{"id":1985190,"date":"2025-08-28T18:51:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T18:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1985190"},"modified":"2025-08-28T18:51:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T18:51:16","slug":"another-iconic-sci-fi-franchise-is-destroying-itself-to-become-a-bad-soap-opera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/another-iconic-sci-fi-franchise-is-destroying-itself-to-become-a-bad-soap-opera\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Iconic Sci-Fi Franchise Is Destroying Itself To Become A Bad Soap Opera"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When <em>Alien: Earth<\/em> debuted on Hulu initially, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/ent\/scifi\/alien-earth-review-2.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:I praised the show;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">I praised the show<\/a> for seemingly making a leap towards exploring bigger ideas. The Alien franchise has always been idea-driven, but that idea was always: What if people encountered a Xenomorph?<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After the series premiere, I thought <em>Alien: Earth <\/em>was poised to tackle bigger and more complex sci-fi ideas, like the nature of human consciousness and what it means to be alive. I was wrong. That\u2019s not what it\u2019s doing at all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Instead, <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/alien\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Alien;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Alien<\/a>: Earth<\/em> has decided to abandon being idea-driven entirely. It\u2019s a character drama, and that\u2019s a big problem.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>How Alien: Earth Revealed Itself As A Character Drama<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The series showed its hand this week when it stopped everything so we could learn about the marital relationship of the random 70s bearded lab tech who\u2019s been working on the Prodigy corporation\u2019s robots in the background. No one cares about that guy, and we didn\u2019t need to know this about him for the plot, but that\u2019s what modern character dramas do when they want to make their stories seem complex. They add more characters.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>The secret life of 70s beard guy on <em>Alien: Earth<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The show\u2019s nature has been hidden behind excellent production design and dramatic musical score, but the signs have been there all along. <em>Alien: Earth<\/em> has drifted away from much of the initial premise and has spent increasing amounts of time developing side characters or adding new characters to interact with existing ones. It\u2019s become preoccupied with building an ensemble.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This methodology has become the default way to construct a series in the modern entertainment era. <strong>It\u2019s why every show has begun to feel the same.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>The Skeletons Of Storytelling<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">When you boil storytelling down to its bones, you\u2019re left with two skeletons: character-driven and idea-driven. Every movie, book, or show hangs its flesh on one or the other, even if it pretends to be something else. The difference is simple: are you here to watch people change, or are you here to see an idea play out?<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Entertainment used to be entirely idea-driven. There was an event or a setting, and characters had to deal with it.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Peter Falk as Columbo.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/uTr4c4SwMl.PUmxmZXXRIQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/fb75c6576c7d1cc32efc7f7336526603\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Peter Falk as Columbo.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For example, on <em>Columbo<\/em> every week, someone gets murdered, and Columbo has to solve the murder. Peter Falk made Columbo an interesting character (one of the all-time greats), but everything we learned about him during that show was a function of the plot he was involved in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Over time, entertainment became more character-driven, and storytelling became obsessed with things like the hero\u2019s journey and understanding how characters grew and changed. Characters didn\u2019t just have an arc; that arc became the focus of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Good Will Hunting<\/em> is a character-driven poster child. The plot is just some therapy sessions and a janitor solving math problems, which sounds like the dullest thing ever. But it works because it\u2019s about a damaged kid wrestling with his self-worth and fear of intimacy. Take Will out of the equation and there\u2019s no story left.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\"><strong>The Alien Universe Is Wallpaper Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">To understand how a character-first focus works in the context of a series, look at <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/mad-men\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Mad Men;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Mad Men<\/a><\/em>. The ad campaigns didn\u2019t matter. The Manhattan skyline didn\u2019t matter. What mattered was Don Draper\u2019s hollow chase for identity and meaning. Everything else is just wallpaper.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">And that means <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/the-thing\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:the thing;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">the thing<\/a> you\u2019re watching <em>Alien: Earth<\/em> for, the Alien universe, is just wallpaper. It\u2019s wallpaper being used as a backdrop for writers without ideas to try and draw you into emotional investment in their characters. When they run out of emotions to suck out of a character, they\u2019ll move on to another.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"&lt;a class=&quot;link &quot; href=&quot;https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/jon-hamm&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; data-ylk=&quot;slk:Jon Hamm;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas&quot;&gt;Jon Hamm&lt;\/a&gt; as Don Draper on &lt;em&gt;Mad Men&lt;\/em&gt;.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Sdxz9WiRgztOW5V43ieyww--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/cdbb342d07d19156a7305a689b262c45\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That works fine for <em>Mad Men<\/em>, because <em>Mad Men<\/em> is about Don Draper, not a broader idea. <strong>Making a show like this character-driven is a way to make it about the writers instead of the story<\/strong>. It\u2019s easier to write and requires less talent, perfect in an environment where Hollywood has stopped recruiting writers based on ability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><span>This is an especially big problem for a show in an established franchise because it means that instead of watching an Alien series,\u00a0<strong>we\u2019re actually watching a soap opera<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span>The audience is tuned in for a story they\u2019ll probably never get.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Sydney Chandler as Wendy on &lt;em&gt;Alien: Earth&lt;\/em&gt;.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/RO5gPUopFPXqr89MtChVFg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/1893a971074d4679abe12ace1830ddbb\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Sydney Chandler as Wendy on <em>Alien: Earth<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That\u2019s what took down Paramount\u2019s <em>Halo<\/em> series, killed <em>Doctor Who\u2019s<\/em> ratings, and is currently <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/articles\/star-trek-save-strange-worlds-172001555.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:driving audiences away from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">driving audiences away from <em>Star Trek: Strange New Worlds<\/em><\/a>. Those audiences tuned in to watch an idea, and that idea is <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.giantfreakinrobot.com\/topic\/star-trek\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Star Trek;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Star Trek<\/a><\/em>, <em>Halo<\/em>, <em>Doctor Who<\/em>, or <em>Alien<\/em>. Instead, the people in charge of those shows gave them characters as stand-ins for their own egos.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Unless Hulu\u2019s new series turns things around quickly, I predict the audience will catch on, get bored, and bail out on <em>Alien: Earth<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Alien: Earth debuted on Hulu initially, I praised the show for seemingly making a leap towards exploring bigger ideas. The Alien franchise has always been idea-driven, but that idea was always: What if people encountered a Xenomorph? After the series premiere, I thought Alien: Earth was poised to tackle bigger and more complex sci-fi [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1985191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[342143,357163,357164],"class_list":["post-1985190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-alien","tag-alien-universe","tag-earth-revealed"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Another-Iconic-Sci-Fi-Franchise-Is-Destroying-Itself-To-Become-A.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1985190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1985190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1985190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1985191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1985190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1985190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1985190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}