This acclaimed sci-fi comedy with 98% on Rotten Tomatoes just got canceled ahead of its season 4 finale
Per a report from TV Insider, we now know that "Resident Alien" season 4 will be the show's final outing, with the upcoming season 4 finale (due to air on August 8) serving as the series finale.
Speaking with TV Insider, "Resident Alien" creator and showrunner Chris Sheridan admitted that he "knew going into it [season 4] that this was likely going to be our final season," presumably because the show dodged cancellation last time out (landing a budget reduction and a move from SyFy to USA Network).
At the very least, it sounds like Sheridan has made plans to wrap the show up in an acceptable way. "Creatively, that was exciting because I knew we could spend the time wrapping up some storylines and driving toward an ending," he told TV Insider..
"I'm so proud of how good Season 4 is and especially proud that we were able to finish as strongly as we did, with a finale that is probably my favorite episode of the series."
And speaking of the final episode, Sheridan said this: "It gives "Resident Alien" a very satisfying ending while also leaving the door cracked open for any future this world may have. I can't wait for everyone to see it."
This news all comes in spite of the fact that the show has been a hit with fans. "Resident Alien" currently holds an overall critics' rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a Popcornmeter score that's not far behind (87%).
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The series has also proven popular on Netflix; whenever a new season arrived, it usually appeared within the streamer's top 10 shows. Unfortunately, Deadline reports that "Resident Alien" season 4 has only been "a modest ratings performer" and "hasn't gotten much traction on NBCU streamer Peacock."
If you're not familiar with the show, "Resident Alien" is a sci-fi comedy-drama about Harry, an alien who crash-lands on Earth. He decides to live among the humans in the small town of Patience, Colorado, and adopts the identity of the town's doctor, rather than following through on his original, secret mission.
If "Resident Alien's" cancellation means you'll soon be on the hunt for a new binge-watch, check out our round-up of the best shows like "Resident Alien" for some streaming recommendations that could help you replace the outgoing show on your watchlist.
"Resident Alien" season 4 continues to air Fridays at 10 pm ET on USA Network; the series is also available on Peacock. You can also stream "Resident Alien" seasons 1-3 on Netflix now.
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Tom's Guide
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- Tom's Guide
I test soundbars for a living — upgrade your TV audio for under $300 with these budget picks
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New York Times
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- New York Times
‘Real-life Happy Gilmore': Meet the hockey player who inspired the Adam Sandler movies
One day, in early 1995, Kyle McDonough had a catch-up conversation with an old buddy. A star center for the University of Vermont hockey team from 1985-89, McDonough was establishing himself as one of the best players in Norway's top professional league at the time. On the other side of an ocean, the friend was making waves in his own line of work and wanted to share some good news. Advertisement 'Remember that movie that we talked about?' Adam Sandler asked McDonough. 'We're filming it.' Set to shoot in Vancouver that summer, the project starred Sandler as a washed-out hockey player who becomes a world-class golfer after learning that his lone on-ice skill — a booming slap shot — translates to the tee box. It wasn't a huge commercial success upon its February 1996 release, grossing less than $40 million in North American theaters. 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'He was hitting them as a young kid far enough for everybody at the range to turn their heads and go, 'What's he doing that I'm not doing?'' Sandler said. Stan Sandler's hypothesis, both that day and as the years went on, was that McDonough's hockey skill and muscles — especially in his wrists — helped him immediately thrive with a club instead of a stick. McDonough continued golfing with the Sandlers. After losing his own driver, he once even borrowed Stan's for a long-shot competition … and won. But his legacy in the sport was cemented years later, when Sandler reached into their shared past and began crafting a script about a hockey player with preternatural driving talents. 'It's a great story,' said Tim Herlihy, Sandler's longtime writing partner. 'It's great that there's a real-life Happy Gilmore.' 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They also decided to play up what Herlihy called 'the blunt instrument of the temper issue,' which came naturally to Sandler. McDonough, on the other hand, never fought a coach at tryouts: 'I got cut (from a team), but not like that,' he said. Nor did he ever take off his skate and try to stab someone with it. 'We have to draw the line somewhere,' he said. Sandler's knock-kneed skating on camera was another differentiation point. 'God, that was hard to watch,' McDonough said.' I tell everyone, '(Sandler) took poetic license with that.'' Asked to scout himself as a hockey player, McDonough, who was listed at 5-feet-9 in college, showed some of the humility that Sandler mentioned. 