The ’90s Sci-Fi Thriller Series Tried To Warn Us About Canceling Shows
Add this to the list of series that predicted the future. Just like The Simpsons made wild predictions from everything between Cyber Trucks to Trump’s Presidency, a forgotten series called Alien Nation seems to have made similarly accurate forecasts. In particular, the 90s sci-fi series predicted the invention of streaming services and even called out how easily production studios of the future would cancel shows.
It’s been 30 years since Alien Nation’s time, and streaming has completely changed the way we watch content. Gone are the days of paying $60 for cable TV for a handful of shows across networks filled with commercials. Now, we pay for individual streaming services and more content than a person could possibly watch in a lifetime.
Way back in 1996, Alien Nation predicted streaming content and the mass cancellation of shows.
But the abundance of content isn’t the only thing that’s changed since Alien Nation was on air. Now, starting a new show comes with a feeling of trepidation because if you happen to love it, there’s no guarantee of a satisfying ending.
From the abrupt cancellation of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance after just one season by Netflix, to the complete removal of Willow from Disney+, to the parallel fate of Gordita Chronicles on HBO Max, the disappointment of witnessing your favorite TV show’s cancellation is a universal experience.
It’s not a recent trend either. Netflix, the OG streaming platform, was once renowned for resurrecting canceled gems like Arrested Development and providing creators with unparalleled creative freedom, but now it cancels anything that isn’t an instant success. It’s exactly what Alien Nation predicted way back in 1996.
What Was Alien Nation?
If you haven’t heard of Alien Nation before, you’re not alone. While the series was loved by its fans, it was originally canceled after its first season in 1989. It’s a science fiction detective drama in a world where a quarter of a million stranded aliens appeared on Earth and became its latest minority.
While Alien Nation was canceled after just one season, Fox reversed its decision four years later and greenlit five TV movies. Executive producer and writer Kenneth Johnson, determined not to let the initial cancelation fade into obscurity, made a point to highlight it in one of the movies, Alien Nation: Millennium. In doing so, he unwittingly foreshadowed the fate that would befall many canceled shows in the years that followed.
In the film, Alien Nation’s human protagonist Sikes (Gary Graham) hastily returns home to his alien bio-chemist girlfriend Cathy (Terri Treas). He urges her to join him in watching a new show, “My Brother, The Alien.” Despite Cathy’s skepticism that the show might perpetuate racial stereotypes about her people, Sikes insists, and they tune in on her computer (hence the prediction of streaming services).
As it turns out, the show isn’t good, and after a single scene, a Fox logo abruptly shuts the episode off. An announcement states, “The remainder of ‘My Brother, The Alien’ will not be seen because our instant National Nielsen Ratings indicate low viewer interest.”
While it’s a funny joke, abrupt cancelations of series before they’ve had time to meet their ideal audience is a reality that has become painfully real with modern entertainment, which means Alien Nation truly predicted the future.
