There’s finally a date in place for when Resident Alien season 4 will be shot, and there’s a strong possibility it’s not good news. Since beginning in 2021, the Alan Tudyk-led sci-fi dramedy has aired relatively consistently. While the first two seasons aired in consecutive years, Resident Alien season 3 didn’t premiere until a notable length of time after the season 2 finale. Although Resident Alien season 4 is confirmed to be on the way, the production schedule suggests the delay will be far more like the one between seasons 2 and 3.
The core Resident Alien cast has remained intact since the beginning of the show, but their amazing chemistry hasn’t guaranteed plain sailing in recent years. Resident Alien season 3’s ending marked the conclusion of the show’s shortest run yet, so rumors started to arise that it would be canceled. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case. That being said, the excitement about Resident Alien‘s return probably needs to be put on hold for a little while yet.
Resident Alien Season 4 May Not Air Until 2026
The shoot is scheduled to begin in December 2024
According to North Hollywood Buzz, the Resident Alien season 4 cast and crew will reconvene in Vancouver on December 2, 2024, to begin filming the next batch of episodes. Currently, the shoot is scheduled to conclude on March 31, 2025. If this timetable is adhered to, it may seem like there is still plenty of 2025 remaining in which Resident Alien season 4 can air its first episode. Unfortunately, when looking at the show’s previous turnarounds, 2026 looks far more likely at this point.
The end of filming a show doesn’t mean it’s ready to air, as there are other processes – such as editing and marketing – that need to happen first.
Resident Alien season 3 reportedly wrapped filming in May 2023, but the first episode only aired in April 2024 – almost a full calendar year later. Assuming that Resident Alien season 4 follows this pattern, then Alan Tudyk’s Harry Vanderspeigle and the other residents of Patience, Colorado may not return to screens until around March 2026. By that point, it will have been roughly two years since season 3 ended with “Homecoming,” which would set a disappointing new record for the show.
Resident Alien’s Network Switch Could Help With A Speedier Turnaround
USA Network picked up Resident Alien season 4
Resident Alien seasons 1-3 were produced by Syfy. When season 3 ended, it looked for a while like the show wouldn’t return, as Syfy didn’t seem too interested in continuing with the project. Luckily, Resident Alien season 4 was picked up by USA Network. Some evidence to suggest Syfy’s apathy pertains to the fact that season 3 was originally supposed to be 12 episodes long, which would already have been a record low for the show. However, showrunner Chris Sheridan has confirmed (via CBR) that the final count of 8 episodes was a last-minute change enforced upon them by Syfy.
“It was hard, especially since we started at 12. The original order was for 12, and then we dropped to eight about midway through the writers’ room. We didn’t have time to reconceive the season, so we had to tell our 12-episode story in eight episodes. We had to pick and choose our moves. The downside is that there were some things that were a little bit rushed.”
So, it seems almost as if Syfy was trying to just get Resident Alien season 3 out the door, so the studio could cut ties with the show. While production was also affected by the SAG-AFTRA strikes, Syfy’s evident lack of enthusiasm for Resident Alien likely also contributed to season 3’s delay. Inversely, USA will presumably want to wheel out season 4 of its new show as soon as possible. Therefore, the projected two-year wait could just be a worst-case scenario.
Resident Alien Season 3’s Finale Means The Wait Will Be Worth It
“Here Comes My Baby” & “Homecoming” set up a promising future
Although most of Resident Alien season 3 didn’t quite live up to the standard of the previous two runs, its two-part finale massively made up for the other shortcomings. “Homecoming” especially introduced several massive and exciting cliffhangers that are already making the wait feel excruciatingly long. For instance, Resident Alien season 4’s new villain was introduced in the season 3 finale, and his murderous, shapeshifting ways are sure to create no shortage of violent drama. With Harry trapped aboard the Grey Aliens’ Star Wars-inspired moon ship, it’s unclear who will step forward to be the hero.
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Alan Tudyk’s Brilliant Resident Alien Performances Create A Big Headscratcher For The Sci-Fi Show
There’s no denying how perfect Alan Tudyk is for the role of Resident Alien’s leading man, but his acting choices also create a weird problem.
Other storylines, like Mike’s discovery of the Greys, and Liv’s Alien Tracker reunion, are equally compelling in where they could go in the coming season. Hopefully, the lengthy wait means USA Network is planning to increase the episode count so that the narrative can span longer than a measly eight installments. If not, then the episodes that are produced need to be of a much higher quality than the most recent efforts. As long as Resident Alien season 4 is an improvement rather than a backward step, the wait won’t seem quite so long in retrospect.
Sources: North Hollywood Buzz, CBR
A television adaptation of the comic book series, Resident Alien is a sci-fi comedy that stars Alan Tudyk as an alien who crashes on Earth with one mission – destroy humanity to save the planet. When Tudyk’s character takes the identity of a doctor, he arrives at a small town and begins to act the role preparing his plan. As time passes, he develops human emotions against his will – but his plans are further complicated when he meets the son of the mayor – who can see his actual appearance.
- Cast
- Alan Tudyk , Elizabeth Bowen , Judah Prehn , Levi Fiehler , Corey Reynolds , Alice Wetterlund , Sara Tomko
- Release Date
- January 27, 2021
- Seasons
- 4
- Network
- USA Network
- Showrunner
- Chris Sheridan
