# Alien Nation (1989)

> A Los Angeles detective is reluctantly paired with an alien Newcomer in a buddy cop series that uses alien integration to examine prejudice and belonging.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/5102

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 22
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: science fiction, crime, drama
- Created by: Kenneth Johnson, Rockne S. O'Bannon
- Network: FOX
- Cast: Gary Graham, Eric Pierpoint, Michele Scarabelli, Lauren Woodland, Sean Six, Terri Treas, Jeffrey Marcus, Ron Fassler
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096531/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: earnest, wry, socially conscious

## What critics say

Reviewers generally saw the series as a socially conscious science fiction police drama with a likable buddy-cop pairing, though its single season was short-lived.

## Synopsis

Alien Nation is an American science fiction police series that follows Detective Matthew Sikes, a Los Angeles officer reluctantly teamed with George Francisco, an alien Newcomer. The two navigate street cases as an uneasy partnership, and their working relationship drives the show. Sikes also shares an on-again, off-again flirtation with fellow Newcomer Cathy Frankel. Each episode pairs a case of the week with the friction of two cultures colliding in a city that has not fully accepted its new residents. Its tone blends the wry chemistry of a buddy cop show with a socially conscious edge, and its themes of prejudice, belonging, and family give the premise weight. The series is a single short season, a sequel to the film that carries its premise onto television. Fans of genre drama will find resonance in its mix of science fiction and grounded urban procedure, and it remains a distinctive late eighties hybrid of alien allegory and police story.

## Shows like Alien Nation

- [The Crossing (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/62337)
- [Hardcastle and McCormick (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/1192)
- [Earth: Final Conflict (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/2700)
- [Hunter (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/4350)
- [Total Recall 2070 (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/4320)
- [Defiance (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/46303)
- [Cop Craft (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/74751)
- [Martial Law (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/553)
- [Due South (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/1439)
- [Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/9210)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt