Alien Nation Returning To TV? Kinda…

Variety is reporting that Sci Fi, or as it will soon be called, SyFy, is in the development stages of a new take on “Alien Nation,” the 1988 movie that really pissed me off when the series ended in a cliff hanger.

The pen behind the new series will be none other than Tim Minear, who is well respected in the genre fro his work on shows like Angel, X-Files, Firefly, and Strange World.

“Alien Nation” centers on the partnership between a veteran cop and his alien detective partner, set against the larger tale of alien “newcomers” who move to Earth and attempt to assimilate into society.

Chris Carlisle, head of Fox 21 feels the show could be a great follow up to their recent reboot of Battlestar Galactica.

“It’s absolute perfect timing for this type of show,” Carlisle said. “They’re looking for more grounded sci-fi and close-ended episodes, and at the heart of ‘Alien Nation,’ it’s a cop movie. It’s grounded. And it has a tremendous amount of dramatic possibilities and humor.”

Minear is currently busy outlining the “Alien Nation” script and mapping out the project’s mythology. The new “Alien Nation” will likely take place in the Pacific Northwest, and will take place about 20 years after the first ship of aliens – who have been banished as slaves – crash lands into Earth.

By the time the show begins, some time in the 2020s, the alien population has multiplied from a few thousand to 3.5 million. And much of the “newcomers” live their own segregated existence, in what Minear compares to the North African ghettos in France.

“You can take (the original ‘Alien Nation’) a step forward and really do a show that encompasses the clash of civilizations, and the idea of a ghettoized minority,” he said. “You can touch on racism, terrorism, assimilation, immigration. And there’s room for satire.”