Alien Nation (1989-97)

Alien Nation is an American science fiction media franchise about alien refugees living on Earth, created by ROCKNE S O'BANNON and developed for television by KENNETH JOHNSON. The series began with the 1988 film Alien Nation, which was adapted into a television series with the same name in 1989. The series was abruptly cancelled after one season of 21 episodes and a feature-length pilot episode, but the story continued in five TV movies. The series retained the film's police drama format, but the series starred ERIC PIERPOINT as "George Francisco" and GARY GRAHAM as "Matthew Sikes".

In 1991 a flying saucer crashes in the Mojave Desert containing a race of extra-terrestrials, the Tenctonese (called Newcomers by humanity) escaping from slavery under a cruel Overseer race. They resemble humans, but have various anatomical differences and have been bred to have greater physical strength and intelligence. The Newcomers are accepted as the latest immigrants to America, and the franchise explores issues around their integration into the multicultural society of the US.

The storylines often are morality plays on the evils of racism and bigotry, using Newcomers as the discriminated minority. As fictional extraterrestrial immigrants, the Newcomers could stand in for social issues about various races, as well as sexual minorities such as gays and lesbians, and would invert the usual expectations. For instance, mid-way through the series, George becomes pregnant (the male of his species carrying the fetus for part of its gestation), and during much of the episode, dialog included lines like, "If you females had to feel the pain we males feel during pregnancy, there wouldn't be any babies." The series offers social commentary by illustrating what it means to be human and the often bizarre rituals we observe.

Main cast

Main crew

Main cast

"Det. Matthew Sikes"
GARY GRAHAM

"Det George Francisco"
ERIC PIERPOINT

"Susan Francisco"
Michele Scarabelli

"Emily Francisco"
LAUREN WOODLAND

"Buck Francisco"
SEAN SIX

"Cathy Frankel"
Terri Treas

Main crew

Producer
Arthur Seidel

Producer
Tom Chehak

Co-producer
DIANE FROLOV

Episodes

1: Alien Nation

When the Francisco family move into a rich suburban part of LA, they get to experience hate and racism spread by the radical Purists.

Notable credits

Broadcast(s)

2: "Fountain Of Youth"

Sikes and Francisco investigate a doctor who is killing Newcomers to benefit human patients.

Notable credits

Guest stars

Main crew

Broadcast(s):

3: "Little Lost Lamb"

4: "Fifteen With Wanda"

5: "The Takeover"

6: "The First Cigar"

7: "Night Of The Screams"

8: "Contact"

9: "Three To Tango"

10: "The Game"

11: "Chains Of Love"

12: "The Red Room"

13: "The Spirit Of '95"

14: "Generation To Generation"

15: "Eyewitness News"

16: "Partners"

17: "Real Men"

18: "Crossing The Line"

19: "Rebirth"

20: "Gimme, Gimme"

21: "The Touch"

22: "Green Eyes"

TV movies

1: Dark Horizon

2: Body And Soul

3: Millennium

4: The Enemy Within

5: The Udara Legacy

BBC One

Eric Pierpoint

First shown in 1995

Gary Graham

Rockne S O'Bannon

SciFi

TV series

US