Alien: Earth hits TV: cast, schedule, and Weaver’s reaction

TL;DR:

FX/Hulu’s Alien: Earth premiered on August 12, 2025. It’s set in 2120, two years before Alien.
The show drew 9.2 million views in its first six days, per Disney data.
Episode 6 ended with a facehugger attack on Arthur, played by David Rysdahl.
Sigourney Weaver praised the series’ scope and new creatures at TIFF.
Episodes air weekly on Tuesdays. Expect episode 7 on Sept 16 and the finale on Sept 23, based on the weekly rollout.

Alien: Earth is the first TV series in the Alien franchise. It is created by Noah Hawley and set in 2120, two years before the events of Ridley Scott’s 1979 film. The story moves the horror to Earth and explores hybrids, cyborgs, and ruthless corporations. It premiered on FX and Hulu in the United States, and on Disney+ in many regions, on August 12, 2025.

Quick plot primer

A Weyland-Yutani research ship returns to Earth after decades in space with dangerous specimens on board. A crash unleashes these lifeforms. Meanwhile, the Prodigy Corporation builds “hybrids,” children with human minds in synthetic bodies. Wendy, the first successful hybrid, anchors the emotional core with her brother Joe.

Who stars in it?

The main cast includes Sydney Chandler (Wendy), Alex Lawther (Joe), Essie Davis (Dame Sylvia), Samuel Blenkin (Boy Kavalier), Babou Ceesay (Morrow), Adarsh Gourav (Slightly), and Timothy Olyphant (Kirsh).

At-a-glance: key characters

Character	Actor	What to know
Wendy	Sydney Chandler	First hybrid, human mind in a synthetic body
Joe Hermit	Alex Lawther	Wendy’s human brother, a battlefield medic
Dame Sylvia	Essie Davis	Prodigy executive, Arthur’s wife
Boy Kavalier	Samuel Blenkin	Prodigy’s CEO, young and ruthless
Morrow	Babou Ceesay	Cyborg security chief from the Maginot
Slightly	Adarsh Gourav	Hybrid from the “Lost Boys” group
Kirsh	Timothy Olyphant	Senior synthetic with his own agenda

Details are drawn from FX materials and coverage summarizing the series bible.

Why people are talking about it now

1) Strong early viewership

Disney reported 9.2 million global views in the first six days after launch. That figure folds FX, Hulu, and Disney+ viewing and uses total hours divided by runtime. It signals a healthy start for a new genre series.

2) Episode 6 twist

Episode 6, “The Fly,” delivered a major turn for Arthur Sylvia, the Prodigy scientist played by David Rysdahl. A facehugger attack capped a tense hour focused on the ethics of wiping a hybrid’s memories. Critics framed it as the season’s bleak pivot.

Rysdahl discussed Arthur’s fate and the show’s ideas in a new interview, drawing lines to Frankenstein, Oppenheimer, and questions about care and responsibility.

3) Ripley approves

At the Toronto International Film Festival, Sigourney Weaver praised the show’s wider scope and its terrifying new monsters, quipping that she “can’t believe” she is watching TV. Her comments boosted buzz well beyond core fans.

Release pattern and what’s next

FX debuted two episodes on August 12, with the rest rolling out weekly on Tuesdays. Episode 6 aired on September 9. Based on that cadence, episode 7 is due September 16 and the finale on September 23. If you are catching up, plan your watchlist around those dates.

How to watch: FX linear in the U.S., next-day streaming on Hulu, and Disney+ in many international markets at local times. Check regional listings.

The big ideas the show plays with

Alien: Earth keeps the creature horror but foregrounds questions about identity and power.

What makes a person? Wendy and the other hybrids have human memories inside synthetic bodies. The show treats their rights and memories as real stakes, not tech props.
Who is in charge on Earth? Five mega-corporations dominate the planet. Prodigy’s CEO, Boy Kavalier, is a swaggering portrait of unfettered capital.
Can a Xenomorph be more than a monster? Some scenes tease communication and a possible moral gray zone, even as the threat escalates.

How episode 6 changes the stakes

The facehugger incident suggests a classic Alien outcome. If Arthur survives long enough, a Xenomorph may gestate. That would put a loyal protector on a collision course with the very children he tried to save. The episode also tightens the corporate squeeze, with Kavalier leveraging a quarantine rule to keep specimens. Expect a scramble for control before the finale.

Key dates

Date	What happened
July 25, 2025	First episode screened early at SDCC panel
Aug 12, 2025	Premiere on FX/Hulu and Disney+ internationally
Aug 19, 2025	Disney touts 9.2M global views in six days
Sept 9, 2025	Episode 6 airs, major character twist
Sept 16, 2025	Episode 7 expected, weekly cadence
Sept 23, 2025	Season 1 finale expected

Sources include network reporting and new interviews; episode dates beyond September 9 follow FX’s weekly rollout.

What fans are asking

Is Ripley in the show?
No. The story is set two years before Alien. Weaver is not a character here, but she has praised the series.

Is this part of the film timeline?
Yes. It sits in the main franchise timeline, positioned as a prequel to Alien.

How scary is it?
Episode 5 and 6 moved into classic creature territory, adding new monsters along with the Xenomorph threat.

Watcher’s checklist

Start with episodes 1–2, then move weekly.
Pay attention to Wendy, Joe, Arthur, and Boy Kavalier scenes.
Look for corporate rules like the quarantine clause that drive the plot.
If you are squeamish, skim episode recaps before big set pieces.

Why it matters

Alien: Earth is more than a franchise extension. It gives TV space to big sci-fi questions without losing the teeth of the original films. The early audience numbers show strong curiosity, and the mid-season twist plus Weaver’s endorsement will likely keep interest high through the finale.

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