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Alien Nation

  • TV Series
  • 1989–19901989–1990
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Alien Nation (1989)
CrimeDramaSci-Fi

In the near future, a human cop and his alien partner fight crime and discrimination in Los Angeles.In the near future, a human cop and his alien partner fight crime and discrimination in Los Angeles.In the near future, a human cop and his alien partner fight crime and discrimination in Los Angeles.

IMDb RATING
6.8/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
  • Creator
    • Kenneth Johnson(developed for television by)
  • Stars
    • Gary Graham
    • Eric Pierpoint
    • Michele Scarabelli
Top credits
  • Creator
    • Kenneth Johnson(developed for television by)
  • Stars
    • Gary Graham
    • Eric Pierpoint
    • Michele Scarabelli
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 18User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Episodes21

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season

    Photos95

    Catherine Paolone and Michele Scarabelli in Alien Nation (1989)
    Gary Graham and Terri Treas in Alien Nation (1989)
    Eric Pierpoint and Michele Scarabelli in Alien Nation (1989)
    Ron Fassler in Alien Nation (1989)
    Gary Graham, Michele Scarabelli, and Sean Six in Alien Nation (1989)
    Jason Beghe in Alien Nation (1989)
    David Bowe and Gary Graham in Alien Nation (1989)
    Eric Pierpoint, Michele Scarabelli, Sean Six, and Lauren Woodland in Alien Nation (1989)
    Eric Pierpoint and Michele Scarabelli in Alien Nation (1989)
    Gary Graham and Terri Treas in Alien Nation (1989)
    Thomas Byrd, Gary Graham, and Eric Pierpoint in Alien Nation (1989)
    M.E. Loree, Eric Pierpoint, and Michele Scarabelli in Alien Nation (1989)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gary Graham
    Gary Graham
    • Detective Matthew Sikesas Detective Matthew Sikes
    21 episodes21 eps • 1989–1990
    Eric Pierpoint
    Eric Pierpoint
    • Detective George Franciscoas Detective George Francisco
    21 episodes21 eps • 1989–1990
    Michele Scarabelli
    Michele Scarabelli
    • Susan Franciscoas Susan Francisco
    21 episodes21 eps • 1989–1990
    Lauren Woodland
    Lauren Woodland
    • Emily Franciscoas Emily Francisco
    21 episodes21 eps • 1989–1990
    Sean Six
    • Buck Franciscoas Buck Francisco
    21 episodes21 eps • 1989–1990
    Terri Treas
    Terri Treas
    • Cathy Frankelas Cathy Frankel
    21 episodes21 eps • 1989–1990
    Jeffrey Marcus
    Jeffrey Marcus
    • Albert Einsteinas Albert Einstein
    21 episodes21 eps • 1989–1990
    Ron Fassler
    Ron Fassler
    • Captain Bryon Grazeras Captain Bryon Grazer…
    21 episodes21 eps • 1989–1990
    Jeff Doucette
    Jeff Doucette
    • Burnsas Burns
    13 episodes13 eps • 1989–1990
    Molly Morgan
    Molly Morgan
    • Jill Molaskeyas Jill Molaskey
    12 episodes12 eps • 1989–1990
    Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
    Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
    • Sergeant Dobbsas Sergeant Dobbs…
    12 episodes12 eps • 1989–1990
    Michele Lamar Richards
    Michele Lamar Richards
    • Dr. Lois Allenas Dr. Lois Allen
    6 episodes6 eps • 1989–1990
    James Greene
    • Uncle Moodrias Uncle Moodri
    5 episodes5 eps • 1989–1990
    Jenny Gago
    Jenny Gago
    • Det. Beatrice Zapedaas Det. Beatrice Zapeda
    5 episodes5 eps • 1990
    J. Trevor Edmond
    J. Trevor Edmond
    • Blentuas Blentu
    3 episodes3 eps • 1989
    Art Seidel
    • Desk Sargeantas Desk Sargeant…
    3 episodes3 eps • 1990
    Noon Orsatti
    • Svaboas Svabo
    3 episodes3 eps • 1989
    Kim Braden
    Kim Braden
    • Marilyn Houstonas Marilyn Houston
    2 episodes2 eps • 1990
    • Creator
      • Kenneth Johnson(developed for television by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    A flying saucer crashed in the Mojave Desert and its inhabitants turned out to be alien slaves, bred to be super intelligent and strong, and controllable by their Overseers. These Tenctonese, or "Newcomers", have been assimilated (sort of) into the population of Los Angeles. One of them, George Francisco, is a police detective with a human partner, Matthew Sikes. George and Matt fight crime together, while learning to respect the other's culture, and question his own. They also fight prejudice, as personified by the Purists, and fear, in the form of the unseen Overseers, who seek to regain control over their slaves. —Kathy Li
    alien familyfriendly alienalien family manalien childman in love with alien woman46 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Sci-Fi
    • Certificate
      • TV-14
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During the opening credits, we hear alien lyrics being sung: "E take nas naj...nah sus gah nilpa." This is actually the names of produces Kenneth Johnson's wife and daughter (Katie Johnson and Susan Appling Johnson) sung backwards. In fact, most of the alien language was, in fact, backwards English, which helped to keep gramatical rules intact. Other inspiration for the language came from Russian, as well as nonsensical and made-up words.
    • Quotes

      Susan Francisco: Are you always this pissy when you're conducting an investigation?

      Detective George Francisco: Susan, I believe "pissy" is a vulgar word.

      Susan Francisco: Really? Gee, I hear it used all the time.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Chronic Rift: SF Shows That Flopped (1990)

    User reviews18

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Memorable nation
    "Alien Nation" is a perfect examples of a well-executed spin off. The original James Caan movie was a decent buddy cop flick, but the premise really lends itself to long0for television; and there's some great character development here as a result. It's a good mixture of sci-fi and cop show, and the big themes - racism, slavery, xenophobia - are handled with subtlety. But the important thing is that you do grow to like these people, and it's a worthwhile investment.

    I know that there were TV movies produced to settle the dangling plot threads, but part of me is still disappointed it was cancelled on a cliffhanger (Fox was still young; it didn't yet have a reputation for killing off quality shows).

    A good show, nevertheless.

    7/10
    helpful•4
    0
    • Mr-Fusion
    • Feb 12, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 18, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Spacecop L.A.
    • Filming locations
      • Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • 20th Century Fox Television
      • Kenneth Johnson Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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