Staying on top of all the shows available in the streaming era—especially those on traditional networks—isn’t simple. All too often, they’re overshadowed by the high-concept, big-budget titles on platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV. But every so often, you just long for the original formula. There’s nothing quite like the simplicity and stakes of a network dramedy. While they’re vastly different from the glossier shows dominating the market today, that’s precisely what makes them feel so unique now. And it’s not just the so-called “vintage” picks—like Gilmore Girls or even a more recent show like Suits—that fit the mold. Plenty of series in the 2020s have aimed to keep that spirit alive, such as .
A highly underrated genre-blending series in its own right, Resident Alien was hard to categorize—but no less enjoyable. Hyped as “the mystery sci-fi small-town doctor dramedy Earth needs right now,” SyFy understood the show was a lot. But that’s where its charm lies: part Invasion of the Body Snatchers, part offbeat procedural like Monk or Bones, Resident Alien was eager to embrace its quirks. Similar to a few other SyFy shows, it’s based on a lesser-known graphic novel, giving it a playful edge that balanced the tone of a cozy network drama with a much darker cable series. Over four seasons, it never exactly became the hit it deserved to be, but its first season—even its premiere episode—argues strongly for the old-fashioned approach.
It starts with a rock-solid premise: an emotionless alien is sent to Earth to carry out an extinction-level event. He’s the ideal candidate for the task—he loathes Earth and the humans who live on it. But when a lightning storm derails his mission and his spacecraft crashes in the Colorado mountains, our protagonist has to rush to adapt. In a cabin miles from the closest town, he kills and assumes the identity of the first human he encounters: Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle (). Taking on his appearance gives him the time to search the mountains for his ship—until the residents of Patience, Colorado, call on “Harry’s” expertise.
When Patience’s only doctor is mysteriously killed, Harry suddenly becomes a local hero. He has to help solve the crime (something he’s eager to do, as a fan of Law & Order), step into the role of the town’s new doctor, and pretend to be human. That last task is nearly impossible: Harry is completely unaffected by sarcasm or humor, and he never fully mastered smiling or laughing. Yet, bafflingly, no one suspects anything truly amiss except Max Hawthorne (Judah Prehn), a young boy who can somehow see past his disguise.
The first season of Resident Alien places Harry in a tangled web of secrets and conspiracies, but none of it would be half as engaging without its excellent pilot. The show’s premiere laid a perfect foundation for the series, setting clear stakes for Harry while hinting at the start of a real reckoning. The series’ biggest appeal is watching a character who hates humans slowly grow into something close to human himself—and from Resident Alien’s first episode, it’s clear that Harry’s growth will be filled with both humor and heart.
Right in the middle of the pilot, Harry discovers the pleasures of strong whiskey and 2010s Nicki Minaj, and lets go for what might be the first time ever. Later, he shares a vulnerable moment with Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko), a nurse at the Patience clinic dealing with her past mistakes. Both moments feel relatively simple compared to the profound, sometimes over-the-top emotional stakes in post-Peak TV shows, but that subtlety feels like a breath of fresh air. It set the perfect tone for a show that balances alien antics and small-town interpersonal drama equally. While its sci-fi elements grew stronger as the seasons went on, Resident Alien had the courage to start small—and that feels like a luxury in today’s TV landscape.