Just over a month after season three of Resident Alien concluded on Syfy, the future of the quirky sci-fi comedy-drama is still uncertain. And there's some intrigue about where the series starring Alan Tudyk would go next if it gets a fourth season.
Sources say there is talk of Resident Alien moving from Syfy to NBCU cable sibling USA Network, which currently has no original scripts besides Chucky, which it shares with Syfy. According to sources, a return to Syfy seems unlikely, so USA Network is the only viable destination for Resident Alien within NBCU, whose UCP division is producing the film adaptation of Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse's comic book.
But a possible season four at USA Network would come with a major budget cut, up to $500,000 per episode, which will be a challenge, sources said.
Basic cable budgets have always been modest. They are now under additional scrutiny due to the economic realities of ad-supported cable networks, which are being hit hard by the cutting off of young people dropping out of television subscriptions and the overall decline in linear viewing.
As revealed in December, USA Network is exploring the return of its Blue Sky drama brand with one-hour series with budgets capped at $2 million-$3 million per episode.
For now, the focus is to try to keep Resident Alien at NBCU. If that proves impossible, UCP, part of Universal Studio Group, is expected to explore other options, including selling the series to Netflix. The streamer released the first two seasons of Resident Alien on February 13, a day before season three premiered on Syfy and was available the next day on Peacock, which is also home to the series' library.
The well-reviewed series (the first two seasons have an average of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes) landed on several must-watch lists, and the first season spent its first five weeks on Netflix's Top 10 of English-language series.
It is unclear whether Netflix would be interested if approached. Additionally, a move to the global streamer would be challenging due to the patchwork of international rights that need to be untangled, as Resident Alien is performing strongly internationally for NBCU and is available in a wide range of territories.
Netflix has also experienced this with Warner Bros. TV for Lucifer and with eOne for Designated Survivor. Universal Television of the Universal Studio Group just did it for the comedy series Girls5Eva, which moved from domestic streamer Peacock to Netflix for season three.
Created by Chris Sheridan from the comic book, Resident Alien revolves around the titular character, played by Tudyk, who is sent to wipe out humanity on Earth, but over time develops compassion for his hosts and begins to... defend against other alien threats while working as a doctor in a small Colorado town.
Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler, Judah Prehn and Elizabeth Bowen also star.
Sheridan, Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, David Dobkin and Robert Duncan McNeill direct. Jocko Productions, Amblin Television and Dark Horse Entertainment are producing along with UCP.
In addition to Chucky, Syfy's original series slate also includes Reginald The Vampire and the Canadian co-production SurrealEstate.