Blended ‘Resident Alien’ lands on Syfy
“Resident Alien” (10 p.m., Syfy, TV-14) blends horror, satire and gore in ways that keep viewers off balance. The series will appeal to both fans of the original comic, created by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse, and its star Alan Tudyk, from the cult series “Firefly” and its spinoff movie “Serenity.”
Tudyk stars as Captain Hah Re, a soldier from another galaxy sent to wipe out the human race. His craft crashes after being struck by lightning, stranding him in a remote Colorado town. Using his advanced abilities, he kills the first person he sees and assumes his identity, becoming Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle, owner of an isolated lakeside cabin, a “man” who keeps pretty much to himself.
In this rustic setting he teaches himself English by watching “Law & Order” reruns. This is presented in a brisk and funny montage, explaining why, later, he often concludes statements with the signature “chungchung” jingle from that detective series.
His time alone with Lenny Briscoe ends when police arrive at his cabin needing a doctor’s help in investigating a local murder. As he mingles with mere citizens, the doctor displays both superior abilities and a cracked logic that make his human interactions memorable, to say the least.
It also puts him in contact with nurse Asta (Sara Tomko), with whom he develops something resembling friendship, and a local boy, who appears able to see through his disguise and scream at the monster in the room.
Comics often place us in an adolescent realm, asking us to overlook garish questions of taste and tone. Are we supposed to identify with a protagonist bent on planetary genocide? His awkward “conversation” can be amusing, but not everyone will laugh when he treats an autopsy as a joke, “playing” with a man’s brain as a kind of toy. It gets weirder when the cadaver’s widow enters the room. Are we supposed to find her grief amusing?
A tale of a strange visitor from another planet, “Resident Alien” is a clever variation or inversion of the “Superman” origin story, itself inspired by the Old Testament tale of Moses.
Stymied in his quest to kill us all, he settles on the murder of a single child. It’s a little like reading the New Testament and rooting for Herod.
› Already seen on Starz, season four of the popular time-traveling romance “Outlander” arrives on Netflix.
› Respect for “genre” movies and questions of prestige can change rather quickly. In 1991, “Silence of the Lambs” (8 p.m., BBC America) swept the Oscars in every major category. Eleven years earlier, “The Shining” (10:30 p.m.) was ignored by the Academy. Stanley Kubrick was even nominated for a Razzie for worst director. Decades later, which film is more of a classic?
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› Going the extra mile on “Chicago Med” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
› “Nature” (8 p.m., PBS) explores the Alps’ role in Europe’s climate.
› Boden connects the dots on “Chicago Fire” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
SERIES NOTES
› “The Price is Right at Night” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
› The best six compete on “The Masked Dancer” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).