Season 3 of Syfy's hit series Resident Alien will be a bit shorter than expected. Deadline reports that the fan-favorite series headlined by Alan Tudyk will now see its newest season span eight episodes instead of the originally planned 12.
It comes as a bit of a surprise for what was once deemed one of Syfy's flagship series. Season 1 premiered back in 2021 and became an immediate hit for the network, pulling in solid viewership and earning a Certified Fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes after dazzling both critics and audiences. Season 2 found even more success in its first half, ranking as one of the top 15 most-watched cable programs and the top 5 most-watched cable dramas. The back half of the second season, however, saw a considerable ratings dip which, combined with an overall drop in review scores, may have swayed Syfy to be more cautious with Season 3. Despite the decline, the show was once again nominated for Best Cable Comedy Series at the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards and received its first Saturn Awards nomination.
With the change, this will be the shortest season yet for Resident Alien. Season 1 kicked things off with a ten-episode run while Season 2 was bumped up to 16 episodes following the first outing's success. It's also part of a growing trend of shorter seasons for television series as networks look to mitigate risk and cut spending. Syfy originally renewed the series for a third season back in July after the massive success of the first half of Season 2.
Background on Resident Alien Season 3
Produced by UCP in association with Amblin TV and Dark Horse Entertainment, Resident Alien adapts the Dark Horse comic series of the same name, following an alien (Tudyk) as he crash lands on Earth with the mission to destroy all humans. Taking the guise of the town doctor Harry Vanderspiegel, he blends in with the humans and begins to wrestle with the moral implications that come with eradicating the human race. Season 2 saw him still stuck on Earth and grappling with his situation, but he ultimately comes around to helping the humans, particularly Asta (Sara Tomko), whom he's become attached to, fight the aliens that come to finish the job Harry failed.
Alongside Tudyk and Tomko, the series features a cast of Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler, Judah Prehn, and Elizabeth Bowen. Resident Alien hails from Chris Sheridan with Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg of Dark Horse Entertainment, and Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank of Amblin TV joining him as executive producers.
Resident Alien wrapped up its second season back in September. Check out an interview Collider conducted with Tudyk below about his time with Season 2.