Being one of the most anticipated new TV shows of the summer, expectations were high for Alien: Earth following a slew of incredible trailers and critical praise. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 93%, the series made its long-awaited debut on FX and Hulu yesterday with a two-episode premiere, and while critics might have nothing but good things to say about it, the show’s audience score proves you can’t please everyone. Hitting Rotten Tomatoes with a 78% rating from fans, things could certainly be a lot worse for Alien: Earth. It’s nowhere near the low ratings of others in the franchise, like Alien Resurrection, which has just a 39% rating from the audience, or Alien 3, which sits at 46%. Still, with as much hype and praise as the series had from critics, one would think that it would’ve managed to at least reach Verified Hot status early on, and while it can certainly still achieve that feat, it’s been a struggle thus far. “WHY?! WHY Can’t anyone get this franchise right?!” asked RT user Matthew C, who added: “I had such high hopes with this, as Noah Hawley did pretty good with Fargo, but boy was this a disappointment.” He would go on to complain about the “bad CGI,” “bad characters,” and “bad writing,” saying, “Everything was great until the ship crashed into earth.” Michael G was another fan who was let down by Alien: Earth, writing:
“I found the first two episodes really boring. It seems to be more about the writer/director letting us know how brilliant they are by tossing around intellectual concepts and dialogue than it is about creating an entertaining show with characters we can care about.”
“What did I just watch?” pondered Scotty P. “It said Alien. That wasn’t Alien. Where’s the slow buildup? The creeping dread? The big reveal? This thing skipped all of that and dove straight into guts everywhere.” Well, to be fair, the franchise is almost 50 years old. Maybe Hawley and company figured everyone would know by now what to expect, and decided to subvert everything by diving straight into the meat of the story.
‘Alien: Earth’ Has Impressed the Majority of Fans

Of course, at 79%, the news is mostly good for Alien: Earth, as the majority of people have been impressed with the new series, and the Negative Nellies are really the outliers in the equation. Take Rotten Tomatoes user Tony R, for example, who wrote:
“Alien: Earth is exactly what I’ve been waiting for from the franchise since Aliens… a refreshing take on the Alien/Synth dynamic. Even after just the first two episodes, I can’t wait to see the rest of the season.”
“Just saw the first two episodes and I’m elated,” added Aaron B, who continued: “This show FEELS like Alien and Aliens in the best ways, but also has its own style and injects new ideas into the world.” Many others had high praise for Alien: Earth’s esthetics and feel, while also commending Hawley for trying something new that refreshes the franchise after the disappointments that were Prometheus and Covenant. You can judge for yourself if Alien: Earth lives up to the standards set by the likes of Ridley Scott and James Cameron, as the first two episodes are streaming now on Hulu. Look for new episodes to drop every week until its conclusion on September 23, 2025.