set the stage for someone from home trying to retrieve him. 

Or, worse, finish what he started. 

Also, Harry isn’t exactly the most friendly or upstanding alien, so we’re guessing he has some enemies. And his enemies may have enemies. What would happen if his homeworld sends someone to check up on him, or someone goes after him with a score to settle? 

Either possibility represents a threat to Harry’s friendship with Asta, and to the town of Patience/every human on Earth. Any one of these complications could give fans a chance to see Harry, Earth’s former would-be destroyer, become our planet’s savior. How Harry navigates that role reversal sounds like perfect fodder for another great season of television.