'He's quicker than he is fast. He'll beat you to that puck right there, but down the ice, it's not gonna happen. He skates a little funny,' McDonough said. McDonough wound up playing overseas for 13 years. He piled up points across Europe — Denmark, Scotland, Sweden — but made his biggest mark with Frisk Asker in Norway's top league, scoring 33 or more goals in three of his six seasons there and leading the franchise to a championship in 2001-02 before retiring. The closest he came to Gilmore as a hockey player, McDonough said, was during one of those Norway seasons when he led the league in penalties. Naturally, he also won its scoring title. Every year, his students sniff out the Sandler connection. Typically, it doesn't happen until after Christmas. Then someone lands on the correct search results, or sifts through the entirety of the DVD special features on YouTube. And the whispers begin. For his part, McDonough leans in. Now a high school social studies teacher in Manchester, he appreciates the cachet — even if he refuses to directly answer their questions. Advertisement '(I) kind of play it off. I'll deny it,' McDonough said. 'They know that (Sandler) came from here, so it's plausible. All I say is, 'Someone had to go to first grade with him, right?'' Nearly 30 years after Happy Gilmore sank a circus shot with a hockey stick putter to win the gold jacket at the Tour Championship in the original movie, the sequel features a stronger hockey presence. Retired NHLers Sean Avery and Chris Chelios play a pair of bodyguards, credited as Henchman No. 1 and Henchman No. 2. Happy has four sons — all hockey players. He golfs in updated Bruins gear on the screen and, in character at last month's NHL Draft, announced Boston's first-round pick. That player, James Hagens, later met Sandler at the New York premiere of 'Happy Gilmore 2.' The movie also attracted extra attention for its sheer tonnage of celebrity cameos and family-reunion vibes. Bad Bunny is Happy's caddie! John Daly lives in Happy's garage! Travis Kelce gets (redacted) by a (redacted)! Sandler's daughters! Herlihy's son! All pop up, in some fashion. So does McDonough, who made the final cut as a caddie for Charles Howell III. He attended the premiere, too, where he was particularly excited to talk to Judy Sandler. Stan Sandler passed away in 2003 at 68, three years after Sandler released a spoken comedy album called 'Stan and Judy's Kid.' 'I hate to say it, it's so cliché: (Sandler) is one of the guys,' McDonough said. 'I've never been with him where he said no to a picture. And it's everywhere. It's constant. It's so unbelievable. How he's stayed like he is, is just baffling. It comes back to Stan and Judy.' Given the sequel's summer publicity rounds — Sandler mentioned McDonough's name on the Kelce brothers' podcast, for one — the whispers around the real-life Happy Gilmore might start earlier than normal when school begins on Sept. 5. Another recent development for McDonough: After more than 20 years on the bench, including for his former high school and current employer at Manchester Memorial, he's done as a hockey coach. Now, he coaches golf. (Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Archive Photos / Getty)
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Movie review: 'Together' drags despite Brie, Franco commitment
1 of 5 | Alison Brie and Dave Franco, seen at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, star in "Together." File Photo by Chris Chew/UPI | License Photo July 25 (UPI) -- Together, in theaters Friday, has a clever premise but dawdles its way to the good parts. Alison Brie and Dave Franco rise to the occasion by selling the horror, but the film takes too long getting to its macabre extremes. Brie and Franco, who married in 2017, play Millie and Tim, a couple who move to the suburbs for her new teaching job. On a hike, they fall into a cave and drink some water that causes them to merge together. When they first wake up with their legs fused together, it's only slightly painful to pull apart. The pull toward each other grows more and uncomfortable, however, and difficult to separate. While a combination of prosthetic makeup and visual effects achieves the melding of flesh, it's the actors' performances that convince the audience Millie and Tim are in pain. Brie and Franco's bodies contort as their ailment pulls them together. The more entangled their connections, the more they must punish themselves to pull themselves apart. When the performances reach that level, they feel like Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead 2, willing to chop off his possessed hand with a chainsaw. Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between. Though it is necessary to explore some of Tim and Millie's relationship issues that the crisis exacerbates, that portion of the film could be more efficient. The couple's issues are rather basic. Tim is still trying to make his music career happen and is commitment-phobic about moving away with Millie. That's about as generic as relationship movies get. Millie fares a bit better, with Brie avoiding the trope of a domineering partner making ultimatums. But then, she seems either oblivious to Tim's very obvious discomfort or delusional in ignoring the red flags. The photography also goes overboard in depicting the magnetic pull Tim and Millie struggle to resist. Writer/director Michael Shanks loves to turn the camera upside down and after several of those shots, it's enough already. That Franco and Brie are married seems to contribute to their comfort in depicting the physical scenarios together. Non-married actors could certainly act, but it feels like a couple having fun folding themselves around each other. The moments of extreme horror are sure to elicit visceral reactions from viewers. Alas those moments are surrounded by a very banal relationship drama. Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